Life Sciences Commons^™

Randomized Intervention Trial To Decrease Bisphenol A Urine Concentrations In Women: Pilot Study, Hagobian Todd Ph.D., Allison Smouse, Mikaela Streeter, Chole Wurst, Andrew Schaffner, Suzanne Phelan

Kinesiology and Public Health

In today's uncertain market and continuously evolving technology, managing manufacturing systems are more complex than ever. This paper studies the dynamics of managing variety and volume to enhance value creation in manufacturers implementing system level advanced and automated manufacturing technology (AAM1). The demand is composed of heterogeneous customers who make purchasing decisions depending on the variety levels and lead times of the firm's product offerings. The cost structure adopted calculates profit as the difference between customer value creation rate (VCR) and costs associated with the process of creating this value. Reported results contribute to the variety and volume management literature …

An Experimental Approach To Study Individual Differences In Infants' Intake And Satiation Behaviors During Bottle-Feeding, Alison K. Ventura, Julie A. Mennella

Kinesiology and Public Health

Background: As a group, bottle-fed infants are at higher risk for rapid weight gain compared with breast-fed infants. However, little is known about individual differences in feeding behaviors of bottle-feeding infants, as well as maternal and infant characteristics associated with bottle-feeding outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a 2-day, within-subject study of 21 formula-feeding dyads; the within-subject factor was feeding condition: mother-led (ML; mothers were given the instruction to feed their infants as they typically would) vs. infant-led (IL; the experimenter ensured feeding began when infants signaled hunger and ended when they rejected the bottle on three consecutive occasions). Intake was determined …

The Effect Of Sazetidine-A And Other Nicotinic Ligands On Nicotine Controlled Goal-Tracking In Female And Male Rats, S. Charntikov, A. M. Falco, K. Fink, Linda P. Dwoskin, R. A. Bevins

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nicotine is the primary addictive component of tobacco products and its complex stimulus effects are readily discriminated by humans and non-human animals. Previous preclinical research investigating directly the nature of the nicotine stimulus has been limited to male rodents. The current study began to address this significant gap in the literature by training female and male rats to discriminate 0.4 mg/kg nicotine from saline in the discriminated goal-tracking task. In this task, access to sucrose was intermittently available on nicotine session. On saline session, intermixed with nicotine sessions on separate days, sucrose was not available. Both sexes acquired the discrimination …

Nephrotoxicity During Vancomycin Therapy In Combination With Piperacillin-Tazobactam Or Cefepime, Wilbur Cliff Rutter, Jessica N. Cox, Craig A. Martin, Donna R. Burgess, David S. Burgess

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Recent reports have demonstrated that vancomycin (VAN) may lead to an increase in the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) when it is combined with antipseudomonal beta-lactams. This study compared the incidence of AKI associated with VAN plus piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) or cefepime (FEP). This was a retrospective, matched cohort study that was conducted at an academic medical center between September 2010 and September 2014 and that included adult patients without severe chronic or structural kidney disease, dialysis, pregnancy, cystic fibrosis, or a hospital transfer receiving TZP-VAN or FEP-VAN for at least 48 h. The primary outcome was the difference in …

The Relationship Between Tropical Cyclone Activity, Nutrient Loading, And Algal Blooms Over The Great Barrier Reef, Chelsea L. Parker, Amanda H. Lynch, Stephanie A. Spera, Keith R. Spangler

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, is subject to many environmental stressors. This study utilizes remotely sensed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) chlorophyll a concentration data to explore statistically significant relationships between local-scale tropical cyclone disturbance and relative water quality between 2004–2014. The study reveals that tropical cyclone activity reduces water quality at 8- and 16-day time lags. Relationships suggest that at early stages (during and just after cyclone activity) algal response is induced primarily through wind-driven sediment re-suspension. However, wind speed in isolation only increases minimum levels of chlorophyll a, rather than mean or …

Modeling Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Infection In Golden Syrian Hamsters: Importance Of Stat2 In Preventing Disease And Effective Treatment With Favipiravir, Brian B. Gowen, Jonna B. Westover, Jinxin Miao, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Johanna D. Rigas, Brady T. Hickerson, Kie-Hoon Jung, Rong Li, Bettina L. Conrad, Skot Nielson, Yousuke Furuta, Zhongde Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease endemic in parts of Asia. The etiologic agent, SFTS virus (SFTSV; family Bunyaviridae, genus Phlebovirus) has caused significant morbidity and mortality in China, South Korea, and Japan, with key features of disease being intense fever, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Case fatality rates are estimated to be in the 30% range, and no antivirals or vaccines are approved for use for treatment and prevention of SFTS. There is evidence that in human cells, SFTSV sequesters STAT proteins in replication complexes, thereby inhibiting type I interferon signaling. Here, we demonstrate …

Yeast Pro- And Paraprobiotics Have The Capability To Bind Pathogenic Bacteria Associated With Animal Disease, Gabriel A. Posadas, Paul R. Broadway, Justin A. Thornton, Jeffery A. Carroll, Amanda Lawrence, Jimmie R. Corley, Amber Thompson, Janet R. Donaldson

Faculty Publications

Live yeast probiotics and yeast cell wall components (paraprobiotics) may serve as an alternative to the use of antibiotics in prevention and treatment of infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics and paraprobiotics can bind directly to pathogens, which limits binding of the pathogens to the intestinal cells and also facilitates removal from the host. However, knowledge of bacterial binding, specificity, and/or capability is limited with regard to probiotics or paraprobiotics. The goal of this study was to characterize the qualitative and quantitative nature of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae probiotics and three S. cerevisiae paraprobiotics to adhere to thirteen different pathogenic bacteria …

Genomic Scans Across Three Eucalypts Suggest That Adaptation To Aridity Is A Genome-Wide Phenomenon, Dorothy A. Steane, Brad M. Potts, Elizabeth H. Mclean, Lesley Collins, Barbara R. Holland, Suzanne M. Prober, William D. Stock, René E. Vaillancourt, Margaret Byrne

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Widespread species spanning strong environmental (e.g., climatic) gradients frequently display morphological and physiological adaptations to local conditions. Some adaptations are common to different species that occupy similar environments. However, the genomic architecture underlying such convergent traits may not be the same between species. Using genomic data from previous studies of three widespread eucalypt species that grow along rainfall gradients in southern Australia, our probabilistic approach provides evidence that adaptation to aridity is a genome-wide phenomenon, likely to involve multiple and diverse genes, gene families and regulatory regions that affect a multitude of complex genetic and biochemical processes.

Training And Pruning Apple Trees, Tiffany Maughan, Brent Black, Teryl Roper

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes training and pruning apple trees, including information on when to prune, planting, establishment, how to prune, central leader, maturity, and topping.

Grape Vine Management, Tiffany Maughan, Mike Pace, Brent Black

All Current Publications

This fact sheet introduces grape planting and management. It includes plants, site selection, soil, site preparation, planting and spacing, irrigation, fertilization, training and trellising, cluster thinning, propagation, problems, insects and diseases, and harvest, storage and use.

Are My Memory Changes Normal?, Maria Norton, Elizabeth B. Fauth

All Current Publications

This fact sheet discusses memory changes. As we age, our brains age right along with the rest of our bodies. Our reaction time may begin to slow as a result of aging, and we will continue to experience “mild forgetfulness” as a normal part of life. If your memory changes are greater, or these changes seem to be noticeably impacting your ability to carry on your normal day-to-day activities, these are indicators that it is time to be evaluated by a physician for MCI, dementia, or other cognitive problems. An accurate diagnosis of dementia will help you and your physician …

Using Shade For Fruit And Vegetable Production, Tiffany Maughan, Dan Drost, Brent Black, Sam Day

All Current Publications

This fact sheet stresses the value of protecting plants from too much sunlight radiation, and includes sunburn management, shade and the plant environment, timing shade application, shade cloth options and orientation, and cost.

Farm Production, Market Access And Dietary Diversity In Malawi, Stefan Koppmair, Menale Kassie, Matin Qaim

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Objective The association between farm production diversity and dietary diversity in rural smallholder households was recently analysed. Most existing studies build on household-level dietary diversity indicators calculated from 7d food consumption recalls. Herein, this association is revisited with individual-level 24 h recall data. The robustness of the results is tested by comparing household- and individual-level estimates. The role of other factors that may influence dietary diversity, such as market access and agricultural technology, is also analysed. Design A survey of smallholder farm households was carried out in Malawi in 2014. Dietary diversity scores are calculated from 24 h recall data. …

A Survey Of Root Knot Nematodes And Resistance To Meloidogyne Incognita In Sweet Potato Varieties From Kenyan Fields, Hannah W. Karuri, Daniel Olago, Roy Neilson, Enock Mararo, Jandouwe Villinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The root knot nematode, Meloidogyne is one of the most economically damaging plant parasitic nematode groups, and are widely distributed in Kenyan agro-ecosystems. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of Meloidogyne species in Kenyan sweet potato fields and identify sweet potato varieties that exhibit resistance to M. incognita. Meloidogyne species were collected from Nyanza, Western, Eastern and Central Provinces of Kenya. Mitochondrial DNA was used to differentiate Meloidogyne species. The most common species in all sampled regions was M. incognita. Meloidogyne hapla was recorded for the first time in Kenyan sweet potato growing areas (Mosocho, Matayos, …

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2015, Jeremy Ross

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading soybean-producing state in the mid-southern United States. Arkansas ranked 10th in soybean production in 2015 when compared to the other soybean-producing states in the U.S. The state represents 4.0% of the total U.S. soybean production and 3.7% of the total acres planted to soybean in 2015. The 2015 state soybean average was 49 bushels per acres, 0.5 bushel per acres less than the state record soybean yield set in 2014 (Table 1). The top five soybean-producing counties in 2015 were Mississippi, Desha, Poinsett, Phillips, and Arkansas Counties. These five counties accounted for 35% of soybean production …

Mitochondrial Dna Analysis Of Eneolithic Trypillians From Ukraine Reveals Neolithic Farming Genetic Roots, Alexey Nikitin, Inna Potekhina, Nadin Rohland, Swapan Mallick, Malcolm Lillie

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

The agricultural revolution in Eastern Europe began in the Eneolithic with the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture complex. In Ukraine, the Trypillian culture (TC) existed for over two millennia (ca. 5,400±2,700 BCE) and left a wealth of artifacts. Yet, their burial rituals remain a mystery and to date almost nothing is known about the genetic composition of the TC population. One of the very few TC sites where human remains can be found is a cave called Verteba in western Ukraine. This report presents four partial and four complete mitochondrial genomes from nine TC individuals uncovered in the cave. The results of this …

Delta‐Flux: An Eddy Covariance Network For A Climate‐Smart Lower Mississippi Basin, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, James R. Rigby, Michele L. Reba, Saseendran S. Anapalli, Joydeep Bhattacharjee, Ken W. Krauss, Lu Liang, Martin A. Locke, Kimberly A. Novick, Ruixiu Sui, Kosana Suvocarev, Paul M. White Jr.

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Networks of remotely monitored research sites are increasingly the tool used to study regional agricultural impacts on carbon and water fluxes. However, key national networks such as the National Ecological Observatory Network and AmeriFlux lack contributions from the Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB), a highly productive agricultural area with opportunities for soil carbon sequestration through conservation practices. The authors describe the rationale to create the new Delta‐Flux network, which will coordinate efforts to quantify carbon and water budgets at seventeen eddy covariance flux tower sites in the LMRB. The network structure will facilitate climate‐smart management strategies based on production‐scale and …

Impaired Peripheral Vasodilation During Graded Systemic Hypoxia In Healthy Older Adults: Role Of The Sympathoadrenal System, Jennifer C. Richards, Anne R. Crecelius, Dennis G. Larson, Gary J. Luckasen, Frank A. Dinenno

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Systemic hypoxia is a physiological and pathophysiological stress that activates the sympathoadrenal system and, in young adults, leads to peripheral vasodilation. We tested the hypothesis that peripheral vasodilation to graded systemic hypoxia is impaired in older healthy adults and that this age-associated impairment is due to attenuated β-adrenergic mediated vasodilation and elevated α-adrenergic vasoconstriction. Forearm blood flow was measured (Doppler ultrasound) and vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated in 12 young (24±1 yrs) and 10 older (63±2 yrs) adults to determine the local dilatory responses to graded hypoxia (90, 85, and 80% O2 saturations) in control conditions, following local intra-arterial blockade …

Gper/Gpr30, A Membrane Estrogen Receptor, Is Expressed In The Brain And Retina Of A Social Fish (Carassius Auratus) And Colocalizes With Isotocin, Lisa A. Mangiamele, Julia R. Gomez, Nancy J. Curtis, Richmond R. Thompson

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Estradiol rapidly (within 30 minutes) influences a variety of sociosexual behaviors in both mammalian and nonmammalian vertebrates, including goldfish, in which it rapidly stimulates approach responses to the visual cues of females. Such rapid neuromodulatory effects are likely mediated via membrane-associated estrogen receptors; however, the localization and distribution of such receptors within the nervous system is not well described. To begin to address this gap, we identified GPER/GPR30, a G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor, in goldfish (Carassius auratus) neural tissue and used reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization to test if GPR30 is expressed in the brain regions that …

Multiple Mating By Females In The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Population, S. Wells, J. Mcconaugha, L. Horth

OES Faculty Publications

Mature females of the Chesapeake Bay (USA) blue crab Callinectes sapidus population mate multiple times. Microsatellite DNA analysis of sperm stored in the spermathecae has shown that virtually all (~97%, 104 out of 107) females collected in a 2009−2010 study mated with at least 2 males. Enumeration of stored sperm revealed that despite multiple mating, some females did not have enough sperm to fulfill their lifetime reproductive potential, suggesting that female blue crabs may experience varying levels of sperm limitation. This could result from multiple factors. The average body size of males in the population has decreased, which reduces the …

Experimental Impacts Of Climate Warming And Ocean Carbonation On Eelgrass Zostera Marina, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill, Malee Jinuntuya, Billur Celebi, David Ruble, Miranda Smith, Tiffany Cedeno, W. Mark Swingle

OES Faculty Publications

CO₂ is a critical and potentially limiting substrate for photosynthesis of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In addition to being a climate-warming greenhouse gas, increasing concentrations of CO₂ will dissolve in the oceans, eliciting both negative and positive responses among organisms in a process commonly known as ocean acidification. The dissolution of CO₂ into ocean surface waters, however, also increases its availability for photosynthesis, to which the highly successful, and ecologically important, seagrasses respond positively. Thus, the process might be more accurately characterized as ocean carbonation. This experiment demonstrated that CO₂ stimulation of primary production enhances …

Reoccurrence Of Avian Influenza A(H5n2) Virus Clade 2.3.4.4 In Wild Birds, Alaska, Usa, 2016, Dong-Hun Lee, Mia K. Torchetti, Mary Lea Killian, Thomas J. Deliberto, David E. Swayne

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report reoccurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N2) virus clade 2.3.4.4 in a wild mallard in Alaska, USA, in August 2016. Identification of this virus in a migratory species confirms low-frequency persistence in North America and the potential for re-dissemination of the virus during the 2016 fall migration.

Myocardial Relaxation Is Accelerated By Fast Stretch, Not Reduced Afterload, Charles S. Chung, Charles W. Hoopes, Kenneth S. Campbell

Physiology Faculty Publications

Fast relaxation of cross-bridge generated force in the myocardium facilitates efficient diastolic function. Recently published research studying mechanisms that modulate the relaxation rate has focused on molecular factors. Mechanical factors have received less attention since the 1980s when seminal work established the theory that reducing afterload accelerates the relaxation rate. Clinical trials using afterload reducing drugs, partially based on this theory, have thus far failed to improve outcomes for patients with diastolic dysfunction. Therefore, we reevaluated the protocols that suggest reducing afterload accelerates the relaxation rate and identified that myocardial relengthening was a potential confounding factor. We hypothesized that the …

Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (Inos) Is A Novel Negative Regulator Of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cell Trafficking, Mateusz Adamiak, Ahmed Abdelbaset-Ismail, Joseph B. Moore Iv, J. Zhao, Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Marcin Wysoczynski, Mariusz Z. Ratajczak

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous free radical molecule involved in several biological processes related to inflammation, tissue damage, and infections. Based on reports that NO inhibits migration of granulocytes and monocytes, we became interested in the role of inducible NO synthetase (iNOS) in pharmacological mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood (PB). To address the role of NO in HSPC trafficking, we upregulated or downregulated iNOS expression in hematopoietic cell lines. Next, we performed mobilization studies in iNOS^−/− mice and evaluated engraftment of iNOS^−/− HSPCs in wild type (control) animals. Our …

Pneumocystis Infection Alters The Activation State Of Pulmonary Macrophages, Jessica M. Deckman, Cathryn J. Kurkjian, Joseph P. Mcgillis, Theodore J. Cory, Susan E. Birket, Linda M. Schutzman, Brian S. Murphy, Beth A. Garvy, David J. Feola

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Recent studies show a substantial incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization and infection in patients with chronic inflammatory lung conditions. However, little is known about the impact of Pneumocystis upon the regulation of pulmonary immunity. We demonstrate here that Pneumocystis polarizes macrophages towards an alternatively activated macrophage-like phenotype. Genetically engineered mice that lack the ability to signal through IL-4 and IL-13 were used to show that Pneumocystis alternative macrophage activation is dependent upon signaling through these cytokines. To determine whether Pneumocystis-induced macrophage polarization would impact subsequent immune responses, we infected mice with Pneumocystis and then challenged them with Pseudomonas aeruginosa 14 …

Migratory And Winter Activity Of Bats In Yellowstone National Park, Joseph S. Johnson, John J. Treanor, Michael J. Lacki, Michael D. Baker, Greg A. Falxa, Luke E. Dodd, Austin G. Waag, Elijah H. Lee

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A substantial body of work exists describing timing of migration and hibernation among bats in eastern North America, but less is known about these events among bats inhabiting the Rocky Mountain region. Yellowstone National Park is a geothermally influenced landscape comprised of diverse habitats, creating the opportunity for unique behaviors to develop among local bat populations. We identified the timing of migration for the local bat community and determined if bats overwinter in Yellowstone. To accomplish this, we radiotracked 7 little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), 5 western long-eared myotis (M. evotis), 4 big brown bats ( …

The Diet Of The Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon Kentucki) In An Old Growth Forest Of Southeastern Kentucky, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price, Stephen C. Richter

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Terrestrial lungless salamanders are known to reach very high densities in forested ecosystems of the United States.

They can be important for the top down regulation of invertebrates

Diets of 57% (31 of 54) Plethodon salamanders are still poorly known

The Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon kentucki) is a large plethodontid common in the Central Appalachians, however, its diet is only known from West Virginia

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18118.47682

Beta-Glucosidase From Streptomyces Griseus: Nanoparticle Immobilisation And Alkyl Glucoside Synthesis., Barry Ryan, Gary Henehan, Prabhash Kumar

Articles

A novel β-glucosidase from Streptomyces griseus was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli. The purified β-glucosidase (44 kDa) had a K_m of 8.6±0.5 mM and a V_max of 217±5.0 μmoles^-1min^-1mg at 37 °C, pH 7.2 with p-nitrophenyl-β-D glucopyranoside as substrate. The enzyme was characterised in terms of pH optimum (pH 6.9), temperature optimum (69 °C) and the influence of solvents and effectors. Purified S. griseus β-glucosidase was successfully immobilised, by simple absorption, onto zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles without covalent modification. It remained tightly bound even after extensive washing and could be reused …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Dissipation Efficiency Of Agrochemicals On Blueberries, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Grainne O'Toole, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Cold plasma has emerged as a potential bio-decontamination technology for microbial and chemical risks associated with food products such as fruits and vegetables. This study investigated the efficacy of cold plasma treatment for the degradation of pesticides (boscalid and Imidacloprid) on blueberries in tandem with the need to retain critical quality attributes of a fresh high value berry product post treatment. An in-package high voltage dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor was employed for this study. The degradation efficacy of pesticides after 80 kV and 5 min of cold plasma treatment were found to be 80.18% for boscalid and 75.62% for …

The Gep: Crowd-Sourcing Big Data Analysis With Undergraduates, Sarah C.R. Elgin, Charles Hauser, Teresa Holzen, Christopher Jones, Adam Kleinschmit, Judith Leatherman

Biology Faculty Research

The era of 'big data' is also the era of abundant data, creating new opportunities for student-scientist research partnerships. By coordinating undergraduate efforts, the Genomics Education Partnership produces high-quality annotated data sets and analyses that could not be generated otherwise, leading to scientific publications while providing many students with research experience. Keywords: CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience); bioinformatics; crowd-sourcing science; science education; undergraduate research.