Digital Commons Network^™

Innovative Techniques For Digitizing And Restoring Deteriorated Historical Documents, George V. Landon, Jr.

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recent large-scale document digitization initiatives have created new modes of access to modern library collections with the development of new hardware and software technologies. Most commonly, these digitization projects focus on accurately scanning bound texts, some reaching an efficiency of more than one million volumes per year. While vast digital collections are changing the way users access texts, current scanning paradigms can not handle many non-standard materials. Documentation forms such as manuscripts, scrolls, codices, deteriorated film, epigraphy, and rock art all hold a wealth of human knowledge in physical forms not accessible by standard book scanning technologies. This great omission …

Zinc Deficiency And Mechanisms Of Endothelial Cell Dysfunction, Huiyun Shen

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease thought to be initiated by endothelial cell dysfunction. Research described in this dissertation is focused on the role of zinc deficiency in endothelial cell activation with an emphasis on the function of the transcription factors nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR), and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which all play critical roles in the early pathology of atherosclerosis. Cultured porcine aortic vascular endothelial cells were deprived of zinc by the zinc chelator TPEN and/or treated with the NF-κB inhibitor CAPE or the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone, followed by measurements of PPARα expression, cellular …

The Metastasis Suppressor Nm23-H1 Is Required For Dna Repair, Mengmeng Yang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

NM23-H1 represents the first identified metastasis suppressor, exhibiting reduced expression in breast carcinoma and melanoma, and an ability to inhibit metastatic growth without significant impact on the transformed phenotype. Although its molecular mechanism of action is not fully understood, NM23-H1 possesses at least three enzymatic activities that may mediate metastasis suppressor function. It catalyzes nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) activity, as well as protein histidine kinase and 3’-5’ exonuclease activities. As 3’-5’ exonucleases are generally required for maintenance of genomic integrity, this activity represents a plausible mediator to underlie the metastasis suppressor function of NM23-H1 protein. To investigate the relevant activity …

Si Dios Quiere ..., Katrina Marcelle D'Autremont

Theses

This thesis explores issues of closeness and distance within families. By looking at how aspects of cultural identity further complicate this dynamic as well as how photography is used as a way of mapping a family character, this thesis encompasses topics ranging from Argentine artists to early daguerreotype photography. Using her own Argentine- American heritage as a subject for the photographs, the artist focuses on her grandfather's apartment in Argentina, which acts as a stage, and character in her family story. Traditional modes of photographic posing are borrowed and explored in this work, not only to reference the old photographs …

A Highly Reliable Non-Volatile File System For Small Satellites, Rama Krishna Nimmagadda

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Recent Advancements in Solid State Memories have resulted in packing several Giga Bytes (GB) of memory into tiny postage stamp size Memory Cards. Of late, Secure Digital (SD) cards have become a de-facto standard for all portable handheld devices. They have found growing presence in almost all embedded applications, where huge volumes of data need to be handled and stored.

For the very same reason SD cards are being widely used in space applications also. Using these SD Cards in space applications requires robust radiation hardened SD cards and Highly Reliable Fault Tolerant File Systems to handle them. The present …

Thermal Degradation And Aging Of High Temperature Piezoelectric Ceramics, Sunil W. Gotmare

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Piezoelectric materials have numerous applications like high temperature accelerometers, pressure, flow and NDT transducers, acoustic emission, ultrasonic cleaning, welding, high voltage generators, medical therapy etc. The commonly used piezoelectric material, PZT continues to dominate the commercial market for piezoelectric actuators applications. The primary limitations of PZT are the lower Curie temperature T_C <390^oC and rapid thermal degradation avobe 200^oC.

Continuing efforts are focused on the development of piezoelectric materials suitable for high temperature applications >200^oC. These materials will be very useful for making sensors for space exploration, oil and geothermal well drilling tools, oil …

Selective Regulation Of Cardiomyocyte Signaling By Rgl2, Leah M. Allen

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A key cardiovascular signaling molecule involved in both physiologic and pathologic regulation of cardiomyocytes is the small molecular weight G-protein, Ras. Differential effects of Ras are mediated by multiple effector molecules, including the RalGEFs which activate Ral. Studies performed in cardiomyocytes have indicated a role for Ral in cardiac hypertrophic signaling and the RalGEF family member, Rgl2, was shown to specifically interact with Ras in the heart. Therefore, I hypothesized that Rgl2 was an important Ras effector that would regulate cardiomyocyte signaling.

To elucidate the potential importance of Rgl2 in regulating cardiomyocyte signaling, a gain-of-function approach was utilized in which …

The Utility Of Adhd-Diagnostic And Symptom Validity Measures In The Assessment Of Undergraduate Student Response Distortion: A Clinically-Enhanced Simulation Study, Myriam Jessica Sollman

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the efficacy of various attention-related, neuropsychological, and symptom validity measures in the detection of feigned ADHD in an undergraduate sample. Performance was compared between a group of presumed normal students (HON), a group of diagnostically "clean" ADHD students asked to respond to the best of their ability (ADHD), and a group of motivated, coached feigners (FGN). Feigners were educated about symptoms and characteristics of ADHD, provided with a scenario to help them relate to the plight of a student who might seek diagnosis, admonition to feign believably, and a significant monetary incentive for "successful feigning" ($45). They …

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, …

Implications For The Hsf2/Prc1 Interaction And Regulation Of Condensin By Phosphorylation During Mitosis, Lynea Alene Murphy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

At the beginning of mitosis, chromosomes are condensed and segregated to facilitate correct alignment later in cytokinesis. Condensin is the pentameric enzyme responsible for this DNA compaction and is composed of two structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) subunits and three non-SMC subunits. Condensin mutations generate chromosomal abnormalities due to improper segregation, leading to genome instability and eventual malignant transformation of the cell. Cdc2 phosphorylation of the non-SMC subunits, CAP-G, CAP-D2, and CAP-H, has been demonstrated to be important for condensin supercoiling activity and function. While these subunits are thought to be phosphorylated by Cdc2, the exact sites have not yet …

Endothelial Cell Dysfunction By Environmental Contaminants, Elizabeth Grace Oesterling

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Within the last few decades, epidemiological evidence has linked exposure to air pollution, both its particles and its organic components, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression. CVD is a life long disease with the disruption of the endothelium being the inaugural event in this inflammatory process. The vascular endothelium is extremely susceptible to environmental insults given its tremendous surface area and that it is in constant contact with blood and components circulating within the blood, including xenobiotics. The endothelium is important as a barrier from blood constituents however, dysfunction of this barrier leads to the influx of lymphocytes and granulocytes that …

Metabolite Analysis Of Clostridium Thermocellum Using Capillary Electrophoresis Based Techniques, Anup P. Thakur

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic bacterium that converts biomass to ethanol directly; however, high sensitivity of this bacterium toward ethanol limits its commercial utility. To elucidate the effect of ethanol on the growth of this bacterium a metabolite analysis of C. thermocellum was performed. The hypothesis of the project was that exogenous ethanol alters the metabolite profile of C. thermocellum. For metabolite analysis, capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method (CE-ESI-MS) was developed due to highly polar and charged nature of metabolites. To increase the sensitivity of CE-ESI-MS, several parameters at the ESI interface were optimized. The application of 50% isopropanol …

Caffeine Consumption Patterns And Beliefs Of College Freshmen, Gary Eugene Mcilvain

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Recently, energy drinks that contain high caffeine content without any age restrictions for purchase, have been introduced into the U.S. market. Caffeine consumption in the U.S. has increased dramatically, resulting in an increase in emergency room visits and calls to poison control centers. This increase in energy drink consumption, along with the traditional coffees, teas, and soft drinks that people consume regularly, have pushed caffeine consumption to new highs in a multi-billion dollar market.

The purpose of this study was to determine (1) the amount of caffeine consumed by a sample of freshmen students at Marshall University, (2) their beliefs …

Benzene-1,3-Diamidoethanethiol (Bdeth2) And Its Metal Compounds, Kamruz Md Zaman

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

There is a global need to find a permanent and readily implemented solution to the problem of heavy metal pollution in aqueous environments. A dithiol compound, benzene-1,3-diamidoethanethiol (BDETH₂), also known as N,N'-bis(2-mercaptoethyl) isophthalamide or N,N'-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxamide, capable of binding divalent metal ions, has been synthesized and characterized. A broad range of BDET-metal compounds, spanning the periodic chart, has been prepared and characterized by IR, MS, EA, Raman, XAFS and TGA. The characteristics of the BDET-M compounds were determined through secondary reactions. In an effort to derivatize BDET-M compounds through alkylalumination a new cyclic compound, 1,3- bis(4,5-dihydrothiazolo)benzene, has …

Gentrification Moves To The Global South: An Analysis Of The Programa De Rescate, A Neoliberal Urban Policy In México City's Centro Histórico, David M. Walker

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation argues that urban neoliberal programs currently formulating in the Global South are unprecedented in historical México as well as in examined practices of gentrification and globalization. In this dissertation I specifically focus on the Programa de Rescate – an urban policy being amassed in México City’s Centro Histórico as a nexus of processes of gentrification, neoliberalization, and globalization. This work re-theorizes how gentrification functions when it is implemented in the Global South – as the neoliberalization of space.

Interaction As A Manifestation Of Identity: Undergraduate African And African American Students At One Historically Black University, Gwendoline Ibamiwi Ayuninjam

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines factors that explain interactions between undergraduate African and African American students enrolled at one Historically Black University (HBCU). It explores beliefs, cultural and contextual factors that shed light on interactions across the two categories of students. The research 1) identifies factors that explain inter‐group interaction; 2) analyzes identified factors; and 3) examines their impact on overall attitudes, behaviors, interactions, and relations across the two groups. Identity theory and social identity theory are applied to explain interaction patterns. Both theoretical frameworks acknowledge the importance of the individual’s goals and purposes and apply conceptions of the self in exploring …

Optimizing Learning Through Teacher-Student Relationships: A Test Of The Causal Process Student Understanding Model, Nicole Denise Dobransky

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In many ways, higher educational systems in the United States are the most extraordinary in the world. Students come from all over to study in our institutes of higher learning. As our search for an explanation of how to facilitate student learning continues, the goal of this dissertation was to examine the heavily under-researched area of teacherstudent relationships as they relate to student understanding. Using the existing body of instructional communication research, the Student Understanding Model (SUM) is proposed and tested. Data collected from 302 undergraduate students was used to test the SUM. Results provide empirical support that relational messages …

Linking The Structure And Mechanical Behavior Of Nanoporous Gold, Ye Sun

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The structure of nanoporous gold (np-Au) provides a very limited volume for deformation to occur, and thus offers an opportunity to study the role of defects such as dislocations in nanoscale metal volumes. A practical goal is to understand mechanical properties of np-Au so that it can be can produced in stable form, for use in applications that require some mechanical integrity. Bulk and thin film np-Au have been fabricated and studied here.

Bulk np-Au was prepared by electrochemically dealloying Au-Ag alloys with 25 and 30 at.% Au. In the lower Au content material, cracks always formed during dealloying. When …

The Care And Feeding Of Library Student Assistants, Gregory A. Martin

The Christian Librarian

Cedarville University’s Centennial Library has a long history of recognizing its student employees in a variety of ways. The Care and Feeding of Library Student Assistants will discuss the library’s pay scale, service-based and other awards, and the various social functions planned for its Student Assistants throughout the year. All of these activities are administered by the library’s Managers Council, and the duties and role of the Council will also be explained.

Riding The Technological Rapids With The Millennials, Alison R. Jones

The Christian Librarian

The Millennial Generation is generally agreed to be those born between approximately 1982 and 2002. Neil Howe and Bill Strauss are credited with coining the term Millennials, as well as generally defining the birth years of this generation in their book Millennials rising: the next great generation. A few others disagree and define this generation as starting as early as 1979 or as late as 1984; additionally, there are even those who define the Millennial generation as ending as early as 1994.

There is no easy way to define a generation. In the past, many have used the change in …

Parenting Practices Among First Generation Spanish-Speaking Latino Families: A Spanish Version Of The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Melissa R. Donovick, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the applicability of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire to a Spanishspeaking Latino population. Results of the reliability and concurrent validity testing suggest that the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire may be a valuable tool for use with Spanish-speaking Latino families. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire in Spanish assessed parenting practices among 50 first-generation Spanish-speaking Latino families of primarily Mexican origin with a child between 4 and 9 years of age (n = 96 parents, n = 50 children). Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires in Spanish to assess parent and child behaviors. Results show that over 80% of parents included in …

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 …

Punishment, Deterrence And Social Control: The Paradox Of Punishment In Minority Communities, Jeffery Fagan, Tracey L. Meares

Faculty Scholarship

Since the early 1970s, the number of individuals in jails and state and federal prisons has grown exponentially. Today, nearly two million people are currently incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails. The growth of imprisonment has been borne disproportionately by. African-American and Hispanic men from poor communities in urban areas. Rising.incarceration should have greatly reduced the crime rate. After all, incapacitated offenders were no longer free to rob, assault, steal, or commit other crimes. However, no large-scale reduction in crime was detected until the mid-1990s. The failure of crime rates to decline commensurately with increases in the …

Integrating Accommodation, Elizabeth F. Emens

Faculty Scholarship

Courts and agencies interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) generally assume that workplace accommodations benefit individual employees with disabilities and impose costs on employers and, at times, coworkers. This belief reflects a failure to recognize a key feature of ADA accommodations: their benefits to third parties. Numerous accommodations – from ramps to ergonomic furniture to telecommuting initiatives – can create benefits for coworkers, both disabled and nondisabled, as well as for the growing group of employees with impairments that are not limiting enough to constitute disabilities under the ADA. Much attention has been paid to how the integration of …

Perceptions Of Advertising In Online Social Networks: In-Depth Interviews, Zeljka Hadija

Theses

Advertising in online social networks is a major unexplored advertising area. However, interactivity on the Internet shifts the ways in which users perceive advertising, and whether they perceive it at all. This research study focuses on college students, users of online social networks, as main sources of information that helps advertisers understand the ways in which advertisements are perceived online. Through the personal in-depth interviews, using Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique, it has been revealed that only 20% of online social network users notice advertisements while using online social networks. The content found in online social networks inhibits viewing advertisements. This …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Hydroxylamine At A Quinizarine Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode: Application To Differential Pulse Voltammetry Detection Of Hydroxylamine, Mohammad Mazloumardakani, Payam Ebrahimi Karami, Hossein Naeimi, Bibifatemeh Mirjalili

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The electrocatalytic behavior of hydroxylamine was studied on a glassy carbon electrode modified by electrodeposition of quinizarine, using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and rotating disk voltammetry as diagnostic techniques. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the catalytic current of the system depends on the concentration of hydroxylamine. The magnitude of the peak current for quinizarine increased sharply in the presence of hydroxylamine and proportional to hydroxylamine concentration. The diffusion coefficient of hydroxylamine and the catalytic rate constant for the catalytic reaction of quinizarine with hydroxylamine were also estimated using a rotating disk electrode experiment. The kinetics parameters of this process were calculated, and …

Production Of (S)-(-)-1-(1´-Napthyl) Ethanol By Rhodotorula Glutinis Isolate Using Ram Horn Peptone, Esabi̇ Başaran Kurbanoğlu, Kani̇ Zi̇lbeyaz, Namudar I. Kurbanoğlu, Mesut Taşkin, Hamdullah Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The bioreduction of 1-acetonaphthone 1 by locally isolated Rhodotorula glutinis strains using ram horn peptone (RHP) gave (S)-(-)-1-(1´-naphthyl) ethanol (2), an important pharmaceutical intermediate. R. glutinis strains were isolated from the water of fermented Salix leaves. Optimum fermentation conditions for the production of 2 were 200 rpm, 32 °C, and pH 6.5. The production of 2 with excellent enantiomeric excess (>99%), and good conversion (100%) and yield (78%) under optimum conditions was achieved up to preparative scale via a fermenter. Wide temperature, pH, time, and agitation ranges did not affect the enantiomeric excess (ee) of the bioreduction product. A …

Comparison Of Catalytic Activities Of Carbon Supported Pt And Pt-Ru Catalysts For Methanol Oxidation In Neutral And Basic Media By Cyclic Voltammetry, Abdul Sattar Ali Khan, Riaz Ahmed, Muhammad Latif Mirza

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The catalytic activities of an equal amount of 3 different carbon supported catalysts containing 10% Pt, 20% Pt + 10% Ru, and 30% Pt were evaluated in neutral and basic media for methanol oxidation by cyclic voltammetry. The prominent oxidation peak for methanol appeared in the forward anodic sweep at around 1.0 V in neutral medium, while in basic medium it appeared at significantly lower potential close to 0.2 V. The peak current for methanol oxidation was higher on a catalyst containing higher Pt loading. The comparison of polarization behavior of 20% Pt + 10% Ru and 30% Pt catalysts …

Hidden Structure Revealed, Minkyu Lee

Theses

This MFA Thesis is based on the aesthetic philosophy that all forms and structures are essentially made from cubes. This premise has inspired and shaped my explorations over the last two years of graduate study. Shape and meaning of ‘cubes’ can be simplified to the smallest molecular units of objects. The geometric forms I construct reflect this. I have mostly created vessel-oriented forms, but now I find that I can also make sculptures that reflect the same point of view. The shape of the earth is a theme and inspiration for this thesis project. Craters, which show their inner side, …

One-Step Synthesis Of Hyaluronic Acid-Based (Sub)Micron Hydrogel Particles: Process Optimization And Preliminary Characterization, Nurettin Sahiner, Xinqiao Jia

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Hyaluronic acid (HA)-based (sub)micron hydrogel particles were synthesized by crosslinking virgin HA with divinyl sulfone (DVS) in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelle systems under basic conditions. Experimental parameters including HA molecular weight, solution concentration, and reaction time were systematically varied in order to obtain well defined hydrogel particles. The use of a cosurfactant, 1-heptanol (1-HP), had a profound effect on the reaction kinetics and the particle morphology. The resulting particles exhibit negative charges on their surfaces. In vitro biocompatibility study indicates that these particles do not cause severe death to the cultured fibroblasts. These HA-based hydrogel particles are promising candidates …