Life Sciences Commons^™

Community Scholars Program - Hopkins County, Kentucky (Fa 736), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 736. This collection contains information and documentation about the Community Scholars Program’s workshops held in Hopkins County, Kentucky during the summer of 2008. The collection chiefly consists of projects completed by program participants.

Sports Broadcasting News Analysis [Career Paper], Jefferson Sanders

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

How To Start A Movement: Ted Talk Annotated Resource List, Daulton Cowan

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Nursing: The Career That Saves Lives [Career Paper], Maggie Flanagan

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Lead Exposure In Children Through Water And Soil, Sravya Maru

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Lead is a metal which has the ability to spread in the earth’s crust and has corrosive property. It is a naturally occurring metal which is soft in nature. Lead exposure in children is through various pathways and the major concentrated sources are the soil and drinking water. Children are most susceptible to lead exposure is due to their growing/developing bodies which are very sensitive to lead. Lead poisoning in children is a preventable environmental disease affecting many children around the world. This paper discusses how soil and water plays a major role in lead exposure to children’s routine life. …

Wiggins, Otis Lee, B. 1905 (Sc 2949), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2949. Two cassette tapes which include an interview conducted by Robert H. McGaughey with Otis Lee Wiggins about the resettlement program undertaken by the Resettlement Administration Project 14 in Christian County, Kentucky. Wiggins was an administrator for the U.S. Resettlement Administration and discusses the Christian County program in great detail.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 91, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Relationship Between Emissions Of Human Activities And Ozone Layer Depletion, Umer Murtaza

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Ozone depletion always holds an importance being a protective shield to humans and environment as well. Human activities and man-made substances are playing major role to this depletion which is increasing day by day. In this paper influence of man-made substances on ozone depletion and consequences of this depletion have been discussed. Role of chlorofluorocarbons as depleting agents is more comparatively other substances. Due to ozone depletion life on earth is affecting which are resulting different consequences like skin cancer, eye diseases and destruction of crops and aquatic life. EPA has worked a lot to save the ozone and many …

Mercury Emissions From Coal-Fired Powerplants, Divya Gade

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Mercury is a neurotoxic heavy metal that pose a risk to the public as well as the environmental health. It is a naturally occurring element that is released into the environment from the natural or anthropogenic emissions. Among the anthropogenic emissions, coal-fired powerplants account for approximately 50 percent of the emissions because of the lack of regulations for the emissions from these facilities. The other larger sources of mercury emissions such as municipal waste combustors and medical waste incinerators are subjected to the stringent regulations thereby minimizing their total contribution. Mercury is a natural component of coal and is released …

Expression And Purification Of Unlabelled And Isotopically Labelled Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 And Its Receptor Relevance In Cancer Research, Oluwadamilola Filani

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Studies show that fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) control variety of cellular activities such as mitosis, cell differentiation, survival and angiogenesis. The FGF family consists of 23 different heparin-binding proteins. One of the most intensively studied members is human FGF-1 (hFGF-1) because of its critical role in the formation of blood vessels and cell proliferation in some types of cancer. The biological activities of FGFs are primarily mediated via interactions with fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) and are a potent target in cancer. In this study, we report an efficient affinity column purification of hFGF-1 and the D2 domain of FGFR-2 …

The Examination Of Enrichment Using Space And Food For African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) At The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Charlotte Hacker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Concern for elephant welfare in zoological facilities has prompted a number of exhibit and management modifications, including those involving enrichment. Knowledge of how these changes impact measures of health and wellbeing, such as elephant movement and behavior, is crucial as the effects of multiple enrichment types and their interactions are largely understudied. The present study used observations and GPS unit collected data to determine the effects of space and food on the walking distance and behavior of thirteen African elephants, whose dominance structure was ascertained by the handlers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (SDZSP). This facility has two …

Testing Usda Certified Organic And Non-Gmo Verified Project Labeled Foods For The Presence Of Genetic Modifications, Ryan Loren Phelps

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals that have been produced using genetic insertion or deletion via technology (also called genetic engineering or GE). Merged DNA from different species creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and/or virus genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.

Our goal was to determine the presence or absence of GMO markers in USDA Organic Certified and in Non-GMO Project food products. We investigated only corn or soy-based products that were purchased from many types of retailers. Our study was limited to products that contained a label for USDA organic certification and/or …

Ua12/2/1 Healthy Living Guide, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

Special healthy living edition of the College Heights Herald.

• Moore, Brittiny. Sustainability Committee to Create a Healthier Campus Environment
• Matthews, Carly. WKU Addresses Food Waste in Beneficial Methods – Sustainability, Dining Services
• Sullivan, Tommy. Students Explore Different Ways to Get Up the Hill
• Mayo, Marcel. Students on SNAP: Hilltoppers Offer Insight Into Healthy Diet On a Budget – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Davis, Sydney. Group X Classes Offer a Nontraditional Workout – Physical Fitness
• Pettway, Shantel. Popular Versus Unpopular Foods on Campus – Dining Services, Restaurants
• Moore, Mollie. Where to Find the Best Vegan Food on Campus – Dining Services, …

Barr, Edward B. (Fa 813), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 813. This collection “Hog Killing on the Farm”describes the slaughtering process on the Robert Hall farm in Crestwood, Oldham County, Kentucky. Narrative is in interview format and is illustrated with photographs. This information was collected by Western Kentucky University student Edward B. Barr for credit in a folklore class.

Natural Gardening, Lisa Karen Miller

DLPS Faculty Publications

This presentation features methods of natural and organic gardening that preclude the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 91, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Marketing Effects On Consumer Retention And Expenditures In Central Kentucky And North Central Tennessee Floral Industry, Danielle L. Berkshire

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Florists in today’s industry are competing against mass-markets that are able to buy and sell fresh-cut flowers at low prices in bulk. Mass-markets offer little or no design or other services. Consumers find it convenient to order flowers online through wire services, paying large fees to order flowers. Order gatherers pose as local floral shops taking consumers orders online or by phone then call the local florist to fill orders. Packaged flowers became popular in the early 2000’s ordering flowers directly from the farm to the consumer. Rural and metropolitan areas of Central Kentucky and North Central Tennessee were surveyed. …

Functional Characterization Of A Cathepsin L In Drosophila Melanogaster, Qian Dong

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Drosophila dorsal Air Sac Primordium (ASP) is a tracheal tube that invasively grows toward and into the wing imaginal disc. The unfolding of Drosophila wing is a process following eclosion with a cuticular bilayer replacing epithelial cells originally packing the wing. We reasoned that protease functions might be needed for the invasion of ASP into the wing imaginal disc as well as the rearrangement of epithelia cells during wing unfolding. Our study is particularly focused on understanding the role of a Cathepsin L like cysteine protease (CP1) in the development of dorsal ASP and wing development of Drosophila melanogaster. …

An Apache Hadoop Framework For Large-Scale Peptide Identification, Harinivesh Donepudi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Peptide identification is an essential step in protein identification, and Peptide Spectrum Match (PSM) data set is huge, which is a time consuming process to work on a single machine. In a typical run of the peptide identification method, PSMs are positioned by a cross correlation, a statistical score, or a likelihood that the match between the trial and hypothetical is correct and unique. This process takes a long time to execute, and there is a demand for an increase in performance to handle large peptide data sets. Development of distributed frameworks are needed to reduce the processing time, but …

Evaluation Of Xanthan/Enzymatically Modified Guar Gum Mixtures In Oil-In-Water Emulsions, Pavan Kumar Chityala

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Oil-in-water emulsions have wide range of applications in food industry because of their structure-forming properties, and as delivery systems of polyunsaturated fatty acids into foods. The thermodynamic instability of oil and water, and high susceptibility of unsaturated fatty acids to oxidation lead to physical and oxidative stability in oil-in-water emulsions. These instability processes are generally controlled by incorporating proteins and polysaccharides into oil-in-water emulsions. The objective of this study was to evaluate xanthan/enzymatically modified guar (XG/EMG) polysaccharides on the physical and oxidative stability of 2 wt% whey protein stabilized oil-in-water emulsions containing 20% v/v menhaden fish oil. Enzymatic modified guar …

Risk Assessment Of Hazardous Materials Transported By Rail Through The Wku And Bowling Green, Kentucky Corridor, Rebecca Center

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

There has been multiple risk assessments on highways for hazardous material, however there is few in hazardous rail transportation. In this study, I will create a risk assessment of the railway through WKU. Using the CAMEO system I will created threat zones and plot them in the city every half-mile to conclude where people and infrastructure will be affected the most. I discovered that there were large amounts of chemicals passing by, some are extremely dangerous to human and environmental health.

Assessment Of Estrogenic Compounds In A Wastewater Treatment Plant Influent And Effluent, Alexandra L. Hunter

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Estrogenic compounds have been found in surface waters downstream from wastewater treatment plant effluents. In the aquatic environment, these hormones are shown to cause feminization and sterility of aquatic organisms, thus altering aquatic ecosystems upon which human health depends. In order to assess estrogenic compounds at a local wastewater treatment facility in Franklin, KY, Environmental Protection Agency Method 539 [Determination of Hormones in Drinking Water by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS)] was modified to measure levels of these contaminants in wastewater influent and effluent. This method requires use of LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis. A …

Applications Of Latin Hypercube Sampling Scheme And Partial Rank Correlation Coefficient Analysis To Mathematical Models On Wound Healing, Hannah M. Pennington

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Latin hypercube sampling and Partial Rank Correlation Coefficient procedure (LHS/PRCC) can be used in combination to perform a sensitivity analysis that assesses a model over a global parameter space. Through this analysis, the uncertainty of the parameters and therefore the variability of the model output in response to this uncertainty can be observed. Latin hypercube sampling divides the parameter space into equiprobable regions and sample without replacement, producing a global, unbiased selection of parameter values. For montonic, non-linear relationships, the correlation between the outputs and parameters can be understood by performing a Partial Rank Correlation Coefficient procedure. This sensitivity analysis …

Analysis Of Seed Preference Trials Of Red Veld Rats And Smith's Bush Squirrels And Trap Effectiveness In The Lowveld Of South Africa, Brooke A. Barber

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Large tree species in South Africa face reproductive decline, especially older trees that provide ecosystem connectivity. Management of Balule Nature Reserve, an extensive private nature reserve in South Africa, wanted to investigate the roles rodents play in the recruitment and survival of select tree species. Two large tree species of concern, marula (Sclerocarya birrea) and knobthorn acacia (Acacia nigrescens) are dominant, habitat providers and red bushwillow (Combretum apiculatum) is a smaller and more common, prolific seed producer. I investigated whether rodents, specifically red veld rats and Smith’s bush squirrels, may play a detrimental role …

The Effects Of New Materials And Teaching Methodologies On Low-Level Biology Courses, Rebecca L. Garrison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A new generation has entered higher education that learns differently from generations before. To meet the changing needs of this generation, Western Kentucky University’s Biology Department introduced e-textbooks and e-materials from McGraw Hill™ publishing in the fall of 2013 to most low-level classes. A foreseen product of this shift was a change in the way that some faculty taught and assessed their classes. This study assesses the changes in pedagogical techniques among professors of 100- and 200-level biology classes due to the new e-text and e-materials. Syllabi were collected from these classes pre- and post-implementation and common characteristics were inductively …

Seed Preference Trials Of Namaqua Rock Mice And Rodent Density In The Lowveld Savanna Of South Africa, Whitney L. Walker

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Large trees important in the South African savanna are in decline. Initially, climate change and elephants were thought to be the cause. However, all reasons for the decline are unknown. I investigated how Namaqua rock mice potentially affect recruitment of tree seedlings through seed predation in South Africa. I used live traps to capture rodents during the dry season of June-August on Balule Nature Reserve (BNR). I exposed the mice to seed preference trials in enclosures to determine if they would eat seeds of three target tree species; marula (Sclerocarya birrea), knobthorn acacia (Acacia nigrescens), and …

Dietary Overlap Of Native White Bass And Introduced Yellow Bass In Barren River, Micaela L. Montgomery

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the Barren River Lake of south central Kentucky, native white bass, Morone chrysops, has experienced a decline in population after the introduction of yellow bass, Morone mississippiensis. These species are competing for resources due to an overlapping diet, likely contributing to the decline of the white bass. To explore this hypothesis, I examined the stomach contents and otoliths of white and yellow bass caught during their spawning time in spring 2012. There were 40 yellow bass and 128 white bass collected in Barren River upstream of Barren River Lake. Analysis of stomach contents revealed that both white and …

Trypanosoma Cruzi Prevalence In The Domestic Canine Population In Central And Eastern Kentucky, Katelyn Cox

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Domestic canines are regarded as natural sentinelsfor the transmission of vector-borne pathogens since infection in an owner’s dog suggests the presence of the vector in or around the household. In collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Lexington, Kentucky, we have investigated the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi (the causative agent of Chagas disease) in canines from central and eastern Kentucky via a serological test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing. In addition, Canine SNAP 4Dx plus tests (Idexx Laboratories, Inc.) were used to determine the prevalence of four other vector-borne pathogens: Ehrlichia canis/ewingii, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma …

Industrial Production Manager [Career Paper], Wesley Osborne

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 91, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.