Digital Commons Network^™

Adaptation And Production Of Some Forage Species On The White Clay Soils Of North Eastern China, Hu Jia Lu, J E. Winch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grain corn, soybeans and wheat have been produced on the white clay soils of eastern Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China for about 40 years. Yearly plowing, cultiva­ting and cropping led to a degradation in the physical and chemical properties of the heavy clay soil - a soil which constitutes 30 % of all the cultivated land in the region. This soil is characterized by a shallow loamy Ap horizon overlying a clay hard pan (Aw) (Zhang Zhi ui and Zhang Yuan fu, 1985). Forage crops have not been part of the rotation. To improve the soil physical …

From Disruption To Recovery: Charter School Performance During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Adam Kho, Shelby Smith, Ron Zimmer

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications

In recent decades, an increasing number of students have pursued alternative educational options, including charter schools, as school choice has continued to expand. This trend was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is well established that students experienced widespread learning loss during the pandemic, it remains unclear whether the extent of that loss or the pace of recovery has differed between charter and traditional public schools (TPS). In the current study, we examine the effects of Tennessee charter schools on student achievement during and after the pandemic. Using student-level data from 2017-18 to 2022-23, we estimate the charter school …

Development Of A Health And Wellness Assessment For Kytc Personnel, Gabriel Dadi, Farshid Taherpour, Caitlin Pope

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Highway construction workers operate in high-stress, hazardous settings where they have to perform physically taxing labor in environments where exposure to variable weather conditions, heavy equipment, high volumes of vehicle traffic, and other conditions that induce stress and anxiety are the norm. Up to 70% of workers in this industry have reported experiencing mental health issues, including secondary traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Few state departments of transportation, however, offer adequate resources staff can draw on to effectively manage their psychological well-being. To help Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) roadway maintenance and construction workers develop …

Research Into Job Classifications For Kentucky Department Of Vehicle Regulation Employees, Mallory Brown, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Department of Vehicle Regulation (DVR) faces persistent challenges with employee recruitment, retention, and workforce alignment due to outdated job classifications and compensation structures. This study investigates if DVR’s reliance on the general Administrative Specialist job series is warranted given the duties performed by its staff. Through a job task analysis, financial modeling, and personnel data review, researchers assessed the feasibility of introducing a new DVR-specific job series based on the Vehicle Regulation Specialist (VRS) position currently being used by the Division of Motor Carriers. The proposed VRS series includes two levels — VRS I (Grade 13) and VRS …

Introducing Social Determinants Of Health To The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Network, Megan Zuelsdorff, Erin L. Abner, Joyce E. Balls-Berry, Gregory A. Jicha, Serggio Lanata, Gladys E. Maestre, Monica Rosselli, Shana D. Stites, Rachel A. Whitmer, Consuelo H. Wilkins, Lisa L. Barnes

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) consortium represents a critical locus of research on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) prevention, diagnosis, and intervention. Through the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's (NACC) standardized protocol, the Uniform Data Set (UDS), ADRCs have collected rich, harmonizable clinical and cognitive data. However, the collection of social data has been sparse and Center specific, constraining ADRD science that addresses research priorities on social determinants of health (SDOH) and health equity. Capitalizing on the transition to a revised UDS version 4, an interdisciplinary committee representing 10 ADRCs reviewed the literature and instrumentation, ultimately creating a brief …

Beyond The Legislature’S Website: Strategies And Tools For State Legislative Research That Informs Advocacy Work, Jennifer Horne

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

As the nation’s state legislatures increasingly decide the issues that affect citizens most directly, the ability to identify, track, and understand state legislation is key to successful advocacy efforts. While all state legislative websites provide the status and authoritative text of the bill, this may be insufficient to understand what the bill seeks to do and why the change is being proposed. To find plain English summaries and necessary context and background information on proposed bills, advocates may also need to find appropriate news sources and identify key stakeholders—those who care the most about the bill or are the most …

An Agrin-Yap/Taz Rigidity Sensing Module Drives Egfr-Addicted Lung Tumorigenesis., Reza Bayat Mokhtari, Divyaleka Sampath, Paige Eversole, Melissa Ong Yu Lin, Dmitriy A. Bosykh, Gandhi T. K. Boopathy, Aravind Sivakumar, Cheng-Chun Wang, Ramesh Kumar, Joe Yeong Poh Sheng, Ellen Karasik, Barbara A. Foster, Han Yu, Xiang Ling, Wenjie Wu, Fengzhi Li, Zoë Weaver Ohler, Christine Fillmore Brainson, David W. Goodrich, Wanjin Hong, Sayan Chakraborty

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Despite epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a pivotal oncogene for several cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), how it senses extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity remain elusive in the context of the increasing role of tissue rigidity on various hallmarks of cancer development. Here it is shown that EGFR dictates tumorigenic agrin expression in lung cancer cell lines, genetically engineered EGFR-driven mouse models, and human specimens. Agrin expression confers substrate stiffness-dependent oncogenic attributes to EGFR-reliant cancer cells. Mechanistically, agrin mechanoactivates EGFR through epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent and independent modes, thereby sensitizing its activity toward localized cancer cell-ECM adherence and bulk rigidity …

Support Effects On Fe- Or Cu-Promoted Ni Catalysts Used In The Catalytic Deoxygenation Of Tristearin To Fuel-Like Hydrocarbons, Great C. Umenweke, Robert Pace, Thomas Récalt, Olivier Heintz, Gilles Caboche, Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Previous studies have shown that fats, oils, and greases (FOG) can be deoxygenated to fuel-like hydrocarbons over inexpensive alumina-supported Ni catalysts promoted with Cu or Fe to afford excellent yields of renewable diesel (RD). In this study, supports other than alumina—namely, SiO₂-Al₂O₃, Ce_0.8Pr_0.2O₂, and ZrO₂—were investigated to develop catalysts showing improved RD yields and resistance to coke-induced deactivation relative to Al₂O₃-supported catalysts. Results showed that catalysts supported on Ce_0.8Pr_0.2O₂ and ZrO₂ outperformed SiO₂-Al_{2 …}

Breeding For Non-Shattering Forage Vetch, Vicia Sativa L., A.M Abd El Moneim

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Because of the potential importance of common vetch, Vicia sativa L., as a forage legume to replace fallow in the cereal/­fallow rotations in the Mediterranean region, it is of great importance to increase seed yield and reduce seed prices. One way of doing this is to increase the proportion of pods which do not shatter at maturity. Losses of seeds from maturing pods of forage common vetch, constitutes a serious economic problem and severely restricts the use of the species as a forage crop (Abd El Moneim, 1984). Furthermore, the harvesting of common vetch grown in fallow lands causes severe« …

The Effect Of Selfing On Trifolium Alexandrinum Measured In Conditions Of Interference Among The Plants, P Rotili, G Gnocchi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

After the constitution of the cv Sacromonte the breeding work on berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) at the Forage Crop Institute of Lodi was slowed. A renewed interest in nitrogen fixing legumes in recent years has led to a program aimed at reevaluating the berseem clover. Today this crop is utilized not only in South Italy (autumn sowing) but in North Italy as well and in some Central European countries (spring sowing). The greatest utilization is in Egypt where berseem is grown either for forage crop or for green manure crop, usually preceding cotton or summer vegetables.

Selection Of Paspalum Spp. Adapted To Seasonally Flooded Varzea Lands In Central Brazil, B Grof, R P. De Andrade, M A. De Souza, J.M F. Valls

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Seasonally flooded lands with a high water table (varzea) constitute a significant portion of the Cerrados. It is estimated that there are 30 x 106 ha of hydromorphic soils in Brazil and 12 x 106 ha of these varzea lands are situated in the Cerrados (Goedert, 1986). Paspalum is a predominantly American genus, it contains c. 250 species, most of which are good grazing grasses and several of which are adapted to wet situations. According to Chase (1944), the majority of the c. 160 species of this genus occurring in Brazil are well-accepted by cattle. A major limitation to the …

Cynodon Dactylon Pers. A Common Fodder Grass Of Grasslands Of The Upper Gangetic Plain Of India, H R. Sant

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The grasslands of the Upper Gangetic Plain of India are composed ofUttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal, and this area is fertile. The chief climatic factors, the temperature and rainfall together are responsible for a distinct type of vegetation. The rainfall is less than 70 cm. in west Uttar Pradesh being more than 150 cm. in Bengal.

In India, natural grasslands are hardly present, and most of them are maintained in their present serial stages due to biotic influence. Hence the grasslands occupy vast chunks of land in the outskirts of villages. Given proper care and managements either for available cultivation …

Perennial Legumes And Grass-Legume Associations Adapted To Poorly Drained Savannas In Tropical South America, B Grof, D Thomas, R P. De Andrade, J.L F. Zoby, M A. De Souza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Seasonally flooded areas and swamp grasslands constitute a significant percentage ot the savannas and represent an import­ant source of supplementary forage during the dry season. Approximately 21 % (170 million ha) of the central lowlands of tropical South America is poorly drained ; 82 % of these lands (139 million ha) is covered with forest and the remaining 31 million ha by native savannas (Cochrane et al.,1985). The poorly drained savanna lands have been used success­fully since colonial times for extensive cattle production. Sig­nificant areas are found in the Brazilian Pantanal, in Brazil's southwest Amazonia, the Casanare plains of northeast …

Structural Assembly Of The Pas Domain Drives The Catalytic Activation Of Metazoan Pask, Sajina Dhungel, Michael Xiao, Rajesh Rajaian Pushpabai, Chintan K. Kikani

Biology Faculty Publications

PAS domains are ubiquitous sensory modules that transduce environmental signals into cellular responses through tandem PAS folds and PAS-associated C-terminal (PAC) motifs. While this conserved architecture underpins their regulatory roles, here we uncover a structural divergence in the metazoan PAS domain-regulated kinase (PASK). By integrating evolutionary-scale domain mapping with deep learning-based structural models, we identified two PAS domains in PASK, namely PAS-B and PAS-C, in addition to the previously known PAS-A domain. Unlike canonical PAS domains, the PAS fold and PAC motif in the PAS-C domain are spatially segregated by an unstructured linker, yet a functional PAS module is assembled …

Closing Ceremony Speech, S. Ray Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Changes In Vegetation Of Various Meadows Under Differential Mineral Fertilization, S Benedycki, S Grzegorczyk, M Mlynarczyk, K Grabowski

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Permanent meadows and pastures occurring in the Mazurian Lake District (North-eastern part of Poland) constitute 32 % of arable lands. Most meadows are situated on peat soils (Olkowski, 1972). Continuous and successive changes take place in such populations. The moment some species decline, the number of others increases which are better adjusted to site conditions or human activity such as fertilization and the way of land use. These changes occur with different intensity depen­ding on fertilizer doses, land use and site conditions which have not been well recognized with regard to permanent meadows (Olkowski and Olesinski, 1976, Eilart, 1986). Determination …

Development Of Measures For Highway Criticality Assessment, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Existing network criticality assessments, often biased towards heavily used highways in populous areas by incorporating traffic and sociodemographic attributes, can lead to an underestimation of the vital role of rural infrastructure. Consequently, rural highways, particularly low-volume roads, often receive less consideration despite their critical role in network connectivity and local access to services and economic opportunities. To address this, we develop a criticality framework based on the egalitarian principle, which prioritizes equitable consideration of all network links regardless of traffic volume or population density, comprising two complementary measures. First, the normalized betweenness centrality quantifies a road's relative importance in efficiently …

Macroevolutionary Inference Of Complex Modes Of Chromosomal Speciation In A Cosmopolitan Plant Lineage, Carrie M. Tribble, José Ignacio Márquez-Corro, Michael R. May, Andrew L. Hipp, Marcial Escudero, Rosana Zenil-Ferguson

Biology Faculty Publications

The effects of single chromosome number change—dysploidy – mediating diversification remain poorly understood. Dysploidy modifies recombination rates, linkage, or reproductive isolation, especially for one-fifth of all eukaryote lineages with holocentric chromosomes. Dysploidy effects on diversification have not been estimated because modeling chromosome numbers linked to diversification with heterogeneity along phylogenies is quantitatively challenging. We propose a new state-dependent diversification model of chromosome evolution that links diversification rates to dysploidy rates considering heterogeneity and differentiates between anagenetic and cladogenetic changes. We apply this model to Carex (Cyperaceae), a cosmopolitan flowering plant clade with holocentric chromosomes. We recover two distinct modes of …

Quantifying Temporal Dynamics Of E. Coli Concentration And Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Of Pathogen In A Karst Basin, Shishir K. Sarker, Ryan T. Dapkus, Diana M. Byrne, Alan E. Fryar, Justin M. Hutchison

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Karst aquifers can be highly productive water sources but are vulnerable to contamination by pathogens because of integrated surface and subsurface drainage. Our study focuses on the karstic Royal Spring basin in Kentucky, encompassing urban and agricultural land uses. The city of Georgetown distributes treated water from Royal Spring to over 33,000 customers. We examined E. coli dynamics at Royal Spring from June 2021 through June 2022, assessing variability under wet versus dry weather conditions. We also used quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to estimate potential health risks from the pathogenic bacterium E. coli O157:H7. E. coli concentrations in weekly …

Varied Uses Of Class Time: A Case Study Of Epe 301, Zitsi Mirakhur, Spencer Crawford, Wyatt Driskell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Groupme In The Classroom, Christopher Huggins

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Dysregulated Alveolar Epithelial Cell Progenitor Function And Identity In Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, Joanna Y. Wang, Sylvia N. Michki, Sneha Sitaraman, Brandon J. Banaschewski, Reshma Jamal, Jason J. Gokey, Susan M. Lin, Jeremy B. Katzen, Maria C. Basil, Edward Cantu, Jonathan A. Kropski, Jarod A. Zepp, David B. Frank, Lisa R. Young

Surgery Faculty Publications

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a genetic disorder of endosomal protein trafficking associated with pulmonary fibrosis in specific subtypes, including HPS-1 and HPS-2. Single-mutant HPS1 and HPS2 mice display increased fibrotic sensitivity while double-mutant HPS1/2 mice exhibit spontaneous fibrosis with aging, which has been attributed to HPS mutations in alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) cells. We utilized HPS mouse models and human lung tissue to investigate mechanisms of AT2 cell dysfunction driving fibrotic remodeling in HPS. Starting at 8 weeks of age, HPS mice exhibited progressive loss of AT2 cell numbers. HPS AT2 cell function was impaired ex vivo and in …

Males Differ More Between Developmental Stages Than Females, And Plasticity To Light Is Stage-Dependent In The Tropical Plant Marchantia Inflexa, Jonathan D. Moore, D. Nicholas Mcletchie

Biology Faculty Publications

Plants have evolved strategies to maintain photosynthesis and mitigate tissue-damaging high light. In some dioecious seed plants, these strategies are sexually dimorphic and are linked to spatial segregation of the sexes (SSS) along light gradients. In vascular tissue-free plants (bryophytes) with separate sexes, SSS is common, but how light gradients, sexual dimorphisms, and SSS correlate is not well understood. To test if sexual dimorphisms in vegetative or sexual stages lead to light-associated SSS in bryophytes, we used Marchantia inflexa whose males occupy a wider range of light conditions, including higher light conditions, than females. We also tested if changes in …

Current Practices In Rock Scaling, Daryl J. Greer, Kean H. Ashurst Jr

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Rockfalls, which result from the chemical and physical weathering of aging exposed rock cuts, occur frequently along many Kentucky roadways and can endanger travelers. Mitigating rockfalls often requires substantial excavation, procuring additional right of way, and/or hiring specialty contractors. An alternative to these expensive processes is rock scaling, which can be a cost-effective tool for mitigating rockfalls. Rock scaling entails removing loose and unstable rocks from rock cut slopes within the right of way to reduce rockfall risk and is being used with increased frequency by state transportation agencies around the country. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has completed several …

Bridge Load Posting Based On Load Testing, Cody Hutchinson, Abheetha Peiris, Issam Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) provides guidance for analytically evaluating bridge capacity based on available design information and the results of field inspections. This analysis results in a rating factor (RF), which quantifies a bridge’s safe load carrying capacity. RF accuracy, however, depends on the availability of information about structural details and material properties. As such, load rating bridges without design plans is difficult as field inspections alone often cannot provide enough information to perform detailed analysis. In many instances this means that a bridge would possess a substandard rating factor (RF < 1.0) simply due to the conservative assumptions required to perform traditional analysis. The most effective method for safely modifying such conservative theoretical rating factors is through load testing. Load testing measures actual bridge behavior and, for most bridges in good health, finds an increase in load rating is justified. This project utilized load testing to load rate 14 bridges in Kentucky that lack structural plans. Researchers first determined theoretical ratings using MBE-prescribed methods. For information typically taken from design plans, but which could not be measured directly, data-backed methods for making conservative assumptions were developed. For most bridges included in the study, theoretical rating factors alone suggested load postings were necessary. Load testing was then carried out utilizing tandem rear-axle dump trucks with measured axle weights. Multiple single-lane load cases were selected to maximize the effects being rated. Strain data were collected in real time using a wireless reusable strain gage system. Using these data, researchers computed a field test adjustment factor using MBE methods which directly modified the calculated theoretical RFs. Ultimately, load testing provided sufficient evidence to safely recommend that load postings were not necessary for any bridges in this study.

Coccidia Vaccine Challenge And Exogenous Enzyme Supplementation In Broiler Chicken 2—Effect On Apparent Ileal Nutrient And Energy Digestibility And Intestinal Morphology 7 And 14 Days Post-Challenge, Sunday A. Adedokun, Andrew Dunaway, Richard Adefioye

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The efficiency with which the nutrients and energy in any diet are digested, absorbed, and utilized depends on several factors, with the health status of the bird’s gastrointestinal tract playing an important role. The protozoan parasite Eimeria has been reported to significantly reduce the performance of birds because of poor absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. In this study, the effect of Eimeria sp. challenge and exogenous enzyme supplementation on performance and nutrient digestibility in broilers fed corn-soybean meal- or wheat-corn–SBM-based diets was examined. During the first 7 days post-challenge (days 14–21), in birds fed the corn–soybean-meal-based diets, the …

Powered Haulage Fatalities In Appalachian Coal Mines, Nirmala T. Myers, Noemi B. Hall, Nadia T. Saif, A. Scott Laney

Journal of Appalachian Health

The recent death of a 33-year-old mother of three at a Central Appalachian surface coal mine highlights the persistent dangers faced by miners, particularly from powered haulage incidents. As of December 2, 28 mining fatalities have occurred in the U.S. in 2024, with four in Appalachian coal mines attributed to powered haulage. These deaths underscore the urgent need to address this cause of fatalities in the mining industry and to provide a safe workplace to protect all miners.

Parents Who Make America Great Again: Identity Politics In Right-Wing Populist Discourses On Gender Ideology And Immigration, Alina Hechler

Theses and Dissertations--Gender and Women's Studies

This dissertation explores how anti-immigration and anti-(trans)gender campaigns in the United States engage in an identity politics in which a group benefiting from heteronormative, white supremacist, and nationalist social structures discursively positions itself as an oppressed minority facing an elitist, oppressive, and parasitic establishment. While anti-transgender and anti-immigration platforms represent two distinct issues, they need to be situated within the broader context of right-wing politics. With a focus on the construction of parenthood, my dissertation juxtaposes these two forms of right-wing campaigns through a mixed-method approach by tracing the depiction of two parental figures that have recently emerged in right-wing …

Lagrange Multipliers As A Metric For Early-Stage Shipboard Power System Design, Magdalen A. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Integrated power systems are essential in the operation of electric ships and must function under a diverse range of conditions. In addition to routine operation, ships should be prepared to respond to challenging events that require significant amounts of power. Demanding scenarios, coupled with complex and interconnected power systems, present challenging issues. The power and energy ratings of equipment are crucial factors in the operational success of the ship; however, to meet economic constraints, balance between performance and cost must be upheld. Details regarding equipment models and specifications are typically unavailable during early-stage design. Power system modeling and simulation can …

A Radioactive Circuit Split: Addressing Nuclear Waste Storage And Disposal In The United States, Madison King

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

In this note, Madison King analyzes the emerging circuit split concerning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) authority to license interim, away-from-reactor nuclear waste storage facilities. King explains that while the D.C. and Tenth Circuits have upheld the NRC’s authority under the Atomic Energy Act, the Fifth Circuit recently rejected that interpretation, ruling the NRC lacks such authority and invoking the major questions doctrine. King argues for a legislative solution to resolve the legal uncertainty and long-standing stalemate over nuclear waste disposal. King proposes that Congress should pass the Nuclear Waste Task Force Act to reevaluate federal policy, eliminate exemptions for …