A series of studies were conducted to examine morphological and physiological responses of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa prazensis L.) following foliar applications of chelated iron phosphate citrate (Fe), the synthetic cytokinin benzyladenine (BA), the systemic triazole fungicides propiconazole and triadimefon, and MZ63 cold water seaweed extract. Applications of Fe at 112 mg m⁻², BA at 6 mg m⁻², propiconazole and triadimefon at 42 and 150 mg m⁻², respectively, and MZ63 seaweed extract at 0.32 ml m⁻² enhanced root and shoot growth and development of seedling Kentucky bluegrass. Repeated applications of BA, the triazoles, or MZ63 in late summer or fall and spring tended to slightly increase post-transplant rooting and sod strength of Kentucky bluegrass as compared to single applications. Repeated applications of Fe applied alone in late summer or fall and spring increased Kentucky bluegrass rooting as compared to single applications of Fe. However, the potential for reduced sod strength and post-transplant rooting was also indicated following single summer applications of chelated Fe at 112 mg m⁻². Kentucky bluegrass growth from various combinations of BA, the triazoles, MZ63 seaweed extract and Fe were highly variable. The nature of the responses indicated the possibility of an adverse interaction between the growth promoting activities of chelated Fe and the other materials. Kentucky bluegrass seedlings treated with Fe, BA, the triazoles, or MZ63 seaweed extract had increased photosynthetic rates on a land area basis, but not on a per gram shoot dry weight basis. These results suggested the larger photosynthetic rates were probably in response to an increased leaf area resulting from stimulation of leaf and lateral bud initiation. Benzyladenine was the most active material in delaying the senescence-like response of excised Kentucky bluegrass leaves as measured by carbon dioxide exchange, percent chlorophyll fluorescence decay, and leaf color ratings. Applications of Fe or propiconazole also delayed excision-induced senescence of Kentucky bluegrass leaves, while the anti-senescence activity of triadimefon was highly variable. Combinations of Fe with BA or the triazoles did not further promote a delay in excision-induced senescence. / Ph. D.

Although Wendell Berry’s first book, a novel, appeared in 1960, he did not gain significant national attention until the publication of his nonfiction manifesto, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, in 1977. Since its publication, Berry has moved increasingly toward the prose of persuasion as he continues to sharpen his argument in support of a practical, continuous harmony between the human economy and Nature. His canon as a whole – the poems, essays, and novels – is an ongoing and thorough exploration of man’s use of and relationship to the land. Arguing that the health of a culture is linked to the health of its land, Berry focuses on agriculture, particularly the growing conflict between traditional farming (which espouses a harmonious cyclic vision) and modern agribusiness (which espouses a discordant linear vision). As a traditional farmer wedded to the land, Berry derives his ideas and images largely from his practical experiences and form his devotion to careful and responsible land stewardship. He also, in his nonfiction, turns to several agricultural (as well as a few literary) writers of the past and present to lend support to his arguments. Berry’s strong sense of Nature’s cycle is the basis for his imagery of departures and returns. As a crucial part of the cycle, death is prerequisite to life, and Berry shows the importance of understanding “that the land we live on and the lives we live are the gifts of death” (Home Economics 62). The power of Nature’s cycle is at once destructive and restorative; Berry teaches that by allying our human economy more with natural cyclic processes rather than with man-made linear – and ultimately destructive – ones, we and future generations can live with hope and assurance through the possibility of renewal. Traditional farming has taught Berry the concepts which inform his poems and essays (as well as his novels and short stories, which merit a separate study beyond the scope of this paper.) For example, he has learned, and continues to learn, the importance of understanding and acknowledging the primal, and ruling, character of a “place”; of looking to Nature for guidance, instruction, and justice; and of allying farming practices to Nature’s “Wheel” of birth, growth, maturity, death, and decay. This cycle and related motifs unify and connect his central themes, particularly death as a means of renewal. In Berry’s view, one of the cruxes in the agricultural crisis is that, whereas traditional farming seeks a natural balance between growth and decay, industrial farming, because of its pull toward mass production, stresses growth only (a linear inclination), which wears out the land and leads inevitably to infertility. Tracing our modern crisis to our past and to our present character and culture, Berry shows the ramifications of our abuse of Nature’s “gifts.”

The need for improved highway facilities in the east urban area of Daviess County, Kentucky, is analyzed in this study. The study focuses upon the need for alternative highway routes, due to the increased travel demands generated by a new Ohio River Bridge in eastern Daviess County. Also, the east urban area is forecasted to experience population and employment growth in the next decade, further necessitating the need for improving existing highways or constructing new corridors in the area. Various alternative alignments for an expressway are examined. The feasibility of upgrading existing highways in the east urban area is also analyzed. The study utilizes numerous transportation planning techniques, including the development of traffic projections, highway capacity analysis, cost estimates and land use and environmental impacts. The study includes original research and data collection in analyzing five alternatives. An alternative for constructing a new expressway in the east urban area of Daviess County is recommended.

Because of the potential health hazards associated with the use of sludge for agricultural purposes, Dudley et al (1980) published a scheme for the routine analysis of bacteria in municipal sewage sludge. In this study, the Dudley et al scheme (1980) was modified by updating some of the procedures. Aerobically digested sludge generated by the Bowling Green Wastewater Treatment Plant, Bowling Green, Kentucky, was analyzed using the modified scheme. Sludge samples were collected once every two months over a one-year period from October 1989 to August 1990. Egg yolk-free tryptose sulfite cycloserine agar in conjunction with the revewrse CAMP test was used to assay for Clostridium perfringens. This procedure improved the one proposed by Dudley et al. (1980) by achieving a higher confirmation rate, reducing testing time, allowing for easier interpretation of results, and increasing accuracy. Selective and differential media by Rippey and Cabelli (1979) were added to the scheme to isolate Aeromonas, Aeroomonas hydrophila and Aeromonas caviae were successfully isolated wand were identified using the system by Cunliffe and Adcock (1989) for speciating aeromonads. Baird-Parker medium was compared to mannitol salt agar for effectiveness in isolating Staphylococcus from sludge. Statistical analysis showed Baird-Parker medium to be significantly more effective than mannitol salt agar. However, neither agar reduced background flora to acceptable levels. Staphylococcus isolates were subject to species identification by the API Staph Ident system (Analytab Products, Plainview, New York). Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis were found to be present in the sludge. A procedure by Ottolenghi and Hamparian (1987) was employed to isolate Salmonella in sludge. No salmonellae were isolated over the one year period. Over the year-long study, bacterial numbers, with the exception of Clostridium perfringens and the total aerobic count, fluctuated with variations in the aerobic digester temperature. Numbers decreased as temperature increased. Clostridium perfringens counts were the most consistent throughout the year and exceeded fecal coliform and fecal streptococci counts in five of the six samplings.

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of determining the practices utilized by college supervisors of secondary student teachers in Kentucky. A mailed questionnaire was employed to determine the emphasis of practices of the college supervisor pertaining to student teachers, cooperating teachers, and cooperating school administrators. The purposes of this study included the following: 1. To determine the status of Kentucky college and university supervisors of secondary student teachers. 2. To compare the practices of Kentucky college supervisors with practices recommended by national authorities in the field of student teaching. 3. To compare the practices reported by general supervisors with practices reported by special supervisors. 4. To compare the supervisory practices as reported in Texas in 1968 to the practices reported currently in Kentucky. The findings pertaining to the status of the Kentucky college supervisor included the following: 1. Seventy-one percent of Kentucky college supervisors reported having a total of more than ten years teaching experience at different levels. Twenty-eight percent had more than twenty years full-time teaching experience. 2. Sixty-four percent of the supervisors reported twenty-one or more student teachers as a full supervisory load. 3. Fifty-four percent of college supervisors at state schools and 39 percent at private schools hold the rank of assistant professor. 4. Fifty-two percent of college supervisors at state schools and 36 percent at private schools hold the earned doctorate. The findings pertaining to the practices of the Kentucky college supervisor of secondary student teachers included the following: 1. The null hypothesis that no significant differences exist between the emphasis of supervisory practices by the state presidents of the Association of Teacher Educators and by Kentucky college supervisors was retained. 2. The null hypothesis that no significant differences exist between the emphasis of supervisory practices of special and general supervisors was retained. 3. The null hypothesis, that no significant differences would exist between the utilization of supervisory practices reported by Texas supervisors in 1968 and such utilization by Kentucky supervisors, was rejected. The conclusions of the study included the following: 1. Kentucky supervisors were utilizing the practices recommended by national authorities. 2. Special and general supervisors in Kentucky were utilizing recommended practices equally well. 3. Kentucky supervisors were utilizing recommended practices to a higher degree than did Texas supervisors in 1968.

As a border state, Kentucky occupied a unique position in the early days of the Civil War. Her neutral stance was observed by the belligerents for the first five months of the conflict, but in September 1861, troops entered the state. Confederate armies under the leadership of Brigadier Generals Humphrey Marshall and Feliz Zollicoffer sought to drive the Federal forces from eastern Kentucky. Through a series of skirmishes, however, the Southern armies were repelled and placed on the defensive. Later defeats at Logan’s Cross Roads and Middle Creek in early January 1862 cleared eastern Kentucky of Confederate forces. For the next several months, the Confederates regrouped out of the state and planned a major offensive to deliver Kentucky to the Confederacy. Under the guidance of Generals Braxto Bragg and E. Kirby Smith, the fateful invasion took shape in August 1862. But by then, possibly the best chance for a Confederate Kentucky had already passed.

ABSTRACT A DIACHRONIC ANALYSIS OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST MISSIONS AMONG HISPANICS IN KENTUCKY Jonathan Paul Young, D.Miss. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013 Chair: Dr. M. David Sills Chapter 1 examines the Hispanic community in the United States then in Kentucky. It provides an overview of the history of Southern Baptist missions among Hispanics in Kentucky as seen through the framework of the six regional Hispanic ministries. An overview of the importance of the Hispanic Statewide Council and the Hispanic Baptist Bible Institute are sketched. Finally, the chapter concludes with the background of the study, and the research methodology. Chapter 2 provides an in-depth sketch of the histories of the Central Hispanic Region and South Central Hispanic Region. I begin with a historical picture of the Central Hispanic Region. The beginnings, growth, and present standing are then examined. This chapter includes a brief look at other ministries geared towards Hispanics who are found within this geographical region. The Hispanic racetrack ministry of Churchill Downs in Louisville and of Turfway Park in Florence along with Northern Kentucky Baptist Association's Hispanic Ministry history serve as examples. Following this is an examination of South Central Hispanic Region. The beginnings, growth and present status will are provided chronologically. The chapter concludes with a few insights garnered from these two regions. Chapter 3 presents historical sketches of both the Bluegrass Hispanic Region and the Southwestern Hispanic Region. First, the beginnings, growth and present status of Hispanic Southern Baptists are examined. Second, Elkhorn Baptist Association's Hispanic ministry history is surveyed. Third, the Southwestern Hispanic Region is presented in the same manner. The chapter concludes with several insights learned from these two Kentucky Hispanic Baptist Regions. Chapter 4 chronicles the histories of the Southern Kentucky Hispanic Region and the Western Hispanic Region. Both of these regions are presented much like the other previous regional Hispanic regions in this dissertation while including the idiosyncrasies of the regions at hand. Chapter 5 begins by summarizing the findings of this diachronic analysis of Southern Baptist missions among Hispanics in Kentucky. Drawing upon previous chapters, I suggest several potential applications for Kentucky Baptists, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic alike. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for further research.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, infects a variety of wild mammals in the southern United States, but it has only recently been isolated from raccoons trapped in the state of Kentucky. The purpose of the present study was to use a molecular genotyping approach, followed by DNA sequencing to determine the genotypes (type I, or types IIa-IIe) of 15 of the Kentucky isolates. DNA samples were prepared from 15 T. cruzi- isolates using a Qiagen mini kit, and PCR amplification was performed using published primers for the 24S α rDNA sequence (D71 and D72), the non-transcribed spacer of the mini-exon genes (TC, TC1, and TC2), the 18S rDNA sequence (V1 and V2), and TCZ1 and TCZ2 primers that amplify a 188-base pair segment of the repetitive 195-bp nuclear DNA sequence of T. cruzi. DNA sequencing (ABI 3130 Genetic Analyzer) was performed on all amplification products obtained from the PCR analysis of the RW2 and RB12 isolates (randomly selected to represent both Warren and Barren counties of Kentucky; the number started with an “R” which stood for raccoon, a “W” for Warren County or a “B” for Barren County, followed by a number which represented the order in which animal was trapped). The resulting sequences were edited before analysis using the BLAST database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Genbank. All 15 isolates were positively confirmed as T. cruzi based upon PCR amplification of a 195 bp repetitive genomic DNA sequence, and all 15 isolates showed identical PCR amplification results with all 4 sets of T. cruzi-specific primers. Two positive PCR samples were randomly selected for further DNA sequence analysis, and all samples were positively identified as the type IIa genotype of T. cruzi with max identities ranging from 94%-99%. The results of this study confirm that all hemoculture isolates obtained from raccoons trapped in Warren and Barren counties of Kentucky are T. cruzi. Furthermore, all BLAST comparisons of amplicon DNA sequences showed high sequence identity to type IIa strains of T. cruzi. The type IIa strain of T. cruzi is the most commonly reported genotype from raccoons trapped in the U.S.A.

This study examined United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) methods 507 and 508.1; analytical methods used to test drinking water for Atrazine. Additionally, this study examines the seasonal variation of Atrazine in Kentucky drinking water. Atrazine is a triazine herbicide used to control and inhibit the growth of broad leaf and grassy weeds. Atrazine’s ability to be transported to community drinking water supplies makes it a significant public health issue, as it has been linked to myriad negative health endpoints ranging from endocrine disruption to various forms of cancer, including stomach and ovarian cancer. To date, there is little research examining the current methods used to test for Atrazine and its seasonal variation in drinking water. Drinking water samples previously collected by the Kentucky Division of Water and the Kentucky Geological Survey from 117 of 120 counties throughout the state from January 2000 to December 2008 were used for this study. To examine inter-method comparison between methods 507 and 508.1, samples were subjected to the Mann-Whitney U test. Median values of methods 507 and 508.1 were found to be similar (p=0.7421). To examine seasonal variation, data from each year from 2000 to 2008, as well as the entire 2000-2008 period, were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis One Way Analysis of Variance. Years 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008 as well as the full 2000-2008 span were found to have significantly different Atrazine concentrations from season to season. Years 2001, 2005, and 2006 were not found to have significantly different concentrations from season to season. The 2000-2008 span was then subjected to the Seasonal Kendal Test for Trend, which determined a significant (p=0.000092) decreasing linear trend of -7.6 x 10-6 mg/L/year of Atrazine in Kentucky. Similar decreasing linear trends were seen throughout the five regions in the state during this time period as well. This study further expands on knowledge of the occurrence and persistence of Atrazine in the environment. Comparative analysis of US EPA analytical methods and the seasonal variation of Atrazine in drinking water provide a background for future research.

Tourism plays a vital role in the success and sustainability of the wine industry in Kentucky. In order for the wine tourism industry to be successful in Kentucky, it is essential to continue to find ways to attract visitors to Kentucky wineries. Networking with competitors and other tourism industry stakeholders can be a successful way for winery owners to attract visitors to wineries; however, literature demonstrates that winery owners often need incentive to do so. This research explores the economic impacts of tourism on Kentuckys wineries that network with competitors and tourism industry stakeholders and those that do not. It is determined that those wineries that network, experience increased profitability and growth in sales and consequently, a growth in tourism activities to their winery. Implications related to government and winery owners for the sustained growth of wine tourism in Kentucky are included.