Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Chemical Modification And Characterization Of Carbon Nanotubes, Kelby Brandan Cassity

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a relatively new allotrope of carbon that possess very unique and exciting physical characteristics. However, much is still unknown regarding their physical structure and chemical reactivity. The focus of this dissertation is to utilize the chemical modification of these filamentous carbon structures as a probe to investigate the structure and reactivity of carbon nanotubes. Also discussed is the ability of CNTs, once chemically modified, to interact with specific polymer matrices and how the addition of modified and unmodified CNTs affects the physical properties of these matrices.

Explorations In Homeoviscous Adaptation And Mass Spectral Analysis Of Membrane Lipids, Michael Douglas Timmons

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is centered on the mass spectral analysis of lipids and changes occurring in keeping with the concept of homeoviscous adaptation [1]. Homeoviscous adaptation is the process of modification of membrane lipids in response to environmental stimuli [1]. Dissertation investigations applied this concept to prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and expanded the perception of environmental factors from exogenous organic solvents to intracellular environment.

The field of lipidomics deals with the analysis of phospholipid and fatty acid components of membranes the changes that occur due to environmental stimuli and their biological significance [2-6]. The high sensitivity of mass …

Provenance Of The Neoproterozoic Ocoee Supergroup, Eastern Great Smoky Mountains, Suvankar Chakraborty

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Ocoee Supergroup is a sequence of Neoproterozoic, immature, continental rift facies clastic sediments. Potential source rocks were tested by analyzing modes of detrital framework minerals, detrital mineral chemistry, whole rock geochemistry and detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology by LA-ICP-MS for Ocoee siltstone-sandstone dominated formations. Ocoee units are arkosic to subarkosic siltstones/sandstones, and ternary tectonic discrimination diagrams confirm a continental basement uplift source. Alkali feldspar predominates over plagioclase feldspar. Detrital feldspar compositions of Ocoee sediments as a group are similar to feldspar in local basement granitic rocks except for high-Ca plagioclase grains present locally in basement granitic rocks. The high alkali …

Development Of Novel Ahr Antagonists, Hyosung Lee

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a sensor protein, activated by aromatic chemical species for transcriptionally regulating xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. AHR is also known to be involved in a variety of pathogenesis such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis, asthma, etc. The AHR signaling induced by xenobiotics has been intensively studied whereas its physiological role in the absence of xenobiotics is poorly understood. Despite a number of ligands of AHR have been reported thus far, further applications are still hampered by the lack of specificity and/or the partially agonistic activity. Thus, a pure AHR antagonist is needed for deciphering the AHR cryptic …

Effect Of Low And High- Kinetic Energy Wetting On Quality Of Sediment Produced By Interrill Erosion, Eduardo Abel Rienzi

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Raindrop kinetic energy and sheet flow can disintegrate aggregates during interrill erosion, a process responsible for non point source pollution. Also, the dissolution process during aggregate wetting can affect interrill erosion. These factors can be responsible for changes in particle size distribution in the sediment, especially when different tillage systems are compared. The effect of soil tillage and management on soil properties is not uniform, which determine a wide range of runoff and sediment delivery rate. Variety in these rates can be associated with pore functions and their interactions with aggregate stability. One of the objectives of this study was …

Immobilization Of Mercury And Arsenic Through Covalent Thiolate Bonding For The Purpose Of Environmental Remediation, Lisa Y. Blue

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Mercury and arsenic are widespread contaminants in aqueous environments throughout the world. The elements arise from multiple sources including mercury from coal-fired power plants and wells placed in natural geological deposits of arseniccontaining minerals. Both elements have significant negative health impacts on humans as they are cumulative toxins that bind to the sulfhydryl groups in proteins, disrupting many biological functions. There are currently no effective, economical techniques for removing either mercury or arsenic from aqueous sources. This thesis will demonstrate a superior removal method for both elements by formation of covalent bonds with the sulfur atoms in N,N’-Bis(2-mercaptoethyl)isophthalamide (commonly called …

Diagonal Forms And The Rationality Of The Poincaré Series, Dibyajyoti Deb

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Poincaré series, Py(f) of a polynomial f was first introduced by Borevich and Shafarevich in [BS66], where they conjectured, that the series is always rational. Denef and Igusa independently proved this conjecture. However it is still of interest to explicitly compute the Poincaré series in special cases. In this direction several people looked at diagonal polynomials with restrictions on the coefficients or the exponents and computed its Poincaré series. However in this dissertation we consider a general diagonal polynomial without any restrictions and explicitly compute its Poincaré series, thus extending results of Goldman, Wang and Han. In a separate …

Studies Toward The Total Synthesis Of (±)-Α-Yohimbine By Double Annulation, Raghu Ram Chamala

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The indole alkaloids, a class of natural products, have received much synthetic attention for years due to their diverse structures and interesting biological properties. We are particularly interested in synthesizing some of the yohimbine alkaloids extracted from the bark of a tall evergreen African tree (Corynanthe yohimbe, commonly known as fringe tree). Yohimbine and its stereoisomers have been tempting targets for synthetic organic chemists for more than fifty years. These compounds feature a pentacyclic ring system with two heteroatoms and five stereogenic centers.

Broadly, the fifteen different synthetic approaches that led to the successful completion of yohimbine alkaloids …

Comparison Of Two Samples By A Nonparametric Likelihood-Ratio Test, William H. Barton

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we present a novel computational method, as well as its software implementation, to compare two samples by a nonparametric likelihood-ratio test. The basis of the comparison is a mean-type hypothesis. The software is written in the R-language [4]. The two samples are assumed to be independent. Their distributions, which are assumed to be unknown, may be discrete or continuous. The samples may be uncensored, right-censored, left-censored, or doubly-censored. Two software programs are offered. The first program covers the case of a single mean-type hypothesis. The second program covers the case of multiple mean-type hypotheses. For the first …

Stability Of Spore-Based Sensing Systems, Abhishek Sangal

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The full exploitation of bacterial whole-cell biosensing systems in field applications requires the survival of bacterial cells and long term-preservation of their sensing ability during transportation and on-site storage of such analytical systems. Specifically, there is a need for rapid, simple and inexpensive biosensing systems for monitoring human health and the environment in remote areas which often suffer from harsh atmospheric conditions and inadequate commercial distribution and storage facilities. Our laboratory has previously reported the successful use of bacterial spores as vehicles for the long-term preservation and storage of whole-cell biosensing systems at room temperature.

In the present research, we …

Tectonic Controls On Lower Devonian Sandstone Distribution, Alabama, Michael P. Solis

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The Devonian Frog Mountain Formation thickens abruptly eastward across the Eastern Coosa thrust fault from <12 m on the west to>70 m on the east. The thin Frog Mountain on the west unconformably overlies the Cambrian-Ordovician Knox Group. The thin Frog Mountain (mostly shale) is overlain by the Mississippian Maury Shale (~1 m thick) and Fort Payne Chert (~50 m thick). The thick Frog Mountain on the east rests on the Middle Ordovician Athens Shale, a black shale >150 m thick. The Athens overlies the Knox Group. The thick Frog Mountain is nearly all sandstone and is overlain by Fort Payne Chert which is only …

Functionalization Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And The Interactions Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In Epoxy Composites, Christopher Fitzwater

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are a relatively new allotrope of carbon that have potentially useful properties that may improve polymer composites. The work of this thesis explores the interactions between MWNTs and functionalized MWNTs within epoxy matrix and the properties of the MWNT/epoxy composite. These interactions were characterized with an emphasis on finding how well the MWNT/epoxy composite flows and how conductive it is after curing.

Origin Of Blue Ridge Basement Rocks, Dellwood Quad, Western Nc: New Evidence From U-Pb Zircon Geochronology And Whole Rock Geochemistry, Donald Franklin Loughry Jr.

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Terrane discrimination in polycyclic continental basement rocks is challenging due to high-grade metamorphism and intense deformation. Based on early USGS mapping the Blue Ridge basement in the Dellwood quadrangle of the eastern Great Smoky Mountains was proposed to consist of augen orthogneisses of Laurentian (Grenvillian) affinity interfolded with migmatitic hornblende and biotite paragneisses (“Carolina Gneiss”) and amphibolites of uncertain affinity. However, detailed study reveals that the hornblende gneiss of Hadley and Goldsmith (1963) is a heterogeneous map unit consisting of (1)metaplutonic rocks; (2) variably foliated and folded felsic orthogneisses; (3) strongly migmatitic, folded Hbl+Bt-bearing gneisses; (4) foliated and lineated garnet …

Synthesis, Characterization And Development Of Catalysts For Co2 Capture, Anitha Suhas Wishrojwar

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Fossil fuel and advanced industrialization techniques contribute to global warming through emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO₂. In order to mitigate climate change, there is a desperate need to reduce CO₂ emissions from different sources. CO₂ capture and sequestration (CCS) play an important role in these reductions.

Naturally occurring enzymes, e.g., carbonic anhydrase (CA), can catalyze these reactions in living systems. Much effort has been focused on complexes of zinc with ligands such as teta, cyclen and tripodal ligands including BIMA and Trispyrazolylborates. These complexes have many interesting CO₂ capture properties, but maintain toxic …

Effects Of Livestock Antibiotics On Nitrification, Denitrification, And Microbial Community Compositon In Soils Along A Topographic Gradient, Sagarika Banerjee

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Several types of antibiotics (roxarsone, virginiamycin, and bacitracin) are widely included in poultry feed to improve animal growth yields. Most of the antibiotics are excreted in manure which is subsequently applied to soils. One concern with this practice is that antibiotics may affect several microbially-mediated nutrient cycling reactions in soils that influence crop productivity and water quality. The main objectives of this study were to determine the effects of livestock antibiotics on nitrification, denitrification, and microbial community composition in soils along a topographic gradient. These objectives were addressed in a series of lab experiments by monitoring changes in inorganic N …

Feasibility Of Using 15N-Enriched Escherichia Coli As A Bacterial Tracer In The Cane Run/Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky, John G. Warden

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A novel tracer method has used ¹⁵N to label Escherichia coli and track the transport of bacteria, a common contaminant, through karst aquifers. Use of this method could provide valuable insight into the movement of bacteria in aquifers, which would help improve remediation methods and strategies. A wild strain of E. coli was isolated from the Cane Run/Royal Spring basin in the Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. The strain was serotyped O^-:H^- and virulence testing showed the strain did not have virulence factors of E. coli commonly pathogenic to humans. Five karst microcosms were filled with …

Chromium, Copper, And Arsenic Concentration And Speciation In Soil Adjacent To Chromated Copper Arsenate (Cca) Treated Lumber Along A Topohydrosequence, Donald Roy Schwer Iii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), and Copper (Cu) are ubiquitous in soils as a result of anthropogenic and geogenic processes. The fate of As, Cr, and Cu in the environment is largely governed by their speciation, which is influenced by soil physiochemical properties. This study investigated the influence of soil physiochemical properties and landscape position on As, Cr, and Cu concentration and speciation in soils adjacent to Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated lumber fence posts. Concentration gradients showed elevated total As and Cu adjacent to the three fence posts, which decreased with increasing distance from the posts. In addition, As and …

Soil- And Groundwater-Quality Data For An Abandoned Cattle And Hog Feedlot In Henderson County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw, John H. Grove

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater samples collected from a livestock well in southwestern Henderson County, Ky., contained nitrate-N concentrations greater than 20 mg/L, two times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level. The well is located in an abandoned cattle and hog feedlot. The feedlot is located in an upland bedrock setting with Pleistocene loess overlying Pennsylvanian bedrock. One hundred twenty-one soil cores were collected to better define the areal extent of organic-rich soil believed to be the source of the elevated nitrate-N in the groundwater. Cores were collected on 25-ft centers to a depth of 4 ft below the land surface. Soil …

Assessment Of Row Crop, Alfalfa, And Pasture Field Practices On Groundwater Quality In An Upland Bedrock Setting, Henderson County, Kentucky: Report Of Soil- And Water-Quality Data, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John H. Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

An assessment of how present agricultural practices have influenced shallow groundwater and soil quality was conducted on a 540-acre farm in north-central Henderson County. Groundwater- and soil-quality data were collected from row crop (corn and soybean), alfalfa, and pasture fields. In addition to the field settings, groundwater and soil data were collected from the existing farmyard and an abandoned feedlot. Groundwater samples were analyzed for pH, specific conductance, temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, metals, anions, nutrients, herbicides, and various isotopes. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, bioavailable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, organic matter, total nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen (nitrate-N). Soil- and …

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In An Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase II concentrated on past practices, specifically those associated with an abandoned dairy feedlot and an old homestead. Results of phase II analyses are presented in this report.

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater from the Jackson Purchase Region was sampled to investigate possible contamination by nonpoint-source chemicals. Conclusions drawn from the resulting data and methodology can be found in “Sources and Occurrences of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals in Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey Report of Investigations 22 (series 12), by R.S. Fisher and E.G. Beck.

Inelastic Collisions In Cold Dipolar Gases, Catherine A. Newell

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Inelastic collisions between dipolar molecules, assumed to be trapped in a static electric field at cold (> 10⁻³K) temperatures, are investigated and compared with elastic collisions. For molecules with a Λ-doublet energy-level structure, a dipole moment arises because of the existence of two nearly degenerate states of opposite parity, and the collision of two such dipoles can be solved entirely analytically in the energy range of interest. Cross sections and rate constants are found to satisfy simple, universal formulas. In contrast, for molecules in a Σ electronic ground state, the static electric field induces a dipole moment in …

Streamflow Prediction Using Gis For The Kentucky River Basin, Bakkiyalakshmi Palanisamy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The study was aimed at developing a simple methodology for flow prediction in ungauged basins using existing data resources. For this purpose, the streamflow measurements across the Kentucky River Basin located in Kentucky, USA were obtained from United States Geological Survey (USGS) archive. The flow transferring characteristics of the subbasins of the Kentucky River Basin were obtained by combining downstream and upstream stream gauges. The flow transferring function thus derived were related to watershed, channel and flow characteristics of the subbasins by multiple regression analysis. The gauge pairs were divided into two classes of subbasins representing Upper and Lower Kentucky, …

Physical Conditions Including Magnetic Fields In Several Star Forming Regions Of The Galaxy, Matt Lykins

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This document describes studies of two independent regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). These studies have the common element that both pertain to regions in our Galaxy that are known to be associated with present-day star formation. These studies aim to help us understand the ISM, star formation, and ultimately where we came from, since, after all, our star, the Sun, is itself the product of star formation 4.5 billion years ago. The first project measured the Zeeman Effect on the 21 cm H I absorption line in order to create a map of the line of sight magnetic fields …

Nonparametric Estimation Of Derivatives With Applications, Benjamin Hall

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

We review several nonparametric regression techniques and discuss their various strengths and weaknesses with an emphasis on derivative estimation and confidence band creation. We develop a generalized C(p) criterion for tuning parameter selection when interest lies in estimating one or more derivatives and the estimator is both linear in the observed responses and self-consistent. We propose a method for constructing simultaneous confidence bands for the mean response and one or more derivatives, where simultaneous now refers both to values of the covariate and to all derivatives under consideration. In addition we generalize the simultaneous confidence bands to account for heteroscedastic …

Remaining Resources Of The Springfield Coal, Gerald A. Weisenfluh

Map and Chart--KGS

Historically, the Springfield (W. Ky. No. 9) opal bed has been the leading source of coal production in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. With 2009 production more than 21 million tons and another 8 million tons of idle capacity, it is also the most important resource in the state of Kentucky. The Springfield coal is known for its lateral continuity in terms of both thickness and quality. It is a medium-sulfur product, desirable for power plants with sulfur-reduction capability, and has higher Btu values and lower chlorine contents compared to other Illinois Basin areas north of Kentucky. It is estimated …

A Trusted Storage System For The Cloud, Sushama Karumanchi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Data stored in third party storage systems like the cloud might not be secure since confidentiality and integrity of data are not guaranteed. Though cloud computing provides cost-effective storage services, it is a third party service and so, a client cannot trust the cloud service provider to store its data securely within the cloud. Hence, many organizations and users may not be willing to use the cloud services to store their data in the cloud until certain security guarantees are made. In this thesis, a solution to the problem of securely storing the client’s data by maintaining the confidentiality and …

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In A Remediated Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase III concentrated on an abandoned dairy feedlot that had been remediated. Results of phase III analyses are presented in this report.

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky, R. Stephen Fisher, E. Glynn Beck

Report of Investigations--KGS

Nitrate concentrations that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards have been reported in Jackson Purchase Region groundwater since the 1960's. More recently, other nonpoint-source chemicals such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds have also been found. The sources of these chemicals and the pathways by which they reach domestic groundwater supplies must be determined to protect human health and to design effective land-management practices.

To investigate the occurrence of nonpoint-source chemicals in Jackson Purchase groundwater, 60 wells were selected on the basis of geographic location, hydrostratigraphic unit penetrated, and well type (bored or drilled); distances to row crops, known …

Ground Motion For The Maximum Credible Earthquake In Kentucky, Zhenming Wang

Report of Investigations--KGS

Although they are not frequent, earthquakes occur in and around Kentucky and pose certain hazards. Assessing seismic hazards is challenging, however, because of a lack of observations. The best estimates of ground motions that could be expected if the maximum credible earthquake occurs in or around Kentucky are depicted in maps showing peak ground acceleration and short-period (0.2 second) and long-period (1.0 second) response accelerations with 5 percent critical damping on hard rock. Another consideration for seismic safety is that the maximum credible earthquake has a long recurrenece interval, from 500 to 1,000 years in the New Madrid Seismic Zone …