The Faroe Islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic. With a current population of approximately 49,000 individuals and evidence of high levels of genetic drift, the Faroese are thought to have remained highly homogeneous since their...
Circulating nucleated cell populations found in whole blood, including both white blood cells (leukocytes) and endothelial cells, provide an ideal platform for studies seeking to understand the disease processes for development of drugs and...
Parasites; Medical parasitology; Parasitic diseases
This thesis investigated infection dynamics of parasitic nematodes at both the population
and individual levels by exploring evolutionary and historical aspects of infection as well
as how host-parasite interactions influence virulence. In...
Human exposure to mercury has been shown to cause a number of adverse health outcomes, predominantly neurological effects. The developing fetus is most susceptible, and even low levels of exposure have been shown to produce nervous system deficits....
T cells; Disease susceptibility; Lupus; Sex factors in disease
Females are more susceptible to autoimmune disease than males. In several mouse models of disease, castration of males exacerbates disease while androgen treatment ameliorates disease. These data suggest hormones can have an influence on disease...
Older people--Mental health; Rural health; Urban health
Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions experienced by older adults and represents a major public health concern. Rural/urban residence may affect the prevalence of depression as rural older adults differ from their urban...
In 2003, Wilson Creek running through Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in central Kentucky was restored to its original winding path through a valley field. Early 20th century settlers had previously redirected this creek to run a straight...
Anxiety in children; Anxiety--Physiological aspects
Anxiety disorders are prevalent in both adult and child populations, and are associated with significant economic and psychosocial costs. There are clearly familial patterns of transmission within the anxiety disorders, and the inherited risk is...
Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) establishes life-long gastric infection in billions of humans, and is often responsible for diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Cumulative actions of genetic drift and natural selection over...
Asian Americans--Cultural assimilation; Acculturation--United States; Sports spectators--United States; Consumer behavior--Social aspects--United States
According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2011), ethnic minority populations in the
U.S. constituted over one-third (approximately 126 million) of the total U.S. population
in 2010 (approximately 300.8 million) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). With such...
Naja kaouthia is a significant species because it feeds primarily on agricultural pests, causes human mortality, and is commercially exploited. Understanding the life history and demography of harvested populations is essential to providing...
Information technology--Study and teaching (Secondary); College preparation programs; Academic achievement
Career and Technical Education (CTE) has a long and rich history of achievement
among diverse populations. Two recent events have added to the complexity of CTE.
First, the accountability movement forces traditional programs to show growth...
Church buildings--Spain; Church architecture--Spain; Spain--History--711-1516
This dissertation examines the architectural evidence in the ongoing debate surrounding the demographical and political value of the shifting Iberian frontier of the tenth through twelfth centuries. In particular, it seeks to problematize the...
N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is a phase II metabolic enzyme responsible for the biotransformation of aromatic and heterocyclic amine carcinogens such as 4-aminobiphenyl (ASP). NAT1 catalyzes N-acetylation of arylamines as well as the 0-acetylation...
Corpus callosum; Diagnostic imaging; Autism--Diagnosis
Early detection of human disease in today’s society can have an enormous impact
on the severity of the disease that is manifested. Disease such as Autism and Dyslexia,
which have no current cure or proven mechanism as to how they develop, can...
Adjustment (Psychology) in old age; Aging; Elderly poor; Nursing home patients
BACKGROUND: Current successful aging theory excludes individuals with disease or
disability, limits the potential for successful aging in minority and lower socioeconomic
populations, focuses on behavioral determinants of health rather than social...
In the retina, the receptive fields (RFs) of most neurons are comprised of an excitatory center and a suppressive surround. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) RF center excitatory input arises from bipolar cell (BC) inputs, while their surround arises...
Neurosphere forming cells (NSFCs) have been derived from cultures of adult olfactory neuroepithelium obtained from patients and cadavers in serum rich medium. These neural progenitors remain undifferentiated when maintained in serum rich medium but...
Public health administration--Kentucky; Patient advocacy--Kentucky
Background: One of the core functions of public health is to develop policies that support community and individual health. There are many historic examples in which public health practitioners have advocated successfully for policies that...
Collateral sprouting (CS) occurs when uninjured axons respond to denervated tissue surrounding the axon by growing branches of the axon to reinnervate the denervated zone. This process is signaled by factors released by the denervated tissue. Nerve...