Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Flow States And Motivational Perspectives Of Ashtanga Yoga Practitioners, Leslie Lynn Phillips

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Flow state refers to an optimal psychological experience and is associated with a number of experiential qualities one of which is complete absorption in the task at hand. Self-determination theory provides a framework for examining the relation between different types of motivation and flow because it distinguishes among different forms of motivation based on the degree that they can be considered self-determined. Although flow has been studied among athletes and, to a lesser degree, exercisers, no studies have focused on the flow experiences of yoga practitioners. Yoga, which originated in India, has been gaining popularity in the United States. The …

Hierarchical Hybrid-Model Based Design, Verification, Simulation, And Synthesis Of Mission Control For Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Siddhartha Bhattacharyya

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of modeling, verification, and synthesis of hierarchical hybrid mission control for underwater vehicle is to (i) propose a hierarchical architecture for mission control for an autonomous system, (ii) develop extended hybrid state machine models for the mission control, (iii) use these models to verify for logical correctness, (iv) check the feasibility of a simulation software to model the mission executed by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) (v) perform synthesis of high-level mission coordinators for coordinating lower-level mission controllers in accordance with the given mission, and (vi) suggest further design changes for improvement. The dissertation describes a hierarchical architecture …

Lives Under Construction: A Study Of College Sophomores, Elizabeth L. Morley

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

As individuals, college students make choices that both reflect their past lives and constitute their futures. In this research I examine the ways five college sophomores built their lives in the complex world of a research university campus. Using case study analysis I look at how the students negotiated the considerable academic and social demands of their daily lives. College impact models and literature about theories of practice and decision making inform the analysis. Human agency and fields of practice help to explain the behaviors of these students. The research reveals that students take a myriad of paths to negotiate …

Identity In Evangelical Ukraine: Negotiating Regionalism, Nationalism, And Transnationalism, Esther Grace Long

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines identity formation among evangelical Protestants in contemporary Ukraine. The overarching question is this: how do Ukrainian evangelicals view themselves and their churches in the context of Ukrainian regionalism, Ukrainian nationalism, and religious transnationalism? This question demands a closer look at Ukrainian regional variation, the status of Ukrainian national identity among evangelical practitioners, and the process of religious transnationalism, including how evangelicals perceive the West. This project is primarily based on qualitative research methods carried out over a ten month period. Field methods included participant observation, focus group interviews, and individual interviews. A set of maps produced by …

Ficciones De Patagonia: La Construccion Del Sur En La Narrativa Argentina Y Chilena, Silvia E. Casini

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary novels about Patagonia rely on foundational texts to caricature the region as a sterile, empty, and isolated. This stereotype was the impetus for this study. Through literary texts concerning Patagonia, the author joins the theoretical debate regarding the relationship between marginal and hegemonic cultures. A close analysis of writings on Patagonia reveals that the image of Patagonian space varies considerably depending on the perspective of the narrator, character, or writer. This dissertation analyzes the construction of Patagonian space in six contemporary novels by Chilean and Argentinean writers. It is divided into two sections. The first section discusses novels written …

The Intersection Of Filial Piety And Cultural Dissonance: Intergenerational Exchanges Among Khmer Families In The United States, Denise Clark Lewis

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis I describe Khmers negotiations of circumstances surrounding the disassembly, reconstruction, and redefinition of Khmer identity from their homeland in Cambodia to a traditional Khmer village recreated in the United States. Using a framework derived from a constructivist perspective, I have placed processes of negotiation and identity transformation within the lived context of Khmers lives. Thus, a holistic understanding of the interrelatedness of multiple changes in Khmerness is made possible. Ethnographic data collected between 1997 and 1999, through participant-observation and interviews, inform this study. Findings from this study reveal three levels of identity transformation as told by members …

Effects Of Weight Loss On Visceral Adiposity And Metabolic Adaptations In Diabetic Versus Non-Diabetic Women, Elizabeth C. Konz

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity increases the risk for the development of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other co-morbid conditions. Type 2 diabetes also is often associated with excessive visceral abdominal fat. Weight loss in obese individuals decreases the risk for developing the co-morbid conditions. Individuals with type 2 diabetes often have a greater difficulty in controlling these complications compared to individuals without type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence to a medically-supervised low-energy diet (LED) weight loss program and changes in body composition and metabolic parameters after weight loss in women with and without type 2 diabetes. …

The Effect Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls On Liver Tumor Promotion: A Role For Kupffer Cells?, Rodica Petruta Bunaciu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitious lipophilic environmental pollutants. At least some of the PCB congeners and mixtures are hepatic tumor promoters. The mechanisms are not fully understood and might be multifactorial Besides being the most abundant congener in the environment, 2,2,4,4,5,5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153), has been previously shown to increase hepatocyte proliferation 48h after exposure in rats. The goal of this study was to determine whether hepatic Kupffer cells are important in the promoting activity of PCBs. The hypothesis of this study was that modulation of Kupffer cell activity by PCBs may contribute to PCB-induced liver tumor promotion. The experimental approach consisted …

Genetic Regulation Of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Numbers In Mice, Ying Liang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transplantations are widely used for the treatment of hematological and non-hematological disorders in clinic. Successful transplantation requires sufficient number and efficient homing of HSCs. Many studies have focused on developing an effective strategy to expand functional HSC population. Some regulatory molecules have been recently shown great promise for controlling the amplification of HSCs. In these dissertation studies, I first aim to identify gene(s) and their allelic variants contributing to strain-specific difference in HSC numbers between C57BL/6 (B6, low) and DBA/2 (D2, high) mice by using a classic forward genetic approach. Firstly, 3 quantitative trait loci (QTL) …

Pilot Survey Of Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Adults In Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, Christopher Okunseri, Amit Chattopadhyay, R Iván Lugo, Colman Mcgrath

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Oral health studies conducted so far in Nigeria have documented prevalence and incidence of dental disease using traditional clinical measures. However none have investigated the use of an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instrument to document oral health outcomes. The aims of this study are: to describe how oral health affects and impacts quality of life (QoL) and to explore the association between these affects and the oral health care seeking behavior of adults in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey recruited 356 adults aged 18–64 years from two large hospital outpatient departments and from …

The Use Of Culmen Length To Determine Sex Of The American White Pelican, Brian S. Dorr, D. Tommy King, Patrick Gerard, Marilyn G. Spalding

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Culmnen length has been suggested as being diagnostic for sex in the American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). However, the literature on the use of culmen length to determine sex is inconsistent, with reported overlap in culmen lengths for males and females ranging from 1 mm to >120 mm. Morphological measurements from 188 American White Pelicans collected in Mississippi and Louisiana whose sex was determined by dissection and gonadal inspection were measured. The use of culmen length alone was used to determine gender for this sample by establishing the minimum obsewed culmen length for males and the maximum observed …

Blackbird Use And Damage Of Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots, Jonathan M. Raetzman, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Annual blackbird damage to sunflower is valued at $5 to $10 million. Perhaps more importantly, the National Sunflower Association has identified blackbirds as the key reason for growers to abandon sunflower in areas of prime production. North Dakota and South Dakota together produce approximately 70% of sunflower grown in the United States. This crop adds $906 million to the regional economy. To date, cost effective and environmentally safe methods to reduce bird damage to sunflower remain elusive. In the 1980’s, scientists from the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) showed that “decoy” sunflower plots can greatly reduce bird damage to local …

Avian Use Of Commercial Sunflower And Grain Crops Compared To Usda Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots In North Dakota., Heath M. Hagy, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

North Dakota and South Dakota produce about 70% of the sunflower grown in the United States. Blackbird depredation, particularly in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), can be a major problem that results in some producers abandoning sunflower. Reduced acreage of an otherwise profitable crop is important economically and might harm migratory bird populations relying on the shrub-like habitat in sunflower fields for food and cover. In 2004 in an effort to reduce blackbird damage, USDA Wildlife Services provided funds to growers to plant Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots (WCSP). Growers were instructed to plant 8-ha units of oilseed sunflower near shelterbelts …

Wildlife Disease Research At The Aphis National Wildlife Research Center, R. G. Mclean, L. Clark, M. R. Dunbar, K. C. Vercauteren, T. A. Campbell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research on wildlife diseases at the newly formed Wildlife Disease Program (WDP) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS), National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) concentrates on wildlife diseases of importance to domestic animal and human health. We are conducting studies on wildlife rabies, bovine tuberculosis (TB), chronic wasting disease (CWD), West Nile virus (WNV), pathogenic bacteria of birds, and pseudorabies (PR). The goal of the research is to develop innovative methods for surveillance, intervention, prevention, and control of these diseases.

Historic And Current Status Of The American White Pelican Breeding At Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota, Marsha A. Sovada, D. Tommy King, Michael Erickson, Cheryl Gray

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge currently supports the largest breeding colony of the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) in North America. The first written account of the colony’s status was in 1905, when approximately 500 pelicans nested on two islands in Chase Lake. The colony grew to nearly 34,000 breeding birds by 2002. Surveys of breeding pelicans in the colony were sporadic from 1905 until 1972. Because the availability of foraging areas affects recruitment, pond counts from south-central North Dakota were used as an index of the relative availability of foraging areas. Pond counts varied widely in the …

Interactions Between The American White Pelican And Aquaculture In The Southeastern United States: An Overview, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The eastern metapopulation of the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) breeds mainly in the Northern Great Plains, migrates through the Great Plains and along the Mississippi River and winters in the lower Mississippi River Valley and along the Gulf of Mexico. The production of farm-raised Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) in the southeastern United States has increased dramatically in the last 25 years. In 1990, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services offices in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi began receiving complaints concerning the foraging of pelicans in commercial Channel Catfish ponds. Because of the relatively shallow depth and …

Recent Population Status Of The American White Pelican: A Continental Perspective, D. Tommy King, Daniel W. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Breeding bird surveys were conducted at most American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) colonies in North America from 1979-81 and the number of American White Pelicans was estimated at >109,000 breeding individuals in 55 colonies. Although many pelican colonies have not been surveyed since the early 1980s, we present the most current survey numbers available for North American colonies. Using available data (1998-2001) and the North American Continental Divide to delineate eastern from western metapopulations, 27 colonies and 48,240 nests in the East and 15 colonies and 18,790 nests in the West were documented, giving a total of about …

A Comparison Of Three Trap Designs For Capturing Brown Treesnakes On Guam, Daniel S. Vice, Richard M. Engeman, Diane L. Vice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The accidental introduction of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) to Guam has resulted in the extirpation of most native terrestrial vertebrates on the island, thousands of power outages, and significant ecological changes. In addition, Guam now serves as a source population for the dispersal of snakes to other islands. Control of the brown treesnake is dependent upon the use of traps in a variety of settings, including port environments and in forested habitat A variety of snake traps have been used on Guam; most consist of a modified crawfish or minnow trap, housing a live mouse that serves as a …

Indexing Principles And A Widely Applicable Paradigm For Indexing Animal Populations, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Monitoring animal populations is an essential component of wildlife research and management. Population indices can be efficient methods for monitoring populations when more labour-intensive densityestimation procedures are impractical or invalid to apply, and many monitoring objectives can be couched in an indexing framework. Indexing procedures obtain maximal utility if they exhibit key characteristics, including being practical to apply, being sensitive to changes or differences in the target species' population, having an inherent variance formula and allowing for precision in index values, and relying on as few assumptions as possible. Additional useful characteristics include being able simultaneously to monitor multiple animal …

Slow Migration Of Capsicum Oleoresin In A Sandy Loam Soil, Ray T. Sterner, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A mixture of 16.4770.038 L concentrated capsicum oleoresin with 163.873.63L water and a total of 17.2L concentrated soybean oil with 177.1L water was dispensed over five 4.87m4.87m plots via a grid of 128 augured holes (E15 cmdiameter E30 cm deep) in a compacted, sandy loam soil. During the next 9 days, a total of 37 soil samples were obtained from these plots and other off-plot areas. Spectrophotometric analyses of dual aliquots of soil samples were performed to detect absorbance of capsaicin (lmax at 282 nm). Analysis of variance showed that absorbance readings from points of capsicum application (augured holes) were …

Coyote Movements And Social Structure Along A Cryptic Population Genetic Subdivision, Benjamin N. Sacks, Brian R. Mitchell, Christen L. Williams, Holly B. Ernest

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A recent region-wide study determined that the central California coyote ( Canis latrans ) population was genetically subdivided according to habitat bioregions, supporting the hypothesis that coyotes exhibit a dispersal bias toward their natal habitat type. Here, we further investigated this hypothesis using radio-collared coyotes captured on a 150-km 2 study site on the border of (i.e. overlapping) two bioregions (Great Valley and Cascade Mountains). As predicted, most coyotes were assigned (based on a priori genetic criteria) to genetic clusters corresponding to one of these two bioregions. All of those assigned to the Great Valley genetic cluster were caught in …

From The Field: Field Searches Versus Vaginal Implant Translocating Elk Calves, Nathan W. Seward, David S. Maehr, Jonathan W. Gassett, John J. Cox, Jeffrey L. Larkin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We compared the utility of vaginal implant transmitters (VITs) and field searches for locating elk (Cervus elaphus) calves in southeastern Kentucky during the spring of 2001. Retention of VITs among 40 adult females ranged from 1–276 days (x - =61.6±8.4 [SE] days). Approximately half of the transmitters (n=19) were expelled prematurely or malfunctioned. Two of 37 (5%) transmitters in translocated females performed as designed and led to calf capture. We captured more calves (n=9 in 2001; n=16 in 2002) by searching areas where elk exhibited parturition behavior. We suggest that manufacturers refine the current VIT design to increase its application …

Sculpture, Matthew N. Kargol

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Art is a very personal experience for both the artist and the viewer. In this abstract I will share some of my motivation for creating art. I will explore the premises which are at the core of the forms my artwork takes. I will also note influence and manifestation of similar premises in other sculptors' work. I will speak of the choices I have made regarding ideas, forms, materials, and visual language. I will speak of the process with which I am most satisfied in creating art, and why that process appeals to me. I hope the reader will come …

Interruptions In Workflow For Rns In A Level One Trauma Center, Juliana J. Brixey, David J. Robinson, Zhihua Tang, Todd R. Johnson, Jiajie Zhang, James P. Turley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

An understanding of interruptions in healthcare is important for the design, implementation, and evaluation of health information systems and for the management of clinical workflow and medical errors. The purpose of this study is to identify and classify the types of interruptions experienced by Emergency Department(ED) nurses working in a Level One Trauma Center. This was an observational field study of Registered Nurses (RNs) employed in a Level One Trauma Center using the shadowing method. Results of the study indicate that nurses were both recipients and initiators of interruptions. Telephones, pagers, and face-to-face conversations were the most common sources of …

Lie Algebras In Classical And Quantum Mechanics, Matthew Cody Nitschke

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Simulating The Oil Spill In The Arabian Gulf Marine Environment: A Risk Assessment In Association With Uae Coastal Desalination Plants, Abubaker Awad El-Hakeem

Theses

The current study is directed towards the development of oil spill hazard contour maps for the prediction of oil spill travel times and critical wind directions in association with major strategic desalination plants in United Arab Emirates. Five desalination plants in are selected along the UAE coastline to be the potential destination points of oil spill hazards. These plants are AI-Shuwayhat, AI-Mirfa, Umm AINar & Taweelah, Jebel Ali and AI-Layah.

In order to reach the set target, a coastal hydraulics simulation model is employed to adopt the real sea-state dynamic conditions. The hydrodynamic simulated results are tuned and tested against …

Identification Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli In The Uae, Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Theses

Identification of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in the UAE

By

Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Abstract

Various patho-groups of Escherichia coli strains are important causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Among these strains Shiga toxin producing isolates are particularly important. They are carried by various animals and upon infection, in humans, they may cause serious bloody diarrhea, and in some cases even life threatening sequels as hemolytic uremic syndrome. However, these infections are often under-diagnosed due to the fact that pathogenic strains do not differ from their nonpathogenic counterparts in characters investigated by standard microbiological techniques. Consequently, they can only be …

Effect Of Some Medicinal Plants In U.A.E. On Glucose Homeostasis In Rats, Fatma Khadem Al-Ghaithi

Theses

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine diseases in the world that affects almost 6% of the world population. The treatment of diabetes mellitus takes three main forms. First, diet and exercise. Secondly, insulin therapy, and thirdly, using hypoglycaemic agents (suiphonylureas and biguanides). Many of these agents are not very effective in lowering glucose level in diabetic patients and are either too expensive or have undesirable side effects and contraindications. As a result of this, the search for effective drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus continues.

Before the introduction of insulin in 1922, the treatment of diabetes …

Assessment Of The Effect Of Desalination Brine Waste On Marine Water Quality In Ruwais Area: A Numerical Modeling Application, Samer Jouda Al Nahhal

Theses

This thesis aims to investigate the fate and transport of the effluents discharged from

The desalination plant as well other facilities located in the Ruwais Industrial Complex

(RIC) in the United Arab Emirates. These effluents are discharged in to the Ruwais

Coastal marine waters. The effluents from the desalination plant are characterized by

warm water with high salinity, whereas one other effluent is characterized by high n

Nutrient loads. The characterization of the Ruwais environment and such effluents are

Addressed through comprehensive field surveys of the Ruwais costal water over one

Full year.

In order to investigate the impacts of …

Morphological And Physiological Abnormalities In Tissue Culture-Derived Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Plants, Hamad Saif Al-Mazroui

Theses

The UAE attaches great importance to agricultural development with a sound focus on date palms. This special attention is obvious in the ongoing expansion of agricultural resources and investments, the growing number of palm trees, and in the extensive use of modern technologies. Mass cultivation of date palm trees is required to continue according to the country's agricultural plans.

In order to achieve these agricultural expansion of date palm, new techniques of propagation other than traditional techniques (seed and offshoot propagation) are critically required. Tissue culture is a modern and reliable technology being one of the main methods for date …