The Harvest and the Reapers: Oral Traditions of Kentucky

The oral tradition of Kentucky is one of the most rich and interesting in the nation and has attracted a number of outstanding men and women—scholars and writers, teachers and singers—who have devoted their energies to Kentucky’s folk and their ways. Some have collected examples of the state’s unique speech patterns and word usages. Others have recorded local place names and the legends that surround them, or the yarns and tall tales transmitted from one generation to the next. Musicians have sought the authentic mountain folk songs, both old and new, and gifted writers have woven details of their Kentucky upbringing into poems, novels, and stories. The Harvest and the Reapers illuminates the work of those who labor tirelessly to preserve Kentucky’s oral history and traditions. Kenneth and Mary Clarke are professors of English and folklore at Western Kentucky University. They have collaborated previously on Introducing Folklore and A Folklore Reader, and are former coeditors of the Kentucky Folklore Record. Kenneth Clarke is also author of Uncle Bud Long: The Birth of a Kentucky Folk Legend. Mary Clarke is author of Jesse Stuart’s Kentucky.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_folklore/1003/thumbnail.jp

Uncle Bud Long: The Birth of a Kentucky Folk Legend

According to the scant historical records available, Uncle Bud Long, his daughter Janey, and her son Frankie lived near Clark’s Landing, Kentucky, for about twenty years early in this century. Mr. Clarke has collected the tales of the Longs’ strange ways from old-time residents of the community, both those who knew the Longs and those who inherited the stories by word of mouth. Here he skillfully weaves them into a loose narrative and, in addition, analyzes the ways in which the anecdotes have been transmuted in the process of retelling. This analysis of the stories of Uncle Bud reveals much about the delicate process by which the oral folk tradition grows and thrives. Though at first glance these fragmentary anecdotes hardly seem to constitute a legend, Mr. Clarke convincingly argues that from such humble roots ultimately grows much of what we think of as “literature.” Kenneth W. Clarke is professor of English and folklore at Western Kentucky University.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_folklore/1005/thumbnail.jp

Vascular and immune changes underlying the detrimental short-term effects of high-fat, high-calorie, diets

Evidence suggests that diets high in fat and calories (HFD) can induce detrimental hippocampalspecific behavioural effects starting after as little as 24 hours on the diet. Such a rapid and regionspecific cognitive impact is unexpected given the brain is largely insulated from rapid peripheral changes by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Understanding why this occurs will not only add valuable insight into how influential diets are on our brains, but could also help explain why the hippocampus appears to be one of the regions most sensitive to damage in a myriad of disease states, most prominently in Alzheimer’s Disease. To investigate this I compared mice fed a HFD to those fed a control diet at numerous timepoints, and looked for changes in animal behaviour, microglial and immune responses in the brain, and changes in the brain’s blood supply. The techniques used to do this included behavioural tests, tissue immunostaining, antibody arrays, cranial window implantations, and confocal and two photon microscopy. I compared the measures between timepoints, diets, and brain regions - the hippocampus, cortex, and hypothalamus - to identify which of these measures appeared to change in a hippocampal-specific manner. Results showed that HFD feeding disrupts the relationship between increased neural efficiency and cognitive performance in the hippocampus, with this perhaps driving early hippocampusspecific impairment. This disruption may be related to changes occurring in the vasculature, where HFD-induced capillary bed structural changes increase the resistance to blood flow. Shortterm HFD feeding also led to an increased density of microglial cells. This, and the capillary bed changes, were not region-specific, and my results suggest that these were likely translated to hippocampus-specific cognitive deficits due to the impoverished relationship between vascular support and neuronal metabolism in the hippocampus

Kentucky\u27s Age of Wood

The old tools and wooden objects illustrated in this book are homely reminders of a time when the majestic forests of the frontier were the source not only of the pioneer’s house, barn, and fences, but of his children’s toys, his wife’s egg basket, and a hundred other necessities and pleasures. More than fifty delicate line drawings by Ira Kohn and the clear, nontechnical discussion by Kenneth Clarke of the making and uses of these humble objects—many of them unfamiliar to the eyes of the current generation of Kentuckians—give the reader new insight into the life of the pioneer. Both authors are affiliated with Western Kentucky University. Kenneth Clarke is professor of English and folk studies. Ira Kohn is on the staff of the Kentucky Museum.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_cultural_history/1020/thumbnail.jp

Transitions in the morphological features, habitat use, and diet of young-of-the-year goosefish (Lophius americanus)

This study was designed to improve our understanding of transitions in the early life history and the distribution, habitat use, and diets for young-of-the-year (YOY) goosefish (Lophius americanus) and, as a result, their role in northeastern U.S. continental shelf ecosystems. Pelagic juveniles (>12 to ca. 50 mm total length [TL]) were distributed over most portions of the continental shelf in the Middle Atlantic Bight, Georges Bank, and into the Gulf of Maine. Most individuals settled by 50−85 mm TL and reached approximately 60−120 mm TL by one year of age. Pelagic YOY fed on chaetognaths, hyperiid amphipods, calanoid copepods, and ostracods, and benthic YOY had a varied diet of fishes and benthic crustaceans. Goosefish are widely scattered on the continental shelf in the Middle Atlantic Bight during their early life history and once settled, are habitat generalists, and thus play a role in many continental shelf habi

Magnus Effect in Duct Flow

The following research paper details the preliminary research carried out by this team. The project was originally conceived to determine if Magnus Lift could be utilized in an unconventional way to assist rockets during takeoff. Several conceptual designs were proposed, but the idea was scrapped when it became apparent that the team would not be able to generate the desired lift without inducing significant amounts of drag and additional weight on a rocket. Instead, the team focused on researching an interesting topic that hasn’t been previously explored: Magnus lift on a cylinder within a duct. An experimental procedure that could be carried out in a wind tunnel at the University of Akron was designed along with several models for a test fixture. In order to predict the results of the experiment, several preliminary CFD simulations were performed. Unfortunately, due to limited time and resources, the test fixture was not built and the experiment was not carried out. However, more detailed simulations were performed. Unfortunately, the results suggested that minimal lift is generated on a duct/cylinder system compared to a spinning cylinder in open air. Several potential applications for utilizing the Magnus effect were suggested, such as assisting rockets during takeoff, or allowing trains to enter curves at higher speeds without derailing. Although Magnus effect in duct flow would likely provide negligible benefits, the potential uses for Magnus lift in open air are promising

Magnus Effect in Duct Flow

The following research paper details the preliminary research carried out by this team. The project was originally conceived to determine if Magnus Lift could be utilized in an unconventional way to assist rockets during takeoff. Several conceptual designs were proposed, but the idea was scrapped when it became apparent that the team would not be able to generate the desired lift without inducing significant amounts of drag and additional weight on a rocket. Instead, the team focused on researching an interesting topic that hasn’t been previously explored: Magnus lift on a cylinder within a duct. An experimental procedure that could be carried out in a wind tunnel at the University of Akron was designed along with several models for a test fixture. In order to predict the results of the experiment, several preliminary CFD simulations were performed. Unfortunately, due to limited time and resources, the test fixture was not built and the experiment was not carried out. However, more detailed simulations were performed. Unfortunately, the results suggested that minimal lift is generated on a duct/cylinder system compared to a spinning cylinder in open air. Several potential applications for utilizing the Magnus effect were suggested, such as assisting rockets during takeoff, or allowing trains to enter curves at higher speeds without derailing. Although Magnus effect in duct flow would likely provide negligible benefits, the potential uses for Magnus lift in open air are promising