Life Sciences Commons^™

The School Food Environment And Its Association With Dietary Intake Among Rural Adolescents, Hannah F. Hickey

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The school food environment has the ability to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables in rural adolescents. This study used a survey to allow adolescents in seven rural counties to self-report their fruit and vegetable intake as well as utilizing the USDA Mathematica tool and the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study audits to evaluate what food and beverage products were actually available to adolescents. By using these two measures, associations between fruit and vegetable intake and availability of healthy and unhealthy foods were determined. The availability of healthy snacks and beverages was found to be associated with sugar-sweetened …

Viral Fusion Protein Tm-Tm Interactions: Modulators Of Protein Function And Potential Antiviral Targets, Stacy Webb

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Enveloped viruses, such as HIV, influenza, and Ebola, utilize surface glycoproteins to bind and fuse with a target cell membrane. This fusion event is necessary for release of viral genomic material so the virus can ultimately reproduce and spread. The recently emerged Hendra virus (HeV) is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA paramyxovirus that presents a considerable threat to human health as there are currently no human vaccines or antivirals available. The HeV utilizes two surface glycoproteins, the fusion protein (F) and the attachment protein (G), to drive membrane fusion. Through this process, the F protein undergoes an irreversible conformational change, transitioning …

Comparing Mindfulness-Enriched Weight Management To Current Standard Practices, Teresa M. Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be effective for numerous diet-related conditions. Mindfulness skills have been theorized to be helpful in improving eating behaviors, and thereby weight management. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness-enriched weight management program to a standard weight loss program over the course of a 12-week intervention, and weight maintenance over six months. This was a two-group randomized experimental design. One group received a standard weight loss program, while the other group received the same program with an additional mindfulness component. Follow up assessments were conducted twice at three-month intervals. …

Roosting Behavior, Habitat Use, And Relative Abundance Of The Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis Septentrionalis) Following Arrival Of White-Nose Syndrome To Mammoth Cave National Park, Marissa M. Thalken

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS; Pseudogymnoascus destructans) is responsible for the regional population collapse of many cave-hibernating bat species, including the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), in eastern United States and Canada. I evaluated roosting behavior, habitat selection, and landscape-scale distribution of roosts of the northern long-eared bat during spring emergence and the early maternity season in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA, from 2015 to 2016. Logistic regression analysis comparing habitat features of roosts with random plots indicated selection of roosts reflected the costs of energetic demands by sex and reproductive status. Relative abundance of local bat species …

Managing Upland Oak Forests With Disturbance And The Implications For Non-Native Species Invasions, Devin E. Black

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Natural and anthropogenic disturbances have influenced forest stand structure and affected species compositions within forests for millennia. Disturbances such as fire, severe weather events, and forest management practices may result in significantly reduced tree biomass. Thus, these disturbances may lower canopy closure and stem density in support of forest management goals, such as open oak woodland restoration, or promote an increase in species richness within the forest understory. However, these types of disturbance may also produce the unwanted consequence of opening pathways for the invasion of non-native species. Once established, these non-native species may threaten native plant communities and biodiversity. …

The Effects Of A Worksite Wellness Program On Prescription Claims, Carrie Deann Davidson

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the worksite wellness weight loss program called Weight Loss Matters (WLM) for employees at the University of Kentucky. The three main objectives were to measure the effect of Weight Loss Matters for employees from June 2006 to December 2011 in the following areas (1) prescription claims for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, (2) weight loss, and (3) food diary compliance. Participants included 591 employees who participated in WLM for at least one session from 2006 to 2011 for whom there were data. This study employed a Quasi-experiment, longitudinal design. Data …

Effectiveness Of A Face-To-Face Weight Loss Intervention Paired With Mobile Technology Among Rural Adults In Kentucky, Thomas Michael Ard

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The obesity epidemic remains a serious issue in the United States leading to significant public health implications and costs. Few weight loss interventions paring mobile technology with face-to-face interventions have been conducted in rural communities. Yet, mobile technology interventions offer good potential for delivery but it is unclear if the combination of these weight loss strategies are beneficial. This study sought to examine how integrating mobile technology with face-to-face weight loss interventions in rural communities affects weight loss. Additionally, to determine if mobile technology paired with face-to-face interventions could increase autonomous and controlled motivation levels among adults in rural Kentucky. …

Physiological Changes Associated With Pregnant Or Nonpregnant Mares Grazing Pastures Of Orchardgrass-Bluegrass, Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue Infected With Epichloë Coenophiala, Or Kyfa9821 Tall Fescue Infected With The Novel Endophyte Ar584, Victoria A. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Kentucky 31 tall fescue (KY31) infected with the common toxic endophyte strains of Epichloё coenophiala produces toxic alkaloids that improve plant vigor, but cause numerous adverse effects in grazing animals. Researchers developed a variety of KY31 containing an alternative strain of E. coenophiala, termed novel endophyte (NE). Adverse health effects in mares have not been evaluated.

Experiments in this thesis tested the hypothesis that the NE pasture does not cause adverse effects typically associated with KY31. Specific aims were to: 1) compare forage ergovaline concentrations between KY31 vs NE pastures; 2) evaluate palmar artery diameters in mares grazing KY31, …

Transcriptional And Post-Translational Regulation Of Terpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis In Catharanthus Roseus, Priyanka Paul

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is the exclusive source of an array of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) that are used in the treatments of hypertension and certain types of cancer. TIA biosynthesis is under stringent spatiotemporal control and is induced by jasmonate (JA) and fungal elicitors. Tryptamine, derived from the indole branch, and secologanin from the iridoid branch are condensed to form the first TIA, strictosidine. Biosynthesis of TIA is regulated at the transcriptional level and several transcription factors (TFs) regulating the expression of genes encoding key enzymes in the pathway have been isolated and characterized. The JA-responsive APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR …

Establishment Of American Chestnuts On Surface Mined Lands In Appalachian Coalfields Region, Michael E. French

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.) was an dominant hardwood throughout eastern North America until the introduction of an exotic fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr) in the early 20^th century devastated American chestnut populations. Chestnuts that have been bred for blight resistance have recently become available for testing. Due to the overlap of American chestnut’s natural range and the Appalachian coalfields region, the potential establishment of founder populations of blight-resistant chestnuts on reclaimed coal surface mines has recently gained attention. This work examined chestnut establishment on a surface mine in eastern Kentucky to assess factors controlling early …

The Mechanical Properties Of Non-Failing And Failing Human Myocardium, Cheavar A. Blair

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that manifests when there are structural and functional impairments to the heart that reduces the ability of the ventricles to fill or eject blood. The syndrome affects ~6 million Americans and is responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths annually. At the core of the syndrome are dysfunctional sarcomeres, the machinery that drives cardiac contraction and relaxation. By assessing the mechanical properties of human cardiac tissue, the information provided in this dissertation will provide data that demonstrates how sarcomeric dysfunction contributes to heart failure in the left and right ventricles. Additionally, these data will supply information …

Statistical Analyses To Detect And Refine Genetic Associations With Neurodegenerative Diseases, Yuriko Katsumata

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Dementia is a clinical state caused by neurodegeneration and characterized by a loss of function in cognitive domains and behavior. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Although the amyloid β (Aβ) protein and hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates in the brain are considered to be the key pathological hallmarks of AD, the exact cause of AD is yet to be identified. In addition, clinical diagnoses of AD can be error prone. Many previous studies have compared the clinical diagnosis of AD against the gold standard of autopsy confirmation and shown substantial AD misdiagnosis Hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging) …

Differences In Behavioral And Physiological Variables Measured With Precision Dairy Monitoring Technologies Associated With Postpartum Diseases, I Ching Tsai

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The transition period is defined as the three weeks before and three weeks after the cow calves. Transition cow diseases are considered production diseases. Precision dairy monitoring (PDM) technologies measure physiological, behavioral, and production indicators on individual animals to improve management strategies and farm performance. The objective of the first study was to assess how hypocalcemia, hyperketonemia, and metritis affected variables measured by PDM technologies. The objective of the second study was to use variables from multiple commercially available PDM to examine alert performance generated from different analyses.

Precision Dairy Farming Technology Solutions For Detecting Dairy Cow Disease To Improve Dairy Cow Well-Being, Amanda Stone

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Dairy cow health is multifactorial and complex. High producing dairy cows have been described as metabolic athletes, but metabolic and infectious diseases around calving affect many cows. These diseases have drastic negative effects on dairy cow well-being, milk production, and dairy farm economics. Early disease detection could potentially improve disease management, treatment, and future prevention techniques. The first objective of this research was to evaluate the use of activity, lying behavior, reticulorumen temperature, and rumination time determined by precision dairy farming technologies to detect transition cow diseases including hypocalcemia, ketosis, and metritis. The second objective was to evaluate the ability …

An Examination Of Milk Quality Effects On Milk Yield And Dairy Production Economics In The Southeastern United States, Derek T. Nolan

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Mastitis is one of the most costly diseases to dairy producers around the world with milk yield loss being the biggest contributor to economic losses. The objective of first study of this thesis was to determine the impacts of high somatic cell counts on milk yield loss. To accomplish this, over one million cow data records were collected from Southeastern US dairy herds. The objective of the second study was to determine optimum treatment cost of clinical mastitis by combining two economic modeling approaches used in animal health economics. The last objective of this thesis was to determine how much …

The Survival Of Various Pathogenic Organisms In Fats And Oils, Kelsey Ellen Lamb

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The research within this thesis sought to determine the ability of various animal derived fats and plant derived oils to support the survival of several pathogenic cocktails over a multitude of storage times. The Salmonella study explored the survival rate of a four strain Salmonella cocktail in beef tallow, pig lard, duck fat, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil over seven days at 26˚C and 37˚C storage. The animal fats and the coconut oil supported the survival of the bacteria until the conclusion of the study. The Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli study explored the survival rate of a five …

Proteome Basis Of Muscle‐Specific Beef Color Stability, Mahesh Narayanan Nair

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Fresh beef color is critical to consumers’ purchase decisions, and beef color stability is muscle-specific. Sarcoplasmic proteome plays a critical role in beef color stability. This dissertation focuses on the proteome basis of inter- and intra-muscular variations in beef color.

The first experiment examined the sarcoplasmic proteome of three beef muscles with differential color stability, i.e., longissimus lumborum (LL), psoas major (PM), and semitendinosus (ST), during wet-aging. LL, PM, and ST (n = 8) were subjected to wet-aging for 0, 7, 14, and 21 days. On each aging day, steaks were fabricated, and color and other biochemical attributes were evaluated …

The Use Of Lactobacillus Salivarius L28 As A Bioprotective Culture In Dry Fermented Sausages, Kathy Flynt Collins

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

A challenge study to validate a 5 log₁₀ CFU/g reduction of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in dry fermented sausage (DFS) was performed. A 4.49 ± 0.474 log₁₀ CFU/g was achieved over two trials. The results indicated that the process was not effective in reducing the pathogen to the level required of most pathogens by the USDA.

Lactobacillus salivarius L28 (L28) was screened in vitro for the ability to inhibit STEC utilizing the paper disk diffusion method. This strain is a known bacteriocin producer. The results revealed that L28 would be a good candidate for use as …

Influence Of Ergot Alkaloids On Rumen Motility: Time And Concentration Of Ergovaline + Ergovalinine Required To Impact Reticulorumen Motility, Kara Riccioni

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Fescue toxicosis is problematic for ruminant livestock, causing weight loss and low productivity when fed endophyte-infected forages. Complete underlying mechanisms of toxicosis are unknown therefore; the objective of the study was to determine if ruminally dosed ergot alkaloids impact rumen motility. Cannulated steers were pair-fed a forage diet and ruminally dosed with endophyte-free (E-) or endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue seed. An 8-h period of rumen motility collection began 4-h after feeding by monitoring pressure change via a wireless telemetry and transducer system. In experiment 1, steers were paired by weight and assigned to E- or E+ treatment. Overall, E+ steers …

Assessment Of Bovine Vascular Serotonin Receptor Populations And Transport Of Ergot Alkaloids In The Small Intestine, Miriam A. Snider

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Prior work using a contractility bioassay determined that the serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtype 5-HT_2A is present in bovine lateral saphenous veins and plays a role in ergot alkaloid-induced vascular contraction in steers grazing endophyte-infected (Epichloë coenophiala) tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum). A study was conducted to determine what 5-HT receptors are involved in vasoconstriction of bovine gut vasculature. The findings of this study indicate that 5-HT_2A is present and may play a role in ergot alkaloid induced vasoconstriction. A second study was conducted to determine if ergot alkaloids were transported in the small intestine. The …

Behavioral Gait Change Characterization And Detection Using Precision Dairy Monitoring Technologies, Barbara Wadsworth Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Lameness is a painful disorder that decreases performance and is highly recognized as one of the most important health and welfare concerns for dairy cattle. Visual gait scoring is the most common way to detect gait change in dairy cattle. However, this is not only subjective, but is also time consuming and costly. A need to remove the subjective assessment of human observation exists. Therefore, automatic gait change detection for continuous monitoring by precision dairy monitoring technologies may be beneficial. The first objective of this research was to characterize behavior and production variables as cow gait changed to evaluate potential …

Differential Activity And Content Of High-Affinity Glutamate Transporters, Content Of Their Regulatory Proteins, And Capacity For Glutamine And Glutathione Synthesis In Tissues Of Finished Versus Growing Steers, Jing Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Improvement of feeding regimens for production animals has been hindered by a lack of fundamental knowledge about how the capacity to regulate nutrient absorption across cell membranes affects the function of nutrient metabolizing enzymes. The objective is to determine if the activities and protein content of system X^-_AG glutamate transporter, its regulatory protein (GTRAP3-18 and ARL6IP1), glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutathione (GSH) content, changes in liver (Experiment 1), longissimus dorsi (LM) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SF) (Experiment 2) as beef steers transitioned from predominantly-lean (growing) to -lipid (finished) tissue accretion phases. In liver (Experiment 1), system X^{- …}

Controlled Oxidative Modification With Glucose Oxidase To Enhance The Rheological And Gelling Properties Of Myofibrillar Proteins, Xu Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

This study investigated the feasibility of oxidative modification with glucose oxidase (GluOx) to enhance the rheological and gelling properties of myofibrillar protein. Differential oxidative modifications of myofibrillar protein (MP) by hydroxyl radicals generated in an enzymatic system with glucose oxidase (GluOx) in the presence of glucose/FeSO₄ compared to a Fenton system (H₂O₂/FeSO₄) were investigated. Firmer and more elastic MP gels were produced by the GluOx-oxidizing system than by the Fenton system at comparable H₂O₂ levels due to an altered radical reaction pathway.

The study further explored the effect of GluOx-mediated …

Platelet Endocytosis: Roles In Hemostasis And Innate Immunity, Meenakshi Banerjee

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Endocytosis is key to fibrinogen (Fg) uptake, receptor trafficking of integrins (α_IIbβ₃, α_vβ₃) and purinergic receptors (P2Y₁, P2Y₁₂), and thereby for normal platelet function. However, platelet endocytosis could potentially be critical for actively sensing changes in vascular micro-environments and responding accordingly to what is being taken up. This is a more dynamic view of platelets as active surveyors of the vasculature; extending the importance of platelet endocytosis beyond granule biogenesis and perhaps even hemostasis. The mechanistic underpinnings of endocytosis, its importance in platelets, and the molecular machinery required …

Using Exogenous Hormone Application To Suppress Axillary Shoot Development In Tobacco, W. Jesse Carmack

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The variability in the number of basal axillary shoots (ground suckers) among all tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) varieties, has increased since the hydroponic transplant production system became the standard. The larger root ball of hydroponically produced transplants compared to traditionally produced transplants potentially generates a difference in the ratio of auxin (inhibits axillary shoot formation) to cytokinin (promotes lateral branching), that induces basal axillary shoot development. Starting in 2014, studies were conducted to investigate whether the addition of synthetic auxins or cytokinins to hydroponic transplant production could prevent ground sucker formation. Different tobacco cultivars, with high or low ground sucker …

Fluvial-Lacustrine Processes Shaping The Landforms Of The Distal Paraguay Fluvial Megafan, Edward Limin Lo

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Tropical wetlands such as the Pantanal help regulate global biogeochemical cycles, but climate change is modifying these environments. Controls on environmental changes can potentially be assessed from ancient, well-dated lacustrine sedimentary records. An integrated field and laboratory approach was undertaken to study the limnogeology of Lake Uberaba in the northern Pantanal, and test whether the lake has preserved a reliable record of environmental change in its strata. This study was designed to understand how the basin accumulates sediment and to assess its sensitivity to hydroclimatic variability. The data showed that modern Lake Uberaba is a highly dynamic, freshwater fluvial-lacustrine basin. …

Biology And Detection Of Pregnanes During Late Gestation In The Mare, Michelle Arelia Ann Wynn

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Progesterone in the mare declines to almost undetectable concentrations in late gestation. It’s metabolized into several pregnanes, some circulating at very high concentrations. Although the function of many pregnanes remains unclear, 5α-dihydroprogesterone and allopregnanolone are bioactive. Measurements of pregnanes in late gestation are typically by immunoassay, although results are confounded by cross-reactivity with related pregnanes. Conversely, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) allows differentiation of individual pregnanes. The purposes of these studies were: 1) to evaluate the ability of a 5α-reductase inhibitor, dutasteride, to alter pregnane metabolism and pregnancy outcome, 2) to evaluate changes in target pregnanes in late gestation …

Lymphocyte-Mediated Inflamm-Aging In The Horse, Melissa Hope Siard

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit inflamm-aging, or chronic, low-grade inflammation that occurs systemically with aging, similarly to humans. Inflamm-aging has previously been characterized in the horse in circulation as well as specifically being mediated by lymphocytes and monocytes. In humans, inflamm-aging has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, in the horse, relatively little about inflamm-aging is known regarding clinical effects or factors influencing severity. The contribution of lymphocytes to inflamm-aging of senior horses was examined, specifically through determining the relationships of inflamm-aging with various other health parameters, effects of seasonality, and the extent to which inflamm-aging can be …

Investigation Of The Physiological Role Of Rin Gtpase In Cell Death, Axonal Injury, And Inflammation Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Megan Pannell

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a progressive disorder, in which the primary injury results in the initiation of a complex cascade of secondary biochemical and metabolic changes resulting in lasting neurological dysfunction and cognitive impairment. The heterogeneous nature of the disease has complicated the development of pharmacological agents to improve the outcomes of TBI; to date, no therapeutic treatment has been shown to be effective in clinical trials. Treatments targeting multiple secondary outcomes (cell death, axonal degeneration, and inflammation) may provide enhanced therapeutic efficacy following TBI.

Small Ras family GTP-binding proteins govern diverse cellular processes by directing the relay of …

Sexual Dimorphism In The Moss Bryum Argenteum And Its Implications For Sex Ratio Bias, Jonathan David Moore Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In dioecious plants, selection due to sex function differences has produced sex-specific life histories, morphologies, and physiologies. In many dioecious seed plants, dimorphisms and population sex ratios have been plausibly linked, but similar links are not yet apparent in dioecious bryophytes. Population sex ratio bias is often expected to favor the sex with lower investment in sexual reproduction, especially in resource-poor environments. Unlike in seed plants, bryophyte males may have higher average reproductive investment than females, which typically have low offspring production rates due to sperm limitation. However, traits aside from reproductive investment such as shoot and leaf arrangement may …