Digital Commons Network^™

Hypothalamic Mediation Of Acute Increases In Arterial Blood Pressure And Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity During Electrical Stimulation Of The Lamina Temrinalis, Samuel Paterson Carmichael Ii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Discrete electrical stimulation of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) produces sympathetically-mediated increases in peripheral resistance and arterial blood pressure (ABP). Since efferent fibers from the lamina terminalis innervate the kidney through polysynaptic connections, the present study determined whether electrical stimulation of the OVLT increased sympathetic outflow to the kidney. In anesthetized male, Sprague-Dawley rats (n=5) electrical stimulation of OVLT neurons produced frequency and current intensity dependent increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and ABP that were abolished by ganglionic blockade with the nicotinic antagonist chlorisondamine (5mg/kg,i.v.). Since neurons from the OVLT terminate within the hypothalamic paraventricular …

Loline Alkaloid Biosynthesis Gene Expression In Epichloe Endophytes Of Grasses, Dong-Xiu Zhang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Loline alkaloids (LA) are secondary metabolites produced by Epichloandamp;euml; (anamorph, Neotyphodium) grass endophytes. They are toxic and deterrent to a broad range of herbivorous insects but not to livestock. This protective bioactivity has spurred considerable research into the LA biosynthetic pathway. LOL, the gene cluster containing nine genes, is required for LA biosynthesis. The regulation of LOL genes during LA production in culture and in symbio is of interest. In this study, coordinate regulation between LOL gene expression and LA production level was investigated in both MM culture and symbiota. Results showed that expression of LOL genes in N. uncinatum …

Design And Evaluation Of Inflatable Wings For Uavs, Andrew D. Simpson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Performance of inflatable wings was investigated through laboratory, wind tunnel and flight-testing. Three airfoils were investigated, an inflatable-rigidazable wing, an inflatable polyurethane wing and a fabric wing restraint with a polyurethane bladder. The inflatable wings developed and used within this research had a unique outer airfoil profile. The airfoil surface consisted of a series of chord-wise \bumps.andamp;quot; The effect of the bumps or \surface perturbationsandamp;quot; on the performance of the wings was of concern and was investigated through smoke-wire flow visualization. Aerodynamic measurements and predictions were made to determine the performance of the wings at varying chord based Reynolds Numbers …

Induction Of The Heat Shock Response To Protect Against Polyglutamine Diseases And The Role Of Protein Sumoylation In Laminopathies And Alzheimer's Disease, Yu-Qian Zhang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Heat shock proteins function as molecular chaperones which help protein folding and prevent protein aggregation. My study shows that celastrol, a pharmacological compound capable of up-regulating the levels of heat shock proteins, inhibits cell death and protein aggregation caused by expanded polyglutamine containing protein, and the protective effects of celastrol are dependent on heat shock factor 1. These results suggest the potential of celastrol as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of polyglutamine diseases.

Sumoylation is a protein modification which plays diverse roles in regulating the target proteins. My study shows that lamin A is a target of protein sumoylation, …

Comparative Biology Of Seed Dormancy-Break And Germination In Convolvulaceae (Asterids, Solanales), Kariyawasam Marthinna Gamage Gehan Jayasuriya

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The biology of seed dormancy and germination of 46 species representing 11 of the 12 tribes in Convolvulaceae were compared in laboratory (mostly), field and greenhouse experiments. Seeds were tested for kind of dormancy and storage behavior; artificial or simulated natural treatments were applied to break physical dormancy (PY); the initial route of water entry (“water gap”) into seeds was identified; the morphoanatomy of the water gap was compared in seeds of 17 species; ontogenetical differences between water gap and seed coat away from the hilum were described in Ipomoea lacunosa seeds; cycling of sensitivity to dormancy break was elucidated …

Nitration And Inactivation Of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Plays A Critical Role In Metabolic Switch, Muthuswamy Anantharaman

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial, progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disease. Oxidative stress hypothesis is most prevalent and is gaining significant support. Inspite of the progress achieved on oxidative stress related damages in AD brain; the modification occurring on the various cellular antioxidant enzymes antioxidant has not been identified. Tyrosine nitration, a marker for peroxynitrite induced oxidative damage to protein is widespread in AD brain and Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), primary mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme is prone to peroxynitrite induced nitration and inactivation. Nitration of proteins involved in energy metabolism has been demonstrated in AD brain, which may explain the altered glucose …

Reciprocal Regulation Of Par-4 And Caspase-8 In The Trail Signaling Pathway, Padhma Ranganathan

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Par‐4 is a pro‐apoptotic tumor suppressor that is mutated, suppressed or inactivated in cancer. Par‐4 exploits components of the extrinsic pathway to cause apoptosis selectively of cancer cells. This study identified Par‐4 as an essential component of the apoptotic pathway induced by TRAIL, which selectively targets cancer cells. RNA interference‐mediated knockdown of Par‐4 rendered cancer cells unresponsive to TRAIL‐induced apoptosis. Cells with knocked‐down levels of Par‐4 were deficient in the activation of the apoptosis‐initiator caspase‐8 and the apoptosis‐effector caspase‐3 in response to TRAIL. Par‐4 was identified as a critical mediator of membrane translocation of caspase‐8 and the adapter protein FADD. …

Matrix Decomposition For Data Disclosure Control And Data Mining Applications, Jie Wang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Access to huge amounts of various data with private information brings out a dual demand for preservation of data privacy and correctness of knowledge discovery, which are two apparently contradictory tasks. Low-rank approximations generated by matrix decompositions are a fundamental element in this dissertation for the privacy preserving data mining (PPDM) applications. Two categories of PPDM are studied: data value hiding (DVH) and data pattern hiding (DPH). A matrix-decomposition-based framework is designed to incorporate matrix decomposition techniques into data preprocessing to distort original data sets. With respect to the challenge in the DVH, how to protect sensitive/confidential attribute values without …

The Role Of Stem Cell Antigen-1(Sca-1) In Muscle Aging, Sonia Angela Richards-Malcolm

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Muscle aging is associated with a decrease in the number of satellite cells and their progeny, muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) that are available for muscle repair and regeneration. However, there is an increase in non-immuno-hematopoietic cells (CD45 negative) in regenerating muscle from aged mice characterized by high stem cell antigen -1(Sca-1) expression. In aged regenerating muscle, 14.2% of cells are CD45neg Sca-1pos while 7.2% of cells are CD45neg Sca-1pos in young adult muscle. In vitro, CD45neg Sca-1pos cells over express genes associated with fibrosis, potentially controlled by Wnt2. These cells are proliferative, non-myogenic and non-adipogenic, and arise in clonally-derived MPCs …

Adaptive, Multi-Objective Job Shop Scheduling Using Genetic Algorithms, Haritha Metta

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This research proposes a method to solve the adaptive, multi-objective job shop scheduling problem. Adaptive scheduling is necessary to deal with internal and external disruptions faced in real life manufacturing environments. Minimizing the mean tardiness for jobs to effectively meet customer due date requirements and minimizing mean flow time to reduce the lead time jobs spend in the system are optimized simultaneously. An asexual reproduction genetic algorithm with multiple mutation strategies is developed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. The model is tested for single day and multi-day adaptive scheduling. Results are compared with those available in the literature for …

Inorganic And Organic Phosphorus Interactions With Hydroxy-Interlayered Soil Minerals, Paul D. Shumaker Ii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Phosphorus (P), a necessary plant and animal nutrient, can also lead to eutrophication of fresh waters when in excess. Appropriate P management is necessary to prevent fresh water pollution. Mineralogy of soil clays has been shown to affect P adsorption, desorption, and movement through soils. Specifically, hydroxy-interlayered minerals have been shown to adsorb and retain inorganic P in soil systems. This study was designed to determine the sorption and desorption characteristics of inorganic, organic, and mixed forms of P interacting with soil hydroxy-interlayered vermiculites (HIV) and smectites (HIS), and compare the findings to sorption and desorption processes of natural aluminum …

Effects Of Fescue Herbicides Plateau® And Cimarron® On Pregnancy Maintenance In Broodmares And On Alkaloid Concentrations In Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue, Kathleen Scarlett Black

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Ingestion of endophyte infected (E+) fescue by pregnant mares can cause significant reproductive problems. Plateau® and Cimarron® herbicides suppress fescue while leaving desired forages unharmed. To determine if these herbicides are harmful to pregnant mares, they were allowed to graze pastures treated with Plateau®, Cimarron®, or vehicle carrier. Pregnancies were monitored via ultrasonography, blood chemistry, and hematology. Of the components measured only creatinine differed among treatments over time (P=0.0003) and that increase was only significant in one of four studies.

Two additional experiments were conducted to determine the effect of the herbicides on alkaloids within E+ fescue. A greenhouse experiment …

Phylogenetic Methods For Testing Significant Codivergence Between Host Species And Their Symbionts, Skyler Speakman

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Significant phylogenetic codivergence between plant or animal hosts (H) and their symbionts or parasites (P) indicate the importance of their interactions on evolutionary time scales. However, valid and realistic methods to test for codivergence are not fully developed. One of the systems where possible codivergence has been of interest involves the large subfamily of temperate grasses (Pooideae) and their endophytic fungi (epichloae). Here we introduce the MRCALink (most-recent-common-ancestor link) method and use it to investigate the possibility of grass-epichloё codivergence. MRCALink applied to ultrametric H and P trees identifies all corresponding nodes for pairwise comparisons of …

Quantifying Cellulase In High-Solids Environments, Alicia Renée Abadie

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

In recent years, fungal and bacterial cellulases have gained popularity for the conversion of lignocellulosic material to biofuels and biochemicals. This study investigated properties of fungal (Trichoderma. reesei) and bacterial (Clostridium thermocellum) cellulases. Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out with T. reesei using nine enzyme concentration and substrate combinations. Initial rates and extents of hydrolysis were determined from the progress curve of each combination. Inhibition occurred at the higher enzyme concentrations and higher solids concentrations. Mechanisms to explain the observed inhibition are discussed. Samples of C. thermocellum purified free cellulase after 98% hydrolysis were assayed to determine …

Towards Cloning The Clk-3 Gene In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Suchita Umesh Desai

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Mutations in the clk-1, clk-2, clk-3 and gro-1 genes in Caenorhabditis elegans show alterations in developmental and behavioral timing and lifespan, collectively termed the Clk phenotype. While the clk-1, clk-2, and gro-1 genes have been cloned, clk-3 gene has not been identified. Gene expression changes in clk-3 mutant worms were determined using microarray expression data. I examined genes in the region to which clk-3 gene maps, for strongly reduced expression in the clk-3 mutants and identified thirteen clk-3 candidate genes. RNAi feeding vectors for all these candidate genes were picked and cultured from the RNAi library. …

Evolutionary And Functional Characterization Of Os-Pollux, A Rice Gene Orthologous To A Common Symbiosis Gene In Legume, Cui Fan

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Root symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobial bacteria share a common signaling pathway in legumes. Among the common symbiosis genes are CASTOR and POLLUX, the twin homologous genes in Lotus japonicus that encode putative ion channel proteins. Orthologs of CASTOR and POLLUX are ubiquitously present in both legumes and non-legumes, but their function in non-legumes remains to be elucidated. Here, we use reverse genetic approaches to demonstrate that the rice (Oryza sativa) ortholog of POLLUX, namely Os-POLLUX, is indispensible for mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice. Furthermore, we show that Os-POLLUX can restore nodulation, …

Performance And Physiology Of Yearling Steers Grazing Toxic Tall Fescue As Influenced By Concentrate Feeding And Steroidal Implants, Jessica Meagan Carter

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Fescue toxicosis can produce negative effects on animal weight gain and physiology. Sixty-four steers were grazed on endophyte-infected (E+) KY-31 tall fescue for 77 days in 2007 and sixty steers grazed for 86 days in 2008 to evaluate interactions with implantation of steroidal implants and concentrate feeding on performance and physiology of yearling steers. Steers were stratified by body weight for assignment to six, 3.0-ha toxic tall fescue pastures. The main plot treatment of with or without pelleted soybean hulls (SBH) were randomly assigned to pastures. Pelleted SBH were group-fed to provide daily consumptions of 2.3 kg/steer/d (as fed). Sub-plot …

Using Forward-Looking Infrared Radiography To Estimate Elk Density And Distribution In Eastern Kentucky, Lauren M. Dahl

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Elk (Cervus elaphus) in eastern Kentucky appear to have increased in number since reintroduction in 1997, but rugged landscapes and cryptic elk behavior have precluded use of typical population survey methods to accurately estimate population size. In December 2006, I used forward-looking infrared radiography (FLIR) to survey the elk population in eastern Kentucky. Elk locations identified by FLIR were used to create a landscape based model to estimate the density distribution of elk within a 7,088 km2 core area of the elk restoration zone. FLIR detected 76% of elk groups of < 10 individuals and 100% of elk groups of ≥ 10 individuals. The density of elk was positively associated with the amount of herbaceous area, herbaceous edge, herbaceous area weighted mean patch fractal dimensions, proximity to release sites, the number of elk released at each site and urban core area index, and negatively associated with road density. My model estimated the elk population at 7,001 (SE = 772, 95% CI = 5,488- 8,514) individuals within the core area, 53% of which were < 10 km from release sites. The predicted elk distribution pattern and abundance estimate derived from this model will be important for wildlife managers in successfully managing the Kentucky elk population.

Organizational Learning In A High-Risk Environment: Responding To An Anthrax Outbreak, Shari R. Veil, Timothy L. Sellnow

Communication Faculty Publications

The National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Center of Excellence, identified and endorses 10 best practices for risk and crisis communication. The best practices model is designed to aid organizations of all types in preparing for and learning from crisis events. This analysis applied the best practices model to a case study of an anthrax outbreak that fostered a full-blown crisis response. This study analyzes the learning experience of the crisis cohort group that responded to the crisis. The researchers contend that by evaluating a crisis situation using best practices as a benchmarking procedure, …

Methods Development In Qualitative And Quantitative Proteomics, Ting Liu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Proteomics based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry has developed rapidly in the last decade and become a powerful tool for protein mixtures analysis. LC-MS based proteomics involves four steps, sample preparation, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. Improvements in each step have extended its applications to new biological research areas. This dissertation mainly focuses on method developments in both qualitative and quantitative proteomics.

The first part of this dissertation focuses on qualitative analysis of T. gondii Parasitophorous Vacuole Membrane (PVM) proteins, which is very important for T. gondii’s survival. The hypothesis of this study is that proteomic …

Kctcs Student Success: An Outcome Analysis Of Kctcs First-Time Freshmen Entering Fall 2001, Billie Hardin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

Since its creation in 1997, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has excelled in many areas of its open enrollment or open access mission. Yet, many KCTCS students do not persist to graduate with a credential or transfer to a 4-year postsecondary institution. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), reports that of the fall 2001 students who entered KCTCS colleges, only 50.2 percent earned a degree, transferred to a 4-year college or university, or were still enrolled in a KCTCS college within three years. CPE further reports that more than half of Kentucky’s 2004 entering …

Home Range, Habitat Use, And Food Habits Of The Black Bear In South-Central Florida, Wade Allen Ulrey

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

I studied a small, enigmatic, and imperiled black bear population in south-central Florida from 2004 - 2006. Annual home ranges of males (96.0 km²) were larger than those of females (32.2 km²). Female home ranges were smaller in winter than in summer or fall. At the landscape scale, bears selected forests, scrub, and citrus, but avoided urban areas. At the home range scale, bears selected bay swamp and hardwood hammock, but avoided urban areas and grassland. Bears selected bay swamp in winter, forests and scrub in summer, and forests, scrub, and marsh in fall. The bear’s …

Role Of The Reactive Oxygen Species Peroxynitrite In Traumatic Brain Injury, Ying Deng

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is cytotoxic to the cell and is known to contribute to secondary cell death following primary traumatic brain injury (TBI). We described in our study that PN is the main mediator for both lipid peroxidation and protein nitration, and occurred almost immediately after injury. As a downstream factor to oxidative damage, the peak of Ca2+-dependent, calpainmediated cytoskeletal proteolysis preceded that of neurodegeneration, suggesting that calpain-mediated proteolysis is the common pathway leading to neuronal cell death. The time course study clearly elucidated the interrelationship of these cellular changes following TBI, provided window of opportunity for pharmacological intervention. …

Support Vector Machine For High Throughput Rodent Sleep Behavior Classification, Shantilal

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis examines the application of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to automatically detect sleep and quiet wake (rest) behavior in mice from pressure signals on their cage floor. Previous work employed Neural Networks (NN) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to successfully detect sleep and wake behaviors in mice. Although the LDA was successful in distinguishing between the sleep and wake behaviors, it has several limitations, which include the need to select a threshold and difficulty separating additional behaviors with subtle differences, such as sleep and rest. The SVM has advantages in that it offers greater degrees of freedom …

Challenges And Opportunities To Rural Nutrition Education Programs In Kentucky's Superfund Communities, Carolyn L. Hofe

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The National Electric Coil Company/Cooper Industries, Inc. plant in Harlan County, Kentucky was a mining support operation primarily engaged in the cleaning and repair of mining equipment from 1951 to 1987. Trichloroethylene (TCE) and degradation byproducts, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and vinyl chloride were released into the areas surrounding the plant periodically for decades. Routine water sampling of area wells by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water revealed significant levels of TCE, PCBs, and vinyl chloride. The toxicology of these chemicals implicates various systems, including cardiovascular, dermal, endocrine, and neurological.

University of Kentucky’s Superfund Basic Research Program’s (UK-SBRP) …

Content Preparation Of Pre-Service Agricultural Education Teachers And Its Influence On Their Content Knowledge, Amber Houck

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Content knowledge preparation for teachers is a crucial component of the modal curriculum model for education. The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and quality of coursework preparation of pre-service University of Kentucky agriculture teachers influences their content knowledge as defined by the Praxis II agriculture exam scores. This study concluded that there was variability in coursework preparation of pre-service agriculture teachers at the University of Kentucky. Praxis II exam scores of pre-service teachers indicated that most students are meeting an adequate content knowledge level based on the exam material. It can also be concluded that …

Microbial Community Structure Dynamics In Ohio River Sediments During Reductive Dechlorination Of Pcbs, Andres Enrique Nunez

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The entire stretch of the Ohio River is under fish consumption advisories due to contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, natural attenuation and biostimulation of PCBs and microbial communities responsible for PCB transformations were investigated in Ohio River sediments.

Natural attenuation of PCBs was negligible in sediments, which was likely attributed to low temperature conditions during most of the year, as well as low amounts of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon. Moreover, surface sediments were relatively oxidized, as indicated by the prevalence of aerobic bacteria such as beta- Proteobacteria, alpha-Proteobacteria, Sphingobacteria, and Nitrospira in 16S rRNA sediment …

A Whole Cell Based Biosensor For Monitoring Physiological Toxins And Early Screening Of Cancer, Gargi Ghosh

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recently a whole cell based biosensor has been developed in our laboratory that consists of a monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on the asymmetric cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane of an ion selective electrode (ISE). When a confluent cell monolayer is formed across the membrane, response from the sensor is inhibited due to inhibited ion transport across the membrane. When the cell based biosensor is exposed to permeability modifying agents, the permeability across the cell monolayer is altered facilitating more ion transport and as a result the response from the sensor increases. This sensor response can be related …

Ecosystem Restoration In The Ouachita National Forest: Evaluating The Pragmatism Of Pre-European Settlement Benchmarks, John Lawrence Davenport

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This paper looks at the intersections of nature and culture through a study of forest ecosystem restoration efforts in the Ouachita National Forest (Arkansas and Oklahoma). Ecosystem restoration goals are often informed by a pre-European settlement (PES) condition, with an implicit (and occasionally explicit) assertion that such conditions are both more natural than and preferable to the contemporary state. In many cases resuming pre-suppression fire regimes remains a key mechanism for achieving this restored condition. This study’s three main objectives include: (1) determining how PES benchmarks arose in restoration thought, (2) examining how the choice to use a PES benchmark …

Comorbidity Of Pediatric Migraine And Sleep Disturbances: The Role Of A Dysfunctional Autonomic Nervous System, Debra B. Huss

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study compared psychological and physiological differences between children diagnosed with migraine and their healthy peers. Physiological measures were obtained at baseline, after discussing an emotionally relevant stressor, and after recovery in 21 children with pediatric migraine and 32 healthy peers. Comparisons were also made on psychological measures investigating sleep problems, anxiety, and family stress. It was hypothesized that children with migraine compared to their peers 1) would report more sleep disturbances, anxiety, and family stress 2) would exhibit greater sympathetic activation at rest, in response to an emotional stressor, and after a recovery period and 3) that autonomic functioning …