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An Army Of One: Predaceous Diving Beetle Life History Stages Affect Interactions With Shared Mosquito Prey, Carmen E. Bofill, Donald A. Yee

Faculty Publications

Predators with complex life cycles often differ in their morphology, behavior, and trophic position across their ontogeny, and may thus have variable effects on shared prey. We used the predaceous diving beetle Laccophilus fasciatus rufus as our predator, whose larvae and adults often co-occur in freshwater lentic systems. As a shared prey we used early and late instar Culex quinquefasciatus, a common wetland mosquito. We found that single adult predators were more likely to consume late instar prey compared to juvenile predators, who ate early and late instar prey equally. A mixture of juvenile and adult predator stages led …

Biofilm Adhesion On The Sulfide Mineral Bornite & Implications For Astrobiology, Margaret M. Wilson

Open Access Master's Theses

We present research observing and documenting the model organism, Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens), building biofilm on a natural mineral substrate composed largely of bornite (Cu5FeS4), a copper-iron sulfide mineral, with closely intergrown regions of covellite (CuS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). In examining biofilm establishment on sulfide minerals, we investigate a potential habitable niche for microorganisms in extraterrestrial sites. Geochemical microenvironments on Earth and in the lab can also serve as analogs for important extraterrestrial sites, such as sheltered, subsurface microenvironments on Mars. The sulfur cycle has been important to Mars’s surficial and interior processes during most of its geological record …

Petro-Texts, Plants, And People In The Anthropocene: The Dark Green, Heather I. Sullivan

Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty Research

The ‘dark green’ refers to the green plant-human relationships that undergird human cultures as well as the darkly petroleum-fueled industrialization, mass species extinctions, and strange new ecosystems in the Anthropocene. I consider briefly three petro-culture novels based on various ‘road trips’ that explicitly address both the long-term and massive, albeit oft-ignored, ecological power of plants whether in living vegetal form or in their rotted, processed form of petroleum products: Frank Herbert’s Dune, portraying worm ‘spice’ as a stand-in for oil; Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, eliminating all energy and plant life leaving only hungry humans; and Paolo Bacigalupi’s cli …

The Influence Of Access To Informal Stem Learning Experiences On Middle School Students’ Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem, Soledad G. Yao

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Informal learning experiences have become increasingly effective in enhancing self-efficacy and interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).This study investigated the impact of access to informal STEM learning experiences on student self-efficacy and interest in STEM before and after participating in the 2018 See Blue See STEM Summer Experience. Pre-survey results indicated that middle school students who had previous access to informal STEM learning experiences are 3.21 times as likely to demonstrate high self-efficacy in STEM as those who had no previous access. After engaging in the 2018 summer experience, post-survey results showed a statistically significant …

Improving Undergraduate Statistics Education: Educational Lessons From Two Pedagogical Experiments, Anushka Karkelanova

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

The ultimate goal of statistics education is to create a statistically literate society in which people can appropriately use statistical thinking. Although the need to improve the teaching of introductory statistics courses is not a new one, with increased demand on these courses, there has been constant effort to seek out better ways of teaching these courses. The University of Kentucky (UK) began a reform of its general education program in November 2005. Thinking and reasoning are the central themes of this well-designed general education curriculum.

The main goal of this dissertation is to fill in some gaps in the …

Chronic Low Intensity Continuous And Interval Training Prevent Heart Failure-Related Coronary Artery Stiffness, An Ouyang

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Heart failure (HF) induced by aortic pressure over-load is associated with increased coronary artery stiffness. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) and advanced glycation end products (AGE) both promote arterial stiffness. However, the mechanisms by which coronary PVAT promotes arterial stiffness and the efficacy of exercise to prevent coronary stiffness are unknown. The present study hypothesized both chronic continuous and interval exercise training would prevent coronary artery stiffness associated with inhibition of PVAT secreted AGE. Yucatan mininature swine were divided into four groups: control-sedentary (CON), aortic-banded sedentary heart failure (HF), aortic-banded HF continuous exercise trained (HF+CONT), and aortic-banded HF interval exercise trained …

Circadian Rhythm Phase Shifts Caused By Timed Exercise Vary With Chronotype In Young Adults, J. Matthew Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The circadian system controls 24-hour cycles of behavior and physiology, such as rest-activity and feeding rhythms. The human circadian system synchronizes with, or entrains to, the light/dark cycle (sunrise/sunset) to promote activity and food consumption during the day and rest at night. However, strict work schedules and nighttime light exposure impair proper entrainment of the circadian system, resulting in chronic circadian misalignment. Numerous studies have shown that chronic circadian misalignment results in poor health. Therefore, therapeutic interventions that could shift circadian rhythms and alleviate circadian misalignment could broadly impact public health. Although light is the most salient time cue for …

Examining Attitudes, Perceptions, And Observations Of Tobacco Use And Compliance At A Small Private Liberal Arts College In Kentucky With A Designated Area Tobacco Policy, Michael Dalessio

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

A multitude of higher education institutions have adopted comprehensive smoke- and tobacco-free policies to minimize tobacco use, increase quit attempts, and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke on campus. However, the majority of campuses across the U.S. still have non-comprehensive policies and/or designated tobacco use areas. Given the limited research in this area, the purpose of this dissertation was to assess the attitudes, perceptions, tobacco use behaviors, and actual observational compliance of students, faculty, and staff on a college campus that possesses a designated area tobacco policy.

This two-phased cross-sectional study included both direct observations and online survey data collection. For …

Women Into Advanced Manufacturing: Can Community College Open This Door?, Carissa Bradley Schutzman

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Women still rarely choose to seek employment in advanced manufacturing. Lack of familiarity with manufacturing jobs and education programs, lack of role models, and too few experiential opportunities contribute to women not choosing manufacturing jobs as well as other jobs traditionally held by men (Reha, Lufkin, & Harrison, 2009; St. Rose & Hill, 2013; Starobin & Laanan, 2008). Nontraditional jobs for women often provide higher wages and more opportunity for advancement than traditional jobs for women. This study is a qualitative thematic narrative analysis of factors that influenced women who chose an advanced manufacturing program at a community college to …

A Possible Link Between R-Wave Amplitude Alternans And T-Wave Alternans In Ecgs, Sahar Alaei

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is the largest cause of natural deaths in the USA, accounting for over 300,000 deaths annually. The major reason for SCD is Ventricular Arrhythmia (VA). Therefore, there is need for exploration of approaches to predict increased risk for VA. Alternans of the T wave in the ECG (TWA) is widely investigated as a potential predictor of VA, however, clinical trials show that TWA has high negative predictive value but poor positive predictive value. A possible reason that TWA has a large number of false positives is that a pattern of alternans known as concordant alternans, may …

The Effect Of Increased Physical Activity On Academic Performance, Lauren Michelle Willis

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Increased levels of obesity, particularly among American youth, have consistently been cause for concern over the last few decades. Additionally, the amount of time youth spend being active throughout the day has consistently decreased. Physical activity levels among school-aged children in America are effected by any number of reasons, but this study points to the possibility of time spent being physically active during the school day having the greatest effect on a student’s overall level of physical activity. Increased pressures from different entities on local schools to improve student performance on standardized test scores have contributed to a decline in …

Noninvasive Multimodal Diffuse Optical Imaging Of Vulnerable Tissue Hemodynamics, Mingjun Zhao

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Measurement of tissue hemodynamics provides vital information for the assessment of tissue viability. This thesis reports three noninvasive near-infrared diffuse optical systems for spectroscopic measurements and tomographic imaging of tissue hemodynamics in vulnerable tissues with the goal of disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring. A hybrid near-infrared spectroscopy/diffuse correlation spectroscopy (NIRS/DCS) instrument with a contact fiber-optic probe was developed and utilized for simultaneous and continuous monitoring of blood flow (BF), blood oxygenation, and oxidative metabolism in exercising gastrocnemius. Results measured by the hybrid NIRS/DCS instrument in 37 subjects (mean age: 67 ± 6) indicated that vitamin D supplement plus aerobic training …

The Influence Of Patient-Provider Interaction, Self-Concept, And The Socio-Physical Environment On Pelvic Exam Seeking Behavior, Anxiety, And The Health Care Experience, Julie Lasslo

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Regular gynecological screenings are critical for women in promotion of health and preventing diseases like cervical cancer. Despite the importance of such examinations, many women fail to adhere to recommended screening protocols. As a result, women experience an increased disease risk. The current study examined the relationship between patient-provider communication quality, skill, and empathy on pelvic exam seeking behavior and exam-related anxiety and satisfaction. Additionally, negative self-concept, perceived poor genital self-image, and various elements of the socio-physical clinic environment were explored to better understand their impact on a women’s care seeking behavior.

A total of 350 women 19 through 80 …

Use Of Functionalized Bimetallic Membranes For Treatment Of Contaminated Groundwater At A Hazardous Waste Site In Kentucky, Lucy C. Pacholik

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Providing access to clean drinking water will continue to be a challenge for civil engineers for generations to come. Since many communities around the world rely on groundwater as a source of drinking water, remediation technologies must be implemented at sites where groundwater contamination exists due to years of mismanagement of hazardous waste. Using nanosized zero-valent metals such as iron and zinc embedded within and on the surface of functionalized (PAA) membrane filters has shown to be an effective dechlorination technique for contaminated groundwater. Introducing a noble metal such as Pd or Ni increases reaction rates by acting a catalyst …

Decomposing A Watershed’S Nitrate Signal Using Spatial Sampling And Continuous Sensor Data, Evan Clare

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Watershed features, physiographic setting, geology, climate, and hydrologic processes combine to produce a time-variant nutrient concentration signal at the watershed outlet. Anthropogenic influences, such as increased agricultural pressures and urbanization, have increased overall nutrient loadings delivered to the fluvial network. The impact of such increased nutrient loadings on Kentucky’s drinking water remains a potential threat to the region.

By coupling spatial sampling of nitrate concentrations in surface water with contemporary nutrient and water quality sensor technology, a decomposition of the Upper South Elkhorn watershed’s nitrate signal and an estimation of source timing and loading in the watershed was completed. The …

Biological Selenium Control: Selenium Reduction By Shigella Fergusonii Strain Tb42616 And Pantoea Vagans Strain Ewb32213-2 In Bioreactor Systems, Yuxia Ji

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Se(VI) and Se(IV), as the two major species of selenium in water, are toxic to aquatic lives and may cause adverse health effects to humans at high levels. Biological reduction of Se(VI) is a two-stage process first from Se(VI) to Se(IV) and then from Se(IV) to Se(0) with potential accumulation of the more toxic Se(IV) due to the slower rate of the second stage.

Selenium reduction was first evaluated with batch cultures of Shigella fergusonii strain TB42616 (TB) and Pantoea vagans strain EWB32213-2 (EWB) isolated in our laboratory from sludge and coal slurry sediment samples, respectively. In order to facilitate …

Investigation Of Transition-Metal Ions In The Nickel-Rich Layered Positive Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Shuang Gao

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Layered lithium transition-metal oxides (LMOs) are used as the positive electrode material in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Because transition metals undergo redox reactions when lithium ions intercalate in and disintercalate from the lattice, the selection and composition of transition metals largely influence the electrochemical performance of LMOs. Recently, a Ni-rich compound, LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811), has drawn much attention. It is expected to replace its state-of-the-art cousins, LiCoO₂ (LCO) and LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ (NCM111), because of its higher capacity, lower cost, and reduced toxicity. However, the excess Ni, as a …

Synthesis, Design, And Evaluation Of The Fluorescent Detection Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls(Pcbs) In Aqueous System, Irfan Ahmad

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The exposure to halogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), has been linked to numerous inflammatory diseases, including diabetes, cancer and lowered immune response. PCBs have low solubility in water, and they interact with other contaminants, making their detection quite challenging. While, there have been several attempts at improving the ease of detection and sensing of PCBs, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) remains the gold standard. However, despite its ubiquitous use, GC-MS is a challenging technique that requires high skill and careful sample preparation, which are time-consuming and costly. As such, there is still a need to develop …

Understanding The Structure-Property-Performance Relationship Of Silicon Negative Electrodes, Jiazhi Hu

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have long been used to power not only portable devices, e.g., mobile phones and laptops, but also large scale systems, e.g., electrical grid and electric vehicles. To meet the ever increasing demand for renewable energy storage, tremendous efforts have been devoted to improving the energy/power density of LIBs. Known for its high theoretical capacity (4200 mAh/g), silicon has been considered as one of the most promising negative electrode materials for high-energy-density LIBs. However, diffusion-induced stresses can cause fracture and, consequently, rapid degradation in the electrochemical performance of Si-based negative electrodes. To mitigate the detrimental effects …

Bioinformatic And Experimental Analyses Of Axolotl Regeneration, Nour W. Al Haj Baddar

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Salamanders have an extraordinary ability to regenerate appendages after loss or amputation, irrespective of age. My dissertation research explored the possibility that regenerative ability is associated with the evolution of novel, salamander-specific genes. I utilized transcriptional and genomic databases for the axolotl to discover previously unidentified genes, to the exclusion of other vertebrate taxa. Among the genes identified were multiple mmps (Matrix metalloproteases) and a jnk1/mapk8 (c-jun-N-terminal kinase) paralog. MMPs function in extracellular matrix remodeling (ECM) and tissue histolysis, processes that are essential for successful regeneration. Jjnk1/mapk8 plays a pivotal role in regulating transcription in response to cellular stress stimuli, …

Temporal And Spatial Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry Along The Cumberland River, Artemus, Kentucky, Amanda Rachelle Sherman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Groundwater in the Kentucky Appalachian region is constrained by physiography and lithology. Lithostratigraphy, groundwater flow, and chemistry were delineated in the alluvial aquifer along the Cumberland River at H.L. Disney Training Center. To assess groundwater-river interactions and water quality, 11 monitoring wells were installed and sampled quarterly, plus the river and an existing bedrock well. Analytical results were evaluated for temporal and spatial trends. Collected soil cores were analyzed for bulk chemistry and grain size. Solute speciation and saturation indices were calculated and hydraulic conductivity estimated from grain-size analyses. Pumping and slug tests were performed to estimate hydraulic conductivity and …

The Links Between Gulf Of Mexico Seafloor Characteristics And Petroleum Hydrocarbons Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kimberly J. Schindler

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Gulf of Mexico (GoMx) is among the most productive regions for offshore oil and natural gas recovery. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig exploded, burned for three days, sank, and released over 4 million barrels of oil in the subsequent 84 days before it was capped. Some oil was buoyant enough to float to the ocean surface, where some was removed via a myriad techniques. Importantly, a plume of oil remained suspended in the water column at approximately 1,100 m water depth, where it drove a marine snow event, and deposited large quantities of oil on the …

Setting The Stage: Resident Experiences With Enforcement, Rescue And Spectacle In Lampedusa, Elisa Sperandio

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Located 127 miles from the shores of Sicily and only 70 from Tunisia, the island of Lampedusa is home to a population of 6000. Residents are largely reliant on a centuries-old fishing economy, a booming tourism industry and, most recently, the sustainment of a complex apparatus of border enforcement. Since the early 2000s, with the hardening of the southern border of Italy and the European Union, a multitude of actors have converged to Lampedusa: from migrants, to agents of enforcement, to NGO personnel, along with journalists, researchers and tourists. In this thesis, I center the experiences of island residents to …

Nineteenth-Century Pets And The Politics Of Touch, Valerie L. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations--English

Nineteenth-Century Pets and the Politics of Touch examines texts of the era in which both humans and animals find empowerment at the point of physical encounter. I challenge contemporary perceptions of human-pet relationships as sweetly affectionate by focusing on touch. I uncover an earlier interest in the close reciprocal relationships between human and nonhuman animals, arguing that these nineteenth-century thinkers presented what I call a “politics of touch,” in which intimate and often jarring physical encounters allow for mutuality and autonomy. I first turn to Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849) and protective violence, a condoned ferocity that frequently unites and guards …

Outsiders To Whom? Reimagining The Creation Of Young Adult Literature In The United States, Kyle W. Eveleth

Theses and Dissertations--English

The study of young adult literature has become widespread within Children’s and Young Adult Literature specifically and literary studies as a whole. However, the term “young adult” which defines and focalizes both the literature itself and the ostensible readers for whom it is produced remains a poorly-examined area. The present study examines the creation of one branch of what we now call “young adult literature” from its roots in the United States in the early twentieth century to its emergence as a dominant literary form in the mid-to-late 1960s. In doing so, it seeks to reconcile emerging professional, psychological, sociological, …

Fathers And Sons In Modern British, Irish, And Postcolonial Fiction, Alison Hitch

Theses and Dissertations--English

In this dissertation, I examine the portrayal of filial relationships in the fiction of James Joyce, Hanif Kureishi, and Zadie Smith. I assert that each of these authors, albeit in different ways, uses the archetypal father and son relationship to interrogate the formation of national identity and the concept of national belonging in modern, anticolonial or postcolonial cultures, including Ireland at the dawn of the twentieth century and Britain in the late twentieth century. Chapter one focuses on Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Ulysses (1922). I argue that rather than solely bonding in …

Investigating The Feasibility Of Using Mesoporous Silica Particles To Deliver Glucose During Anaerobic Fermentation, Megan E. Walz

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The study presented herein investigated a potential low-energy method to separate and concentrate glucose from a lignocellulosic hydrolysate. The motivation for this method was twofold: 1) to provide the fermentation microorganism an optimal glucose concentration and 2) to supply a fermentation media free of inhibitory compounds. Two sizes of porous silica particles (with 7 nm and 2.3 nm pores) were synthesized and their ability to adsorb glucose from solution confirmed. Next, the ability of two different microorganisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Streptococcus bovis, to utilize sugars adsorbed to the porous silica particles was investigated.

Both the 7 nm and 2.3 …

Design And Testing Of A Wind Energy Harnessing System For Forced Convective Drying Of Grain In Low Wind Speed, Warm And Humid Climates, Francis Akumabi Agbali

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Forced convective drying using a wind turbine mechanically connected to a ventilation fan was hypothesized for low cost and rapid grain drying in developing countries. The idea was tested using an expandable wind turbine blade system with variable pitch, at low wind speeds in a wind tunnel. The design was based on empirical and theoretical models embedded in a graphical user interface (GUI) created to estimate airflow-power requirements for drying ear corn. Output airflow (0.0016 - 0.0052 m³kg^-1s^-1) increased within the study wind speed range (2.0 - 5.5 m/s). System efficiency peak (8.6%) was …

Rapid No• Measures In Rat Nucleus Accumbens And Frontal Cortex Following Nasal Administration Of Nitroglycerin, Victoria A. Scott

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a powerful endogenous free radical that has numerous biological functions including vasodilation and serves as a post synaptic second messenger in the central nervous system (CNS). Numerous studies implicate NO• involvement in CNS disorders such as schizophrenia and drug abuse. These studies address the direct in vivo determination of an FDA-approved NO• donor (nitroglycerin) on extracellular levels of NO• in the frontal cortex and core of the nucleus accumbens in a lightly anesthetized rat. State-of-the-art in vivo amperometric recording techniques coupled with a novel 4-channel low noise pre-amplifier system and new generation microelectrode arrays (MEAs) will …

Tgf-Β, Wnt, And Fgf Signaling Pathways During Axolotl Tail Regeneration And Forelimb Bud Development, Qingchao Qiu

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Tgf-β, Wnt, and Fgf signaling pathways are required for many developmental processes. Here, I investigated the requirement of these signaling pathways during tail regeneration and limb development in the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).

Using small chemical inhibitors during tail regeneration, I found that the Tgf-β signaling pathway was required from 0-24 and 48-72 hours post tail amputation (hpa), the Wnt signaling pathway was required from 0-120 hpa, and the Fgf signaling pathway was required from 0-12hpa. Tgf-β1 was upregulated after amputation and thus may mediate Tgf-β signaling pathway during tail regeneration. Both Smad-mediated and non-Smad mediated Tgf-β signaling …