Digital Commons Network^™

Inflammation And Tumor Progression: The Differential Impact Of Saa In Breast Cancer Models, Daniel Wilhelm Olivier, Carla Eksteen, Manisha Du Plessis, Louis De Jager, Lize Engelbrecht, Nathaniel Wade Mcgregor, Preetha Shridas, Frederick C. De Beer, Willem J. S. De Villiers, Etheresia Pretorius, Anna-Mart Engelbrecht

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: Previous research has shown that the Serum Amyloid A (SAA) protein family is intricately involved in inflammatory signaling and various disease pathologies. We have previously demonstrated that SAA is associated with increased colitis disease severity and the promotion of tumorigenesis. However, the specific role of SAA proteins in breast cancer pathology remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the role of systemic SAA1 and SAA2 (SAA1/2) in a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model.

Methods: Syngeneic breast tumors were established in wild-type mice, and mice lacking the SAA1/2 (SAADKO). Subsequently, tumor volume was monitored, species survival determined, the inflammatory profiles of mice …

Transient Interactions Modulate The Affinity Of Nf-Κb Transcription Factors For Dna, Tianjie Li, Shandy Shahabi, Tapan Biswas, Oleg V. Tsodikov, Wenfei Pan, De-Bin Huang, Vivien Ya-Fan Wang, Yi Wang, Gourisankar Ghosh

Biology Faculty Publications

The dimeric nuclear factor kappa B (NF- κB) transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by binding to a variety of κB DNA elements with conserved G:C-rich flanking sequences enclosing a degenerate central region. Toward defining mechanistic principles of affinity regulated by degeneracy, we observed an unusual dependence of the affinity of RelA on the identity of the central base pair, which appears to be noncontacted in the complex crystal structures. The affinity of κB sites with A or T at the central position is ~10- fold higher than with G or C. The crystal structures of neither the complexes nor …

Development Of Synthetically Accessible Glycolated Polythiophenes For High-Performance Organic Electrochemical Transistors, Bowen Ding, Vianna N. Le, Hang Yu, Guanchen Wu, Adam V. Marsh, Edgar Gutiérrez-Fernández, Nicolás Ramos, Martina Rimmele, Jaime Martín, Jenny Nelson, Alexandra F. Paterson, Martin Heeney

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Four glycolated polythiophene-based organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs), PE2gTT, PE2gT, PT2gTT, and PT2gT are prepared by atom-efficient direct arylation polymerization, avoiding the need for toxic organometallic pre- cursors. PE2gT, PT2gTT, and PT2gT are operable in p-type accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), with PT2gT displaying the best device performance with a μC* product figure-of-merit of 290 F cm−1 V−1 s−1 . A record volumetric capacitance among p-type glycolated polythiophene OMIECs of 313 F cm−3 is observed for PE2gT, ascribed to the high proportion- ality of polar components in its materials design. The good OECT performance of PE2gT with μC* = …

The Integrated Behavioral Model Of Mental Health Help Seeking (Ibm-Hs): A Health Services Utilization Theory Of Planned Behavior For Accessing Care, Joseph H. Hammer, David L. Vogel, Patrick R. Grzanka, Nayeon Kim, Brian T. Keum, Claire Adams, Sarah A. Wilson

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This article introduces the integrated behavioral model of mental health help seeking (IBM-HS), a theoretical model for understanding the constructs (e.g., systemic, predisposing, and enabling factors; mental health literacy; illness perceptions; perceived need; stigma; shame; perceived benefits, motivation) that influence people’s decision making around seeking professional mental health care and their ultimate access to formal treatment. The IBM-HS is a help-seeking-specific adaptation of the empirically supported integrated behavioral model and integrative model, which are themselves evolutions of the theory of planned behavior and theory of reasoned action. The IBM-HS posits that help-seeking determinants (e.g., structural forces; cultural influences; past help-seeking …

Disorganization Of Actin Within The Shafts Of Stereocilia Is A Key Difference Between Temporary And Permanent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (Nihl), Shadan Hadi

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

During sound stimulation, mechanosensory stereocilia of the auditory hair cell pivot around their bases, where their actin cores become denser and form rootlets protruding into the cuticular plate. It is believed that actin-based cuticular plate provides a stable mechanical support for stereocilia, while rootles are responsible for their pivotal flexibility and life-long resilience to mechanical stimuli. Not surprisingly, damage to the stereocilia bundles is known as a hallmark of permanent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Yet, despite decades of NIHL studies, it is still unknown which ultrastructural changes in the stereocilia bundles are evoked directly by mechanical overstimulation.

Here, we explored …

Differential Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Preinjury And Postinjury Born Hippocampal Neural Precursor Cells, Hannah Downing

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Moderate contusive traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in neuronal cell death in the cortex as well as cell death and damage in underlying structures, including the hippocampus. The hippocampus is critically involved in learning and memory and is one of two regions in the brain capable of undergoing neurogenesis throughout adulthood. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is a complex sequence of events necessary for a neural progenitor cell (NPC) to differentiate into a mature granule cell neuron located in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus. TBI results in a preferential loss of immature neurons in the granule cell layer of …

Profiling The Molecular And Clinical Landscape Of Glioblastoma Utilizing The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network Brain Cancer Database, Alexandra N. Demetriou, Frances Chow, David W. Craig, Michelle G. Webb, D. Ryan Ormond, James Battiste, Arnab Chakravarti, Howard Colman, John L. Villano, Bryan P. Schneider, James K. C. Liu, Michelle L. Churchman, Gabriel Zada

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background. Glioblastoma exhibits aggressive growth and poor outcomes despite treatment, and its marked var- iability renders therapeutic design and prognostication challenging. The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) database contains complementary clinical, genomic, and transcriptomic profiling of 206 glio- blastoma patients, providing opportunities to identify novel associations between molecular features and clinical outcomes.

Methods. Survival analyses were performed using the Logrank test, and clinical features were evaluated using Wilcoxon and chi-squared tests with q-values derived via Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Mutational analyses util- ized sample-level enrichments from whole exome sequencing data, and statistical tests were performed using the one-sided Fisher Exact test …

Cyp6g2 Is The Major P450 Epoxidase Responsible For Juvenile Hormone Biosynthesis In Drosophila Melanogaster, Qiangqiang Jia, Liu Yang, Jiamin Wen, Suning Liu, Di Wen, Wei Luo, Weihua Wang, Subba R. Palli, Li Sheng

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background Juvenile hormones (JH) play crucial role in regulating development and reproduction in insects. The most common form of JH is JH III, derived from MF through epoxidation by CYP15 enzymes. However, in the higher dipterans, such as the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, a bis-epoxide form of JHB3, accounted most of the JH detected. Moreover, these higher dipterans have lost the CYP15 gene from their genomes. As a result, the identity of the P450 epoxidase in the JH biosynthesis pathway in higher dipterans remains unknown.

Results In this study, we show that Cyp6g2 serves as the major JH epoxidase responsible for …

Go West: Population Genomics Reveals Unexpected Population Fluctuations And Little Gene Flow In Western Hemisphere Populations Of The Predatory Lady Beetle, Hippodamia Convergens, Arun Sethuraman, Schyler O. Nunziata, Angela Jones, John J. Obrycki, David W. Weisrock

Entomology Faculty Publications

Hippodamia convergens—the convergent lady beetle, has been used extensively in aug- mentative biological control of aphids, thrips, and whiteflies across its native range in North America, and was introduced into South America in the 1950s. Overwintering H. convergens populations from its native western range in the United States are com- mercially collected and released across its current range in the eastern USA, with little knowledge of the effectiveness of its augmentative biological control. Here we use a novel ddRADseq-based SNP/haplotype discovery approach to estimate its range- wide population diversity, differentiation, and recent evolutionary history. Our results indicate (1) significant population …

N(Alpha)-Acetyltransferase 40-Mediated Histone Acetylation Plays An Important Role In Ecdysone Regulation Of Metamorphosis In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Sharath Chandra Gaddelapati, Smitha George, Anilkumar Moola, Karthi Sengodan, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Histone acetylation, a crucial epigenetic modification, is governed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs), that regulate many biological processes. Functions of HATs in insects are not well understood. We identified 27 HATs and determined their functions using RNA interference (RNAi) in the model insect, Tribolium castaneum. Among HATs studied, N-alpha-acetyltransferase 40 (NAA40) knockdown caused a severe phenotype of arrested larval development. The steroid hormone, ecdysone induced NAA40 expression through its receptor, EcR (ecdysone receptor). Interestingly, ecdysone-induced NAA40 regulates EcR expression. NAA40 acetylates histone H4 protein, associated with the promoters of ecdysone response genes: EcR, E74, E75, and HR3, and causes an increase …

The Mechanoreceptor Piezo Is Required For Spermatogenesis In Bombyx Mori, Zhongjie Zhang, Xiaojing Liu, Bo Hu, Kai Chen, Ye Yu, Chenxin Sun, Dalin Zhu, Hua Bai, Subba Reddy Palli, Anjiang Tan

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background The animal sperm shows high diversity in morphology, components, and motility. In the lepidopteran model insect, the silkworm Bombyx mori, two types of sperm, including nucleate fertile eupyrene sperm and anucleate unfertile apyrene sperm, are generated. Apyrene sperm assists fertilization by facilitating the migration of eupyrene spermatozoa from the bursa copulatrix to the spermatheca. During spermatogenesis, eupyrene sperm bundles extrude the cytoplasm by peristaltic squeezing, while the nuclei of the apyrene sperm bundles are discarded with the same process, forming matured sperm.

Results In this study, we describe that a mechanoreceptor BmPiezo, the sole Piezo ortholog in B. mori, …

Tree Species Richness And Ash Density Have Variable Effects On Emerald Ash Borer Biological Control By Woodpeckers And Parasitoid Wasps In Post-Invasion White Ash Stands, Caleb J. Wilson, Toby R. Petrice, Therese M. Poland, Deborah G. Mccullough

Entomology Faculty Publications

Emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is the most destructive insect to invade North American forests. Identifying habitat features that support EAB natural enemies is necessary to enhance EAB biological control. In many forest ecosystems, tree species diversity has been linked with reduced pest abundance and increases in natural enemy abundance. We assessed the influence of tree species richness, ash density, and proportion of total ash basal area on ash canopy condition, EAB larval densities, and biocontrol by woodpeckers and parasitoids in pairs of healthy and declining overstory (DBH > 10 cm) and recruit-sized ash (DBH 2–10 cm) …

Difs And Bayescluster: Novel Methods For Single_Cell Rna Sequencing Analysis, Kun Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Statistics

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of cellular heterogeneity and gene expression dynamics. Despite its potential, the inherent noise and sparsity of scRNA-seq data pose significant challenges in clustering cells into biologically meaningful groups. This dissertation addresses these challenges through two novel methodologies aimed at enhancing the accuracy and robustness of scRNA-seq data analysis.

First, we introduce the Differential Feature Selection (DIFS) framework, designed to improve the identification of differential features in scRNA-seq data. DIFS employs a two-stage marker identification process. In the first stage, a modified Dip Test is used to filter and identify genes with significant …

Understanding The Effects Of Hormone Treatments On The Transgender Singer: A Pedagogical Study And Voice Studio Guide, Erin M. Hannon

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Transitioning from one gender to another can be an arduous and emotionally charged experience, accompanied by many physical and mental transformations. The journey of self-discovery and vocal explorations is both unique and deeply personal. Modifications that emerge in an individual's vocal characteristics have a profound influence on their capacity to communicate and express themselves.

Transgender vocal students and professional singers must navigate the delicate balance between their vocal and gender identities while considering the possible risks of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy. Though these therapies may significantly alter one's appearance and overall well-being, they are also capable of causing notable declines …

Barriers And Pathways To Music Teacher Professional Agency, David Dockan

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Teacher agency has been a burgeoning topic of research in education and music education. In education research, professional agency has been associated with the influence of policy, teacher demographics, teacher beliefs, professional developments, and teaching environments. In music education, music teacher professional agency is a music teacher’s perception of their capacity to exert power, act, or cause change in their curriculum. Although many researchers and scholars assume that music teachers have agency in their classroom regarding their curriculum, the landscape is shifting due to recent policy changes in the United States, specifically concerning Divisive Concept Laws. Since recent Divisive Concept …

Formative Musical Experiences Of Older Adult Sexual Minority Women From Rural Areas: An Adapted Case Study, Sabrina Hartsfield

Theses and Dissertations--Music

People often have strong emotional connections between music and memories, which can affect a person’s identity and self-concept. The deep meaning that individuals find within music that is important to them helps music therapists to make connections to clients and to work with clients to understand their experiences through the lens of music. The purpose of this project was to examine in depth the musical experiences of sexual minority women aged 65 and older from rural areas, and to see how musical experiences may have impacted their identity. In this adapted case study, I conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews and constructed …

Expert Perceptions Of Needs Of Pregnant Individuals With Substance Use Disorder In Kentucky: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Emma Foret Latham

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Substance misuse is a pandemic with far reaching effects on those personally affected, their families, and their communities. Kentucky has one of the highest rates of substance use disorder (SUD) in the country, and most research has focused on how to help men in recovery. There is very little research regarding how to support pregnant individuals with SUD. The purpose of this qualitative thesis was to identify the perceived needs of pregnant individuals with SUD, define characteristics of effective care, and learn how music therapists can support this population in substance use rehabilitation settings from the perspectives of experienced professionals. …

Developing Best Practices For Successful University Fundraising Events, Ravyn Ladenburger

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This research study addresses the crucial role of fundraising in sustaining universities in the United States, particularly public institutions facing funding challenges. For this paper, fundraising refers to the seeking of financial support from individuals to support initiatives at a nonprofit entity, such as a public university. It identifies a gap in research and professionalization within higher education philanthropy, emphasizing the need for standardized training and empirical research. The focus is on studying the effectiveness of fundraising events, especially in public universities like the University of Kentucky, amidst declining government support and rising operational costs. The research problem to be …

The Fairness Model Of Legal Institutions, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Books and Chapters

If any group is to endure over time, individual frustrations, while inevitable, must be usually experienced as acceptable, or at least tolerable. Failing that, little would prevent the losers in these conflicts from leaving or revolting, which would be cumulatively debilitating to the group. As opposed to holding law’s job to impose order and police infringers, the second approach suggests that finding the balance between group and individual desires is the ‘major difficulty of all law—the problem of really getting a fresh start in relations between litigants after disposition of a trouble-case. This is the problem not only of keeping …

Calculation Of Elastic Constants Of Bulk Metallic Glasses From Indentation Tests, Zhitong Xu, Ming Liu, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the challenges in the applications of instrumented indentation is to simultaneously measure elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of homogeneous, isotropic materials. This work proposes empirical equations for simultaneous calculation of elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) from the ratio of the short diagonal length to the long diagonal length and the area of the Knoop imprint. The parameters pre- sented in the empirical equations are determined first by Knoop microhardness tests of 24 BMGs, whose elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratios are measured by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. These empirical equations are further validated by the …

Evaluation Of The Management Of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne Ssp. Multiflorum) Using Harvest Weed Seed Control At Winter Wheat Harvest In Kentucky, Hayden Love

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

With increasing herbicide resistant weed populations in Kentucky winter wheat, producers are looking for new weed control options for Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum Lam.). A field study was conducted to better understand Italian ryegrass seed dispersal and the effectiveness of the Redekop seed control unit at winter wheat harvest in Kentucky. During harvest, the number of Italian ryegrass seeds shattering at the combine header, in the chaff, and contained in the grain tank was not significantly different. When the grain and chaff samples were combined, significantly more Italian ryegrass seed entered the combine. The integrated …

Understanding The Role Of Early-Stage Seed Development On Final Seed Weight By Linking Seed Physiology, Transcriptomics, And Environments In Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.), Ashwini Shivakumar

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Soybeans, which are widely grown in the United States, are used as food, animal feed, and industrial oil. The rise in plant-based diets highlights the high protein content and versatility of soybean. Understanding seed development is crucial for increasing yield. Soybean seed development includes three phases: lag, seed-filling, and maturation. Post-fertilization, the seed undergoes cell division in the lag phase, forming the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat. The embryo absorbs the endosperm and develops into two cotyledons. During the seed-filling phase, cotyledon cells accumulate starch, proteins, and lipids. During maturation, seeds dry out and become quiescent. Studies indicate that the …

De Aquí, Y De Allá: Education, Culture, And Identity Development Of Transnational Latinas, Elizabeth Harris-Medina

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

De Aquí, y De Allá: Education, Culture, and Identity Development of Transnational Latinas This ethnographic case study examines the experiences of three transnational Latina women, descendants of families from Degollado, Jalisco, Mexico, exploring how their migration history and educational backgrounds influence their life trajectories. Focusing on these three women, the study aims to better understand their challenges and inform the development of resources to support their success in the U.S. education system. Using ethnographic interviews and Ecological Systems Theory, the research highlights how places and social systems shape views and life paths, offering insights into how best to support these …

Black Girl Wisdom: A Black Feminist Analysis Of Success Strategies Of Professional African American Women At Predominately White Higher Education Institutions, Teasia Jordan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This phenomenological study examines the success strategies employed by professional African American women (AAW) at predominately white higher education institutions (PWIs). Grounded in Black Feminist Thought (BFT), the “Outsider Within” framework (Collins, 1986), and the concept of “failed citizenship” (Banks, 2017), it explores how AAW navigate and redefine success within environments shaped by exclusionary white patriarchal norms. Through interviews with ten co-laborers, two themes emerged: liberation from unsupportive environments and negotiation strategies to define success.

Findings reveal that AAW’s success strategies center on identity, self-awareness, and rejecting institutional oppression. Co-laborers articulated their liberation by naming the environment as oppressed, fostering …

A Cytosine Analogue 5-Azacitidine Improves The Accumulation Of Licochalcone A In Licorice Glycyrrhiza Inflata., Xiaoling Ma, Ningxin Jiang, Jingxian Fu, Yuping Li, Lijun Zhou, Ling Yuan, Ying Wang, Yongqing Li

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Licochalcone A (LCA) is a characteristic compound of Glycyrrhiza inflata with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor activities. However, G. inflata produces LCA in low quantities that does not meet the market demand. In this study, we found that DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacitidine (5-azaC) successfully improved the LCA contents in G. inflata seedlings. Transcriptome analysis revealed a series of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including transcription factors such as MYB, ERF, WRKY, and some structural genes related to flavonoid biosynthesis. However, whole genome bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) results showed little effect of the 5-azaC treatment on the alteration of DNA methylation on these genes, …

The Mechanism Of Sperm (Pro)Nuclear Migration In Plants And Animals, Yilin Zhang, Tomokazu Kawashima

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Gamete nuclear migration is a critical process during fertilization in flowering plants, yet its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Recent studies have highlighted the essential role of cytoskeletal elements, particularly F-actin, in directing sperm nuclear migration, contrasting with the microtubule-driven migration in animals. We summarize the process of sperm nuclear migration in plants and the involvement of Class XI myosin XI-G in Arabidopsis, along with the ROP8-SCAR2 pathway’s ARP2/3-independent mechanism for F-actin nucleation. We also provide a comparative overview of examples from sea urchins, C. elegans, mice and yeast contrasting these mechanisms with those in plants. Finally, we …

Welcome To The Fruit Farm: How Queer Farmers Are Shaping The Agroecology Of The Future, Alessandra Del Brocco

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

The question of sustainability has many different facets, but one of the most urgent issues is that of sustainable agriculture. Decades of agricultural policy demanded farmers go big or get out, more colloquially known as the government directive of the 20^th century to farm “fencerow to fencerow”. In the 21^st century, we now face a near-critical consolidation of farmland and decline in the overall number of farmers. If sustainability calls for a resilient, diversified agrisystem, how can we change direction at this point in the trajectory?

In this study, I demonstrate how queer farmers make valuable contributions to …

Emerging Chromatin Regulators In Response To Heavy Metal Exposure, Wesley Saintilnord

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Environmental exposure to heavy metals poses significant threats to human health as they are associated with various developmental and chronic pathologies such as reproductive defects and cancers. Despite their profound risks, a comprehensive understanding of their disease-causing mechanisms is lacking. Most studies point to reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage; however, their mutagenic potential is relatively weak suggesting the involvement of alternative mechanisms. One important, yet underexplored mechanism, is their ability to rewire the epigenome via DNA methylation and histone variant incorporation, leading to aberrant gene regulatory networks.

This study investigates the epigenetic mechanisms targeted by two ubiquitous heavy metals with …

A Gis Tool For Optimal Forage Species Selection, David B. Hannaway, Christopher Daly, Michael D. Halbleib, Linda Brewer, Sophie Baur, Chelsea Clark, Emilie Krecklow, Scott Bassett

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

To determine appropriate forage species for US ecoregions, geographic information technologies (GIS) are being used to create climatic and soil factor maps. Excel spreadsheets and RStudio are used to create response functions of forage species to minimum and maximum temperature, annual precipitation, soil pH, soil salinity, and salinity. National forage data and expert opinion will evaluate quantitative tolerances, seasonal yield profiles, and pollinator suitability. These maps and agronomic and livestock use information will be shared with forage specialists and farmers to provide alternatives for improved perenniality, increased diversity, and system circularity. Future work will include development and evaluation of climate …

Movement Behavior And Metapopulation Connectivity Of Stream Salamanders In Response To Disturbance Events, Kathryn M. Greene

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Metapopulations are shaped by the dispersal between populations in a landscape. Disturbance events can disrupt this connectivity resulting in local population extinction. For my dissertation, I used a combination of empirical and theoretical techniques to examine dispersal in response to disturbance and assessed it’s population-level consequences. My research used capture-mark-recapture sampling techniques to evaluate stream salamander movement in response to (1) a supraseasonal drought and (2) mountaintop-removal-mining (MTR) and valley-filling (VF) and (3) agent-based simulation modeling to evaluate population extinction risk in response to varying dispersal and mortality rates.

First, I evaluated the effects of a supraseasonal drought, a severe …