Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Transitions For Testing Agricultural Ventilation Fans With The Fan Assessment Numeration System (Fans), Igor Moreira Lopes

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The Fan Assessment Numeration System (FANS) is an improved air velocity traverse method for measuring in situ fan performance. The FANS has been widely used, but variations of its test procedure are commonly employed to accommodate physical or operational barriers encountered in the field. This laboratory study evaluated the use of transitions to connect a 1.37m FANS unit to two smaller fans (1.22m and 0.91m diameter) and one 1.37m diameter fan. Tests were conducted with the FANS unit positioned on both intake and discharge sides of the fans. Three different transition angles (30^o, 45^o and 60^{o …}

Evaluation Of Separation Method Additives For The Recovery Of Bacteria From Food Matrices, Jennifer Leanne Frederick

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The microbiological testing of foods is a well-established science. Due to the severity of foodborne pathogen illnesses, the widespread use and implementation of rapid detection methods in food testing labs is increasingly important. The first step for successful testing is sampling. Surfactants have been highly used in food microbiology, but there is not much, if any, published research about the use of fatty alcohols and chemical dispersants as aids in microbial separation. The microbial extraction efficiency of Escherichia coli K12 and Listeria innocua from hot dogs, spinach, and milk was measured using chemical additives (surfactants, fatty alcohols, and a chemical …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Weep Berm Systems For Treating Runoff From A Horse Muck Composting Operation, Ross L. Guffey

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Two contour weep berms systems were designed and implemented to evaluate their performance at mitigating water quantity problems from a horse muck composting operation. The field-scale study focused on the hydrologic response of a standard contour weep berm and a modified contour weep berm. The modified contour weep berm incorporated a woodchip trench upgradient of a typical standard contour weep design. Monitoring occurred from July 2011 through spring 2012. Eight storm events produced measureable runoff for the standard contour weep berm; however, only five storm events produced measurable runoff for the modified contour weep berm. The largest storm event occurred …

Investigating The Role Of Prion Protein Polymorphisms On Prion Pathogenesis, Eri Saijo

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), also known as prion diseases, are lethal and infectious neurodegenerative diseases of humans and animals. The misfolding of the normal, or cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrP^C) into the abnormal disease-associated isoform of PrP (PrP^Sc) could change the properties of PrP, consequently, PrP^Sc has lethal infectivity to transmit diseases. The proteinaceous infectious particle consisting mainly of PrP^Sc is called prion. Transmissibility of prions is strongly influenced by multiple factors including PrP polymorphisms, species barriers (PrP sequence specificity) and prion strains (conformational specificity) by unknown mechanisms. Even though the ability …

Role Of The Immune System And Bioactive Lipids In Trafficking Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells In Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease, Ahmed Abdel-Latif

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) triggers the mobilization of stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow (BMSPCs) into peripheral blood (PB). The underlying mechanisms orchestrating this mobilization and subsequent homing of BMSPCs to the myocardium are poorly understood. While the role of traditional chemokines in the mobilization and homing of hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) to BM niches is undisputed, their role in directing BMSPCs to the highly proteolytic environment of the ischemic myocardium is debatable and other redundant mechanism may exist. Based on our observation that bioactive lipids, such as sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1 phosphate (C1P), play an important role in regulating …

Disruptions In The Regulation Of Extracellular Glutamate In The Rat Central Nervous System After Diffuse Brain Injury, Jason Michael Hinzman

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Glutamate, the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, is involved in almost all aspects of neurological function including cognition, motor function, memory, learning, decision making, and neuronal plasticity. For normal neurological function, glutamate signaling must be properly regulated. Disrupted glutamate regulation plays a pivotal role in the acute pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI), disrupting neuronal signaling, initiating secondary injury cascades, and producing excitotoxicity. Increases in extracellular glutamate have been correlated with unfavorable outcomes in TBI survivors, emphasizing the importance of glutamate regulation.

The aim of this thesis was to examine disruptions in the regulation of extracellular glutamate …

Dynamic L-Glutamate Signaling In The Prefrontal Cortex And The Effects Of Methylphenidate Treatment, Catherine Elizabeth Mattinson

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an area of the brain that is critically important for learning, memory, organization, and integration, and PFC dysfunction has been associated with pathologies including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. However, there exists a paucity of information regarding neurochemical signaling in the distinct sub-regions of the PFC, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The mPFC receives glutamatergic input from a number of brain areas, and functional glutamate signaling is essential for normal cognitive processes. To further understand glutamate neurotransmission, in vivo measurements of glutamate were performed in the cingulate cortex, prelimbic cortex, and infralimbic cortex …

Regulation Of Hepatic Gene Expression During Liver Development And Disease, Hui Ren

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

My first project was to investigate the role of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1 (HNF1) and Nuclear Factor I (NFI) on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter activity during liver development. AFP is highly expressed in the fetal liver, silenced at birth, and remains at very low levels in the adult liver. A GA substitution located at -119 of the human AFP promoter is associated with hereditary persistence of AFP (HPAFP) expression in the adult liver (Hum Molec Genet, 1993, 2:379). The -120 region harbors overlapping binding sites for HNF1 and NFI. While it has been shown that the GA substitution increases HNF1 binding, …

Blast-Induced Brain Injury: Influence Of Shockwave Components, Dexter V. Reneer

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been described as the defining injury of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Previously, most blast injury research has focused on the effects of blast on internal, gas filled organs due to their increased susceptibility. However, due to a change in enemy tactics combined with better armor and front-line medical care, bTBI has become one of the most common injuries due to blast. Though there has been a significant amount of research characterizing the brain injury produced by blast, a sound understanding of the contribution of each component of the shockwave to the …

Signaling Mechanisms Involved In The Generation Of Human Peripheral Itregs, Mary Catherine Reneer

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Maintaining balance in the human immune system is critical for the body’s ability to discriminate between foreign and self-antigens. This balance is achieved, in part, by a subpopulation of T cells known as induced regulatory T cells (iTregs). Dysregulation of this population may contribute to the onset and progression of cancer, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, manipulation of iTreg development holds promising therapeutic potential; however, studying this vital population has proven difficult due to low numbers, heterogeneous cell populations, substantial phenotypic differences between mouse and human cells, and the high plasticity seen in iTregs. These current limitations have prevented …

Crosstalk Between Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells And Resident Microbiota Promotes Immune Homeostasis, Eric William Rogier

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

The gastrointestinal tract houses one of the most dense and diverse communities of bacteria on the planet. The mutualistic relationship between the host and commensal microbe permits the microbe an ideal environment to grow and provides the host with increased caloric intake, maturation of the adaptive immune system, and resistance against invading pathogens. To maintain a system in which both parties benefit, the epithelium has evolved numerous strategies to ensure epithelial cells respond to microbes appropriately and that potentially hazardous commensals remain distanced from the soma proper. Breakdown of these propitiating mechanisms elicits unchecked inflammation and can lead to pathology …

The Role Of Intestinal Epithelial Cells And The Regulation Of The Polymeric Immunoglobulin Receptor In Homeostasis And Inflammation, Aubrey Leigh Frantz

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

The mammalian intestine harbors an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms, which normally maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the host. The intestinal epithelium consists of a single layer of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) that provides a physical barrier as well as innate immune defense, preventing this vast community of microbes from entering host tissues. Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) acts as the first line of antigen-specific immunity at the interface between the gut microbiota and the intestinal epithelium. Polymeric IgA secreted by plasma cells in the intestinal lamina propria is transported across IECs by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Defects in epithelial …

Insights Into Hepatic Alpha-Fetoprotein Gene Regulation During Liver Development And Disease, Erica Leigh Clinkenbeard

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

The liver is an essential organ for cholesterol homeostasis. If this process becomes dysregulated, cardiovascular disease (CVD) develops. Zinc-fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) as an important hepatic gene regulator and contributes to CVD. BALB/cJ mice, with mutant Zhx2 allele, have fewer atherosclerotic plaques compared to other strains on a high fat diet. In my dissertation, I focused on the liver phenotype in BALB/cJ mice on a high-fat diet and found increased liver damage compared to wild-type Zhx2 mice. These data indicates that reduced Zhx2 in the liver leads to CVD resistance, but increases liver damage. Therefore, Zhx2 has an important …

Prion Characterization Using Cell Based Approaches, Vadim Khaychuk

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Prions are the causative agents of a group of lethal, neurodegenerative conditions that include sheep scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Prions are derived from the conversion of a normal, primarily alpha-helical, cellular prion protein (PrP^C), to an infectious, beta sheet-rich conformer (PrP^Sc). Many unresolved issues surround the process of PrP conversion, and we know very little about cellular responses to these unique pathogens. Our lack of knowledge relates, in part, to the difficulty of infecting cells in vitro with prions. While expression of PrP^C is an absolute requirement for prion …

A Diet Enriched In Stearic Acid Protects Against The Progression Of Type 2 Diabetes In Leptin Receptor Deficient Mice (Db/Db), Valerie Lynn Reeves

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Dietary saturated fat intake contributes to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as shown in numerous animal and human studies. However, the hypothesis that stearic acid, a saturated fat, has beneficial effects on these conditions has not been adequately tested. Leptin receptor deficient mice (db/db) and wild-type mice were fed either chow or a high fat diet enriched in either stearic acid or oleic acid for ten weeks. The progression of diabetes was evaluated with blood glucose, insulin, and metabolic parameter measurements. At the conclusion of the study, pancreatic islet organization was examined, and blood, liver and feces were assayed for fatty …

Inflammatory Interactions And Secretion In Cardiac Remodeling, Fanmuyi Yang

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Heart failure contributes to nearly 60,000 deaths per year in the USA and is often caused by hypertension and preceded by the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). LVH is usually accompanied by intensive interstitial and perivascular fibrosis which may contribute to arrhythmogenic sudden cardiac death. Emerging evidence indicates that LV dysfunction in patients and animal models of cardiac hypertrophy is closely associated with perivascular inflammation.

To investigate the role of perivascular inflammation in coronary artery remodeling and cardiac fibrosis during hypertrophic ventricular remodeling, we used a well-established mouse model of pressure-overload-induced LVH: transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Early perivascular inflammation …

The Cardiac L-Type Calcium Channel Distal Carboxyl- Terminus Auto-Inhibition Is Regulated By Calcium, Shawn M. Crump

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

The L-type calcium channel (LTCC) provides trigger Ca²⁺ for sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-release and LTCC function is influenced by interacting proteins including the LTCC Distal Carboxyl-terminus (DCT) and calmodulin. DCT is proteolytically cleaved, and re-associates with the LTCC complex to regulate calcium channel function. DCT reduces LTCC barium current (IBa,L) in reconstituted channel complexes, yet the contribution of DCT to ICa,L in cardiomyocyte systems is unexplored. This study tests the hypothesis that DCT attenuates cardiomyocyte ICa,L. We measured LTCC current and Ca²⁺ transients with DCT co-expressed in murine cardiomyocytes. We also heterologously co-expressed DCT and CaV1.2 constructs …

Use Of Visualization In Digital Financial Reporting: The Effect Of Sparkline, Priyanka Meharia

Theses and Dissertations--Business Administration

Information visualization (InfoViz) is an essential component of decision support systems (DSS). Sparklines is a visualization tool. This study examines if Sparklines in digital financial reports aids novice investors and if so under what circumstances? Does it enhances decision-making performance and facilitates effective decision-making experience? Additionally, does it lowers decision making effort; reduces dilution effect from non-relevant data in financial reports and mitigates recency bias in using digital financial reports?

The hypothesis is guided by the theory of Proximity Compatibility Principle and the Theory of Cognitive Fit. The research methodology for this study is a repeated measure, controlled laboratory based …

The Relationship Of Social Stress, Economic Hardship, And Psychological Distress To Addiction Severity Among Kentucky Substance Abuse Treatment Participants, Elizabeth A. Wahler

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Stress is associated with poor mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, and stress and mental health problems are predictors of substance dependence and relapse. Social characteristics, such as racial/ethnic minority status, female gender, and low socioeconomic status, are often associated with increased psychological distress and substance use disorders. Pearlin’s social stress theory postulates that this association is due to increased exposure to stress and subsequent experiences of distress related to social disadvantage and decreased access to resources for coping with stress. This project uses a social stress theoretical perspective to examine predictors of substance use after treatment entry and follow-up …

Development Of Strategies To Minimize The Release Of Trace Elements From Coal Waste Sources, Mohammad Rezaee

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

To assess strategies aimed at minimizing the release of trace elements and the impact of disposal of coal waste materials on the environment, two long-term leaching experiments of up to five months duration were performed using waste materials from two plants cleaning high and low sulfur bituminous coal. The tests evaluated the mobility of major trace elements under different disposal scenarios: (i) a static leaching test designed to simulate the quiescent conditions encountered by coal waste material stored under water in a stable impoundment, and (ii) a dynamic test to simulate waste materials exposed to the atmosphere, either in variable …

Is Densified Biomass Fuel From Agro-Forestry Waste A Sustainable Energy Option?, William A. Linnig Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Raw biomass material is bulky, high in void fraction, and very low in transportation efficiency. Furthermore, biomass dissipates quickly in harsh environments of high heat furnaces because of its relatively low calorific value (BTU/lb) and has grinding or size degradation properties highly dissimilar from commonly-used fossil fuels like coal. Therefore, the development of transformational technologies are necessary to convert raw biomass into high-value and useful products of high hardness and calorific value without requiring excessive process energy.

This thesis investigates the sustainability of densified biomass fuels. In addition, a procedure that converts raw biomass from agro/forest industry waste into a …

Finite Element Analysis Of Cancellous Bone, Lucas T. Wilkerson

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

A variety of pathologies exist which increase the likelihood of bone fracture. Present methods for determining the fracture risk of a specific patient are based exclusively on the amount of bone present. While the quantity of bone tissue is correlated with strength, it neglects to account for bone’s intricate microarchitecture. To assess the effect of bone quality on strength, a methodology was developed for the structural analysis of cancellous bone biopsies. Thirty biopsies were selected from a pre-existing biopsy bank, and scanned using a SCANCO µCT-40 at a resolution of 30 microns. Cortical bone was removed from the resulting three-dimensional …

From Celluloid Realities To Binary Dreamscapes: Cinema And Perceptual Experience In The Age Of Digital Immersion, Edwin Lloyd Mcguy Lohmeyer

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

Technologies in digital cinema are quickly changing the way contemporary filmmakers create films and how audiences currently perceive them. As we move onward into the digital turn, it becomes ever more apparent that the medium of film has been emancipated from its dependence on the photograph. Directors are no longer required to capture the objectively real as it sits before the photographic lens, but can essentially construct it via groundbreaking advancements in computer-generated imagery, motion capture technology, and digital 3D camera systems and display technologies. Since the origins of film, spectators and filmmakers have assumed an existing relationship between reality …

Applying Specific Arts Activities To Improve The Quality Of Life For Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia, Ann Christianson Tietyen

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

This study examined the effectiveness of a combination of seven different visual art activities, hat decoration, collage, embossing, painting, ceramics, photography, and printmaking, on quality of life for eight veterans with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The eight veterans were selected from the population of residents at the Thomson‐ Hood Veterans facility in Wilmore, Kentucky. These veterans were administered the seven art activities mentioned above, which ranged from less difficult to increasing difficulty. Three standard self‐reporting instruments, the Quality of Life‐AD, the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale, and the Smiley‐Face Mood Assessment, as well as systematic observation and surveys were used to explore …

A Comparison Of Group Versus Individual Therapy On The Output Of Appropriate Utterances In A Six-Year-Old Girl With Autism: A Case Study, Mckinzie Craig Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Children with autism spectrum disorders typically experience language deficits in multiple areas, including form, content, and use. These children often receive speech therapy with individual sessions (one child and clinician), group sessions (several children), or a combination of both. Although research has deemed individual therapy successful, there is still debate regarding the success of group therapy, and there is virtually no literature examining a comparison between individual and group therapy. The current case-study investigated the relative effectiveness of individual versus group therapy for one six-year-old female with moderate autism spectrum disorder. The child underwent ten alternating therapy sessions of similar …

Reconstruction Of Nigrostriatal Pathway In An Animal Model Of Parkinson's Disease, Chen Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Parkinson's disease is characterized by progressive degeneration of substantia nigra (SN) and subsequently loss of the nigrostriatal circuit. Many strategies have attempted to reconstruct this circuit but failed to satisfy clinical trials. The inhibitory environment of the adult CNS and the long distance between the SN and the striatum make true reconstruction difficult. To reconstruct this circuit, we used a transplant-pathway targeting model. Several putative pathway targeting molecules were examined for their ability to direct the growth of axons from a dopaminergic transplant. For a proof-of-principle study, adenoviral and lentiviral encoded glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), GDNF-receptor alpha1 (GFRa1 …

Chronic Opioid Use In Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Characteristics And Outcomes, Jacob T. Painter

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition with significant societal and personal burdens of illness. Chronic opioid therapy in the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain has increased drastically over the past decade. This is a worrisome trend in general, but specifically, given the pathophysiologic characteristics seen in fibromyalgia syndrome patients, the use of this class of medication deserves special scrutiny. Although the theoretical case against this therapy choice is strong, little empirical evidence exists. In order to supplement this literature, retrospective analysis methods are utilized to examine the association of state-, provider-, and patient level characteristics with the prevalence …

Discovery Of Gz-793a, A Novel Vmat2 Inhibitor And Potential Pharmacotherapy For Methamphetamine Abuse, David B. Horton

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Methamphetamine abuse is a serious public health concern affecting millions of people worldwide, and there are currently no viable pharmacotherapies to treat methamphetamine abuse. Methamphetamine increases extracellular dopamine (DA) concentrations through an interaction with the DA transporter (DAT) and the vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2), leading to reward and abuse. While numerous studies have focused on DAT as a target for the discovery of pharmacotherapies to treat psychostimulant abuse, these efforts have been met with limited success. Taking into account the fact that methamphetamine interacts with VMAT2 to increase DA extracellular concentrations; the focus of the current work was to develop …

Nanocrystals Of Chemotherapeutic Agents For Cancer Theranostics: Development And In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation, Christin P. Hollis

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The majority of pharmacologically active chemotherapeutics are poorly water soluble. Solubilization enhancement by the utilization of organic solvents often leads to adverse side effects. Nanoparticle-based cancer therapy, which is passively targeted to the tumor tissue via the enhanced permeation and retention effect, has been vastly developed in recent years. Nanocrystals, which exist as crystalline and carry nearly 100% drug loading, has been explored for delivering antineoplastic agents. Additionally, the hybrid nanocrystal concept offers a novel and simple way to integrate imaging agents into the drug crystals, enabling the achievement of theranostics. The overall objective of this dissertation is to formulate …

Role Of Cyclooxygenase-2 In Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In Mice, Kamalika Mukherjee

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with no available pharmacological treatment. AAA formation reduces the structural integrity of the vessel and increases the susceptibility to rupture. The inflammatory response within human aneurysmal tissue is characterized by increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Similarly, in a mouse model of the disease induced by chronic Angiotensin II (AngII) infusion, we have shown that COX-2 expression in the abdominal aortic smooth muscle layer increases early in the development of the disease. Furthermore, genetic or pharmacological inactivation of COX-2 prior to disease initiation reduces AAA incidence.

The current study utilized nonhyperlipidemic mice …