Digital Commons Network^™

Developing An Intranet Resource To Compile And Disseminate Animal Welfare Information For Library Liaisons, Frank Davis, Rick Brewer, Valerie Perry

Library Presentations

The project’s goal is to create and maintain a comprehensive database containing subject-specific information. The information is used to serve as a key resource for grant support and enhance the ethical treatment of animals.

A library Intranet allows librarian liaisons to conduct database searches and prepare customized reports for campus researchers. EndNote software is utilized, due to a campus site license.

Legume Cover Crops Are More Beneficial Than Natural Fallows In Minimally Tilled Ugandan Soils, Drake N. Mubiru, Mark S. Coyne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

It is important to establish the various effects of legume cover crops on soil physicochemical properties because they have been considered for use as improved fallows (with shorter rest periods) to enhance development and maintenance of soil productivity. Our objectives were to assess: (i) aboveground dry matter yields of legume cover crops; and (ii) cover crop effects on weed infestation and soil physicochemical properties in a minimum tillage management system. Trials were conducted for 2 yr at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute and on farmers’ fields in Mbale and Pallisa districts, eastern Uganda. Th e experiment layout was a Randomized Complete …

Nucleic Acids Encoding Sarcocystis Neurona Antigen And Uses Thereof, Daniel K. Howe

Veterinary Science Faculty Patents

The present invention provides novel isolated nucleic acids encoding antigenic proteins derived fromSarcocystis neurona, or unique fragments thereof. In particular, the invention provides novel isolated nucleic acids encoding membrane-associated polypeptides SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG 4. Also provided are purified antigenic polypeptide fragments encoded by the novel nucleic acid sequences set forth herein that encode for SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG 4. Also provided are isolated nucleic acids capable of selectively hybridizing with the nucleic acid from Sarcocystis neurona. The invention also provides vectors comprising the nucleic acids of the invention encoding an antigenic protein derived from Sarcocystis neurona or a …

Compositions And Methods For Detecting And Treating Atherosclerosis, Nancy R. Webb, Frederick C. De Beer

Internal Medicine Faculty Patents

Methods for detecting atherosclerotic plaque and quantifying the amount of Group V sPLA₂ in plasma are disclosed. These methods can be used to assess the risk of cardiovascular pathology in a patient.

Metallic Nickel Nano- And Fine Particles Induce Jb6 Cell Apoptosis Through A Caspase-8/Aif Mediated Cytochrome C-Independent Pathway, Jinshun Zhao, Linda Bowman, Xingdong Zhang, Xianglin Shi, Binghua Jiang, Vincent Castranova, Min Ding

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Carcinogenicity of nickel compounds has been well documented. However, the carcinogenic effect of metallic nickel is still unclear. The present study investigates metallic nickel nano- and fine particle-induced apoptosis and the signal pathways involved in this process in JB6 cells. The data obtained from this study will be of benefit for elucidating the pathological and carcinogenic potential of metallic nickel particles.

RESULTS: Using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, we found that metallic nickel nanoparticles exhibited higher cytotoxicity than fine particles. Both metallic nickel nano- and fine particles induced JB6 cell apoptosis. Metallic nickel nanoparticles produced higher apoptotic induction than fine …

Lrp1 Shedding In Human Brain: Roles Of Adam10 And Adam17, Qiang Liu, Juan Zhang, Hien Tran, Marcel M. Verbeek, Karina Reiss, Steven Estus, Guojun Bu

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) plays critical roles in lipid metabolism, cell survival, and the clearance of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide. Functional soluble LRP1 (sLRP1) has been detected in circulating human placenta; however, whether sLRP1 is also present in the central nervous system is unclear.

RESULTS: Here we show that abundant sLRP1 capable of binding its ligands is present in human brain tissue and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). Interestingly, the levels of sLRP1 in CSF are significantly increased in older individuals, suggesting that either LRP1 shedding is increased or sLRP1 clearance is decreased during aging. To examine potential …

Recombinant Watermelon (Citrullus Lanatus) Hydroperoxide Lyase And Uses Thereof, David Hildebrand, Hirotada Fukushige

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Patents

Recombinant watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) hydroperoxide lyase protein, DNA sequences encoding the protein, vectors containing the DNA sequences and hosts containing the vectors are provided, together with methods for recombinantly producing watermelon hydroperoxide lyase, DNA sequences, vectors and hosts.

Monoclonal Antibody 1a7 And Use For The Treatment Of Melanoma And Small Cell Carcinoma, Malaya Chatterjee, Kenneth A. Foon, Sunil K. Chatterjee

Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics Faculty Patents

The present invention relates to monoclonal antibody 1A7. This is an anti-idiotype produced by immunizing with an antibody specific for ganglioside GD2, and identifying a hybridoma secreting antibody with immunogenic potential in a multi-step screening process. Also disclosed are polynucleotide and polypeptide derivatives based on 1A7, including single chain variable region molecules and fusion proteins, and various pharmaceutical compositions. When administered to an individual, the 1A7 antibody overcomes immune tolerance and induces an immune response against GD2, which comprises a combination of anti-GD2 antibody and GD2-specific T cells. The invention further provides methods for treating a disease associated with altered …

Characterization Of Conserved Properties Of Hemagglutinin Of H5n1 And Human Influenza Viruses: Possible Consequences For Therapy And Infection Control, Veljko Veljkovic, Nevena Veljkovic, Claude P. Muller, Sybille Müller, Sanja Glisic, Vladimir Perovic, Heinz Köhler

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Epidemics caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) are a continuing threat to human health and to the world's economy. The development of approaches, which help to understand the significance of structural changes resulting from the alarming mutational propensity for human-to-human transmission of HPAIV, is of particularly interest. Here we compare informational and structural properties of the hemagglutinin (HA) of H5N1 virus and human influenza virus subtypes, which are important for the receptor/virus interaction.

RESULTS: Presented results revealed that HA proteins encode highly conserved information that differ between influenza virus subtypes H5N1, H1N1, H3N2, H7N7 and defined an …

Forage News [2009-04], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register Early for the 2009 AFGC Conference
• Southern Pasture & Forage Crop Improvement Conference
• Consumer Purchasing Trends Shift in Response to Challenge Economy
• 10 Reasons to Make Forage First in the Ration
• Spring Nitrogen Fertilization of Hayfields in 2009 - Will it Pay?
• By-Product Gypsum: What's It Worth to Forage Producers in Kentucky?
• Rotational Grazing Gets High Marks
• Upcoming events

The State Of Exception In Film: Cloverfied And 24, Jeff Griffin

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

No abstract provided.

Advancing The Study Of Violence Against Women: Evolving Research Agendas Into Science, Carol E. Jordan

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

Decades of research produced by multiple disciplines has documented withering rates of violence against women in the United States and around the globe. To further an understanding of gendered violence, a field of research has developed, but recent critiques have highlighted weaknesses that inhibit a full scientific exploration of these crimes and their impacts. This review extends beyond prior reviews to explore the field’s unique challenges, its community of scientists, and the state of its written knowledge. The review argues for moving beyond “research agendas” and proposes creation of a transdisciplinary science for the field of study of violence against …

Borrelia Burgdorferi Ebfc Defines A Newly-Identified, Widespread Family Of Bacterial Dna-Binding Proteins, Sean P. Riley, Tomasz Bykowski, Anne E. Cooley, Logan H. Burns, Kelly Babb, Catherine A. Brissette, Amy Bowman, Matthew L. Rotondi, M. Clarke Miller, Edward Demoll, Kap Lim, Michael G. Fried, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, encodes a novel type of DNA-binding protein named EbfC. Orthologs of EbfC are encoded by a wide range of bacterial species, so characterization of the borrelial protein has implications that span the eubacterial kingdom. The present work defines the DNA sequence required for high-affinity binding by EbfC to be the 4 bp broken palindrome GTnAC, where ‘n’ can be any nucleotide. Two high-affinity EbfC-binding sites are located immediately 5′ of B. burgdorferi erp transcriptional promoters, and binding of EbfC was found to alter the conformation of erp promoter DNA. Consensus EbfC-binding …

Polyglutamine Disruption Of The Huntingtin Exon 1 N Terminus Triggers A Complex Aggregation Mechanism, Ashwani K. Thakur, Murali Jayaraman, Rakesh Mishra, Monika Thakur, Veronique M. Chellgren, In-Ja L Byeon, Dalaver H. Anjum, Ravindra Kodali, Trevor P. Creamer, James F. Conway, Angela M. Gronenborn, Ronald Wetzel

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Simple polyglutamine (polyQ) peptides aggregate in vitro via a nucleated growth pathway directly yielding amyloid-like aggregates. We show here that the 17-amino-acid flanking sequence (HTT^NT) N-terminal to the polyQ in the toxic huntingtin exon 1 fragment imparts onto this peptide a complex alternative aggregation mechanism. In isolation, the HTT^NT peptide is a compact coil that resists aggregation. When polyQ is fused to this sequence, it induces in HTT^NT, in a repeat-length dependent fashion, a more extended conformation that greatly enhances its aggregation into globular oligomers with HTT^NT cores and exposed polyQ. In a second …

Impact Of Poor Quality Of Life On Adolescents In Rural Kentucky: A Brief Report, Hatim A. Omar, Søren Ventegodt, Joav Merrick

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

In many rural areas in Kentucky, adolescents lack the basic assets for a good quality of life, such as having caring adults, a safe place and useful activities after school. Methods: Analysis of data from middle and high school students referred to a comprehensive school based health promotion center (SBHPC). Results: From august 2006 to February 2008, a total of 382 students (200 female, 182 male, aged 12-18 years) were referred to the SBHPC for help. Only two (0.5%) students had two parents living with them and 12 (3.1%) had safe, organized after school activities. 19.9% of the total were …

Use Of Clopidogrel In The Reduction Of Myocardial Damage During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Arijit Dasgupta, Debabrata Mukherjee

Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Faculty Publications

It is estimated that approximately a quarter of patients undergoing coronary intervention may have significant post-procedural creatinine (CK)/creatinine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) elevations and approximately half may have post-procedural troponin elevations. Current data suggest that periprocedural infarction is associated with short-, intermediate-, and long-term adverse outcomes, most notably mortality. This review examines the role of clopidogrel in decreasing periprocedural myonecrosis following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Clopidogrel is an important pharmacologic agent used to reduce myocardial infarction post-coronary intervention as assessed directly by the evaluation of cardiac biomarkers and indirectly by the evaluation of short-term ischemic events. The optimal dose of …

Detection Of Cwd Prions In Urine And Saliva Of Deer By Transgenic Mouse Bioassay, Nicholas J. Haley, Davis M. Seelig, Mark D. Zabel, Glenn C. Telling, Edward A. Hoover

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervids (e.g. deer, elk, and moose). The mechanisms of CWD transmission are poorly understood, though bodily fluids are thought to play an important role. Here we report the presence of infectious prions in the urine and saliva of deer with chronic wasting disease (CWD). Prion infectivity was detected by bioassay of concentrated, dialyzed urine and saliva in transgenic mice expressing the cervid PrP gene (Tg[CerPrP] mice). In addition, PrP(CWD) was detected in pooled and concentrated urine by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). The concentration of abnormal prion protein …

Carbon Nanotube Membranes For Use In The Transdermal Treatment Of Nicotine Addiction And Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms, Caroline L. Strasinger, Nicole N. Scheff, Ji Wu, Bruce J. Hinds, Audra L. Stinchcomb

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Transdermal systems are attractive methods of drug administration specifically when treating patients for drug addiction. Current systems however are deficient in therapies that allow variable flux values of drug, such as nicotine for smoking cessation or complex dosing regimens using clonidine when treating opioid withdrawal symptoms. Through the use of functionalized carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes, drug delivery to the skin can be controlled by applying a small electrical bias to create a programmable drug delivery system. Clearly, a transdermal patch system that can be tailored to an individual's needs will increase patient compliance as well as provide much more efficient …

Method Utilizing The Tobacco Phylloplanin Promoter For Expression Of Nucleic Acids As Gene Products Directed To Aerial Surfaces Of Plants, George J. Wagner, Ryan W. Shepard

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Patents

A method and system is provided for generating excreted gene products in a plant which includes generating a nucleic acid fusion construct comprising a phylloplanin promoter and a selected non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence whose transcription product is to be expressed and delivered to an aerial surface of a plant. The method includes transfecting plant cells with the nucleic acid fusion construct and allowing the plant cells to express the non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence transcription product which is then excreted from the plant cells to the aerial surfaces.

A Discontinuous Rna Platform Mediates Rna Virus Replication: Building An Integrated Model For Rna-Based Regulation Of Viral Processes, Baodong Wu, Judit Pogany, Hong Na, Beth L. Nicholson, Peter D. Nagy, K. Andrew White

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Plus-strand RNA viruses contain RNA elements within their genomes that mediate a variety of fundamental viral processes. The traditional view of these elements is that of local RNA structures. This perspective, however, is changing due to increasing discoveries of functional viral RNA elements that are formed by long-range RNA-RNA interactions, often spanning thousands of nucleotides. The plus-strand RNA genomes of tombusviruses exemplify this concept by possessing different long-range RNA-RNA interactions that regulate both viral translation and transcription. Here we report that a third fundamental tombusvirus process, viral genome replication, requires a long-range RNA-based interaction spanning approximately 3000 nts. In vivo …

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act Web Tool, Amanda Gumbert, UK Cooperative Extension Service
• Cane Run Watershed Council – An Adventure in Watershed Involvement, Amanda Gumbert, UK Cooperative Extension Service
• Preliminary Comparison of Nutrient and Total Suspended Sediment Data on Water Samples Collected using Teledyne Portable Autosampler and EPA Field Methods for Wadeable Streams, Susan Brown, April Haight and others, Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy, Morehead State University
• Groundwater Protection Plans, Patricia Keefe, Kentucky Division of Water
• Use of Geophysical Techniques to Locate a Karst Conduit in the Cane Run – Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky …

Session 2c, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Western Kentucky Deep Saline Reservoir CO₂ Storage Test, David Williams and J. Richard Bowersox, Kentucky Geological Survey, UK
• Western Kentucky Deep Saline Reservoir CO₂ Storage Test: Preliminary Environmental Assessments and Monitoring, E. Glynn Beck, Thomas Parris, and David Williams, Kentucky Geological Survey, UK
• Arsenite Oxidation by a Chemostat Culture of Thiomonas Arsenivorans Strain B6, Aniruddha Dastidar and Yi-Tin Wang, Dept Civil Engineering, UK
• Biological Control of Manganese in Water Supplies – A New Mn(II)-Oxidizing Bacteria Isolate, Michael Snyder and Y.T. Wang, Dept Civil Engineering, UK

Session 2b, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Watershed Based Planning in the Upper East Fork of Clarks River, Maggie Morgan, Four Rivers Basin Team, Paul Maron, Strand Associates, Inc
• Kentucky Institute for Watershed Management Support, Alanna Storey, Jana Fattic, and Andrew Ernest, Center for Water Resource Studies, WKU
• Overview of TMDL Development for Panther Creek and Long Falls Watersheds in Daviess and McLean Counties, Kentucky, Josh Brewer, Center for Water Resource Studies, WKU
• Nitrogen Isotopes to Study the Variability of Sediment Transported from a Lowland Watershed in the Bluegrass, Jimmy Fox and others, Dept Civil Engineering, UK

Session 1c, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Suspended Sediment in the Dry Creek Watershed, Rowan County, Kentucky, Samuel Williams, Steven Reid, and Christine McMichael, Morehead State University
• Influence of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) on the Aquatic Biodiversity in Eastern Kentucky, Aric Payne and Sherry Harrel, Dept Biological Sciences, EKU
• Identification of Human and Animal Fecal Sources in Central Kentucky Watersheds by PCR of 16sDNA Markers from Host-Specific Fecal Anaerobes, Tricia Coakley and others, Environmental Research Training Laboratories (ERTL), UK
• Investigation of Land-Use Change and Hydrologic Forcing upon Streambank Erosion and In-Stream Sediment Processes Using a Watershed Model and Sediment Tracers, Joseph Russo and …

Session 1a, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Integrated Surface and Groundwater Quality Assessments in Karst Regions of Kentucky, Robert Blair and Peter Goodmann, Kentucky Division of Water
• The Karst Potential Index for Kentucky, Progress Report, James Currens, Randall Paylor, and Matthew Crawford, Kentucky Geological Survey, UK
• DNA Analysis of Fecal Bacteria to Trace Transport of Agricultural Pathogens at Crump’s Cave, KY, Rick Fowler, WATERS Laboratory, WKU
• Process Water Management (PWM) for Achieving Water Conservation Management (WCM), Cam Metcalf and Tom Wright, Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center, U of L Shelby Campus

Proceedings Of 2009 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This conference was planned and conducted as part of the state water resources research annual program with the support and collaboration of the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, under Grant Agreement Number 06HQGR0087.

The views and conclusions contained in this document and presented at the symposium are those of the abstract authors and presenters and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government or other symposium organizers and sponsors.

Effects Of Growth Media Ph And Reaction Water Activity On The Conversion Of Acetophenone To (S)-1-Phenylethanol By Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Immobilized On Celite 635 And In Calcium Alginate, Nicholas P. Coleman, Czarena Crofcheck, Sue E. Nokes, Barbara L. Knutson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Biologically catalyzed reactions often produce enantiomers of the product; however, only one configuration is desired. Reaction conditions are known to affect enantiomer ratios and reaction kinetics, but little is known regarding the effect of processing conditions on whole-cell biocatalysis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were grown in batch on glucose at pH = 4, 5, and 7, and then immobilized on Celite beads or in calcium alginate beads and used as the biocatalyst for the conversion of acetophenone in hexane to (S)-1-phenylethanol at water activities of 0.37, 0.61, and 0.80. S. cerevisiae was used as a model microorganism for the whole-cell catalyzed …

Method Of Inhibiting Binding Activity Of Immunoglobulins, Clair D. Hicks, Zeynep Ustunol

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Patents

A method for inhibiting culture agglutination in a fermentation medium including immunoglobulins includes the step of treating a source of immunoglobulins with an enzyme, such as papain, ficin, bromelain and mixtures thereof to hydrolyze the immunoglobulins into immunoreactive peptides having a molecular weight of less than 10,000 Daltons. This is accomplished utilizing ultrafiltration and/or diafiltration techniques. Next, is the collecting of peptides so produced and the adding of the peptides to a growth media for microorganisms useful in fermenting the fermentation medium. This is followed by growing the microorganisms in the inoculated growth media and adding the microorganisms grown in …

Increased Hydrogen Production By Genetic Engineering Of Escherichia Coli, Zhanmin Fan, Ling Yuan, Ranjini Chatterjee

Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli is capable of producing hydrogen under anaerobic growth conditions. Formate is converted to hydrogen in the fermenting cell by the formate hydrogenlyase enzyme system. The specific hydrogen yield from glucose was improved by the modification of transcriptional regulators and metabolic enzymes involved in the dissimilation of pyruvate and formate. The engineered E. coli strains ZF1 (ΔfocA; disrupted in a formate transporter gene) and ZF3 (ΔnarL; disrupted in a global transcriptional regulator gene) produced 14.9, and 14.4 µmols of hydrogen/mg of dry cell weight, respectively, compared to 9.8 µmols of hydrogen/mg of dry cell weight …

Dna Instability In Replicating Huntington's Disease Lymphoblasts, Milena Cannella, Vittorio Maglione, Tiziana Martino, Giuseppe Ragona, Luigi Frati, Guo-Min Li, Ferdinando Squitieri

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The expanded CAG repeat in the Huntington's disease (HD) gene may display tissue-specific variability (e.g. triplet mosaicism) in repeat length, the longest mutations involving mitotic (germ and glial cells) and postmitotic (neurons) cells. What contributes to the triplet mutability underlying the development of HD nevertheless remains unknown. We investigated whether, besides the increased DNA instability documented in postmitotic neurons, possible environmental and genetic mechanisms, related to cell replication, may concur to determine CAG repeat mutability. To test this hypothesis we used, as a model, cultured HD patients' lymphoblasts with various CAG repeat lengths.

RESULTS: Although most lymphoblastoid cell lines …