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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
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Pre-Columbian Soil Management, Settlement, And Land Use In Amazonia: Insights Using Micro-Regional Predictive Modelling In Gurupá, Brazil., Lauren Zacks
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The results of a micro-regional predictive model of terra preta sites in the municipality of Gurupá are presented here. A Maximum Entropy approach was selected and modified to fit a presence-background model, rather than a presence-absence model typical of binary classifications. 13 known terra preta sites were used as input samples for the relative suitability model, with explanatory variables in the respective categories of topography, hydrology, soil type and vegetation index. A 30m spatial resolution DEM served as the basis for the former two categories, while additional TauDEM analysis was performed for the hydrology category. A Sentinel-2A mosaicked quarterly composite …
The Relationships Between State-Level Economic Policies, Child Maltreatment, And Suicidal Behavior And Mortality., Yana B. Feygin
The Relationships Between State-Level Economic Policies, Child Maltreatment, And Suicidal Behavior And Mortality., Yana B. Feygin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Suicide has proven to be difficult to predict and prevent at the individual level,1–3 so much so that a recent analysis of individual risk assessments found a maximal positive predictive value of 5.5% for suicide death,2 and suicide continues to be a leading cause of death among adolescents age 10-19 years.4 By targeting modifiable risk factors at the population level, policy has the potential to extend our reach to people and subgroups that are missed by individual level interventions. This ecological study of adolescent suicide rates, state policies, and child maltreatment in US states from 2005-2019 and Kentucky counties from …
“Long Live Ear X-Tacy!”: An Oral History Study Of Rhetorics Of Nostalgia And Place., Aubrie Warner
“Long Live Ear X-Tacy!”: An Oral History Study Of Rhetorics Of Nostalgia And Place., Aubrie Warner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study aims to explore rhetorical placemaking through how people understand and construct narratives around places that no longer exist. In doing so, it examines the relationship between nostalgia and place — how rhetorical construction of place is influenced and/or informed by rhetorics of nostalgia, how our experiences influence our sense of place (past and present), and how we create continuity for ourselves in the construction and maintenance of particular narratives. This study contributes to the emerging field of rhetorics of nostalgia and places it in direct conversation with rhetorics of place and unpacks how these two are more connected …
Understanding The Impacts Of Global Change: From Students To Microbes., Kylea Garces
Understanding The Impacts Of Global Change: From Students To Microbes., Kylea Garces
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Global change is a crucial process, affecting every organism, from the billions of humans on earth, to the billions of microbes in the soil belowground. Evaluating the impacts of the many drastic changes associated with global change is essential in advancing our understanding in how to mitigate these consequences. Alongside the production of basic ecological knowledge associated with these environmental changes, improving education practices to promote science literacy surrounding global change is another step towards a more optimistic future. This dissertation investigates global change from two standpoints: ecologically, where increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition alters plant-fungal endophyte symbiosis, and pedagogically, …
Mejorar La Raza: Measuring The Implicit Anti-Black Racial Bias Of Multiracial Individuals., Katalina Traxler
Mejorar La Raza: Measuring The Implicit Anti-Black Racial Bias Of Multiracial Individuals., Katalina Traxler
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation sought to examine if there are implicit anti-Black racial bias differences across multiracial people who identify as Black/White compared to multiracial people who do not identify as Black/White, accounting for age, citizenship, and education level. It was also determined if age, citizenship status, and education level moderate the relationship between multiracial identity and implicit anti-Black racial bias. The theories guiding this dissertation were: Heider’s Balance Theory, Multiracial Identity Development, and White Identity Development. The data were collected from Project Implicit, a non-profit organization and international collaborative of researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition. The data analysis …
Investigating The Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, Kratom Legislation, And The Covid-19 Pandemic On Opioid Overdose Mortality In The United States., Lyndsey Blair
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background: 585,000 people have died from an opioid overdose in the US between 1999 and 2020. The current opioid epidemic has been described as a quadruple wave of overdoses, due in part to the changes in prescription and illicit opioid supply as well as the underlying social and structural factors that led to a subsequent increase in demand. In order to mitigate the opioid epidemic through prevention and protection strategies, we must first understand the social and structural factors that are driving the increase in opioid misuse and abuse. To better understand the socioeconomic factors, we described socioeconomic profiles of …
Ecological Differences In The Associations Between Air Pollution, Greenness, And Risk Of Stroke: The Regards Study., Daniel W. Riggs
Ecological Differences In The Associations Between Air Pollution, Greenness, And Risk Of Stroke: The Regards Study., Daniel W. Riggs
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The adverse health effects of air pollution have long been recognized, with the majority of morbidity and mortality due to its effects on the cardiovascular system. Alternatively, living in areas with higher greenness has been found to be beneficial to a wide range of health outcomes. However, few studies have considered that these relationships may vary depending on the surrounding ecosystem. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution and greenness on incidence of stroke, and how these relationships vary with the major ecological regions of the United States. We utilized the …
Identifying The Cardiovascular Effects Of Multiple Pollutants., Katlyn Elizabeth Mcgraw
Identifying The Cardiovascular Effects Of Multiple Pollutants., Katlyn Elizabeth Mcgraw
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death from environmental exposures. Although exposure to PM2.5 is an established risk factor for CVD, the contribution of other hazardous pollutant exposure to CVD is less clear. Overall, this work aimed to examine the effect of pollutants with lesser documented effects on cardiovascular disease using a multi-pronged approach to exposure assessment. The three aims were to examine the relationship between county-level toxic chemical releases and CVD mortality in the contiguous United States between 2002 and 2012, to assess the relationship between individual-level VOC metabolites and vascular function, and to build multipollutant …
Lead And Crime: An Ecological Study Between Lead Contaminated Topsoil And Violent Crime., Brian Guinn
Lead And Crime: An Ecological Study Between Lead Contaminated Topsoil And Violent Crime., Brian Guinn
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Lead is a known neurotoxicant. Human exposure to lead comes primarily through environmental exposures, including remnant lead paint, lead contaminated topsoil and lead contaminated water. Prenatal and early life lead exposure has been associated with numerous neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. This dissertation presents findings from an ecological study which evaluated the geospatial association between topsoil lead content and the incidence of FBI designated violent crime in Jefferson County, Kentucky. A total of 412 topsoil samples were collected along roadways (n=300) and from Louisville Metro Parks (n=112). Jefferson County crime data was obtained from the Louisville Metro Police Department – Crime …
The Population Ecology And Behavior Of The Cave Salamander, Eurycea Lucifuga (Rafinesque, 1822)., Joseph Gavin Bradley
The Population Ecology And Behavior Of The Cave Salamander, Eurycea Lucifuga (Rafinesque, 1822)., Joseph Gavin Bradley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Cave Salamander, Eurycea lucifuga (Rafinesque, 1822), is a little-known species, yet a common inhabitant of caves in the eastern United States. Salamanders are often important components of ecological communities and ecosystems, influencing critical processes such as nutrient cycling and community composition through their predation on invertebrates. Cave-dwelling salamanders such as E. lucifuga may thus appreciably influence the relatively simple ecosystems and communities of caves. Any such influence may be particularly important because these habitats and the organisms that reside in them are often of conservation concern. I used non-invasive methods to study the demographics, movements, and habitat selection of …
T Socio-Ecology Of Managed Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) In The Louisville Metro Area., Haileigh M. Arnold
T Socio-Ecology Of Managed Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) In The Louisville Metro Area., Haileigh M. Arnold
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Humans have a long history of the practice of beekeeping to harness the power of pollination. This managed pollinator system consists of beekeepers, honeybees, and their environment. However, recent disease, pesticide use, and land use factors honeybee threaten this relationship. In the face of such concerns it is important to examine the factors that impact and can help sustain our managed pollinator systems. In this thesis, the national and Kentucky state-level policies that affect managed pollinator systems were examined and socio-ecological factors that may contribute to honeybee hive growth and losses were assessed along an urban development gradient in Louisville, …
Moving Mountains : A Study Examining Long-Term Impacts Of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining On Mortality In The Appalachian Region Using Geographic Information Sciences Techniques., James Howard Kent Pugh
Moving Mountains : A Study Examining Long-Term Impacts Of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining On Mortality In The Appalachian Region Using Geographic Information Sciences Techniques., James Howard Kent Pugh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Over the last hundred years, the Appalachian region has been dominated by the coal industry. It has also been and currently is one of the unhealthiest regions in the United States. Recent scholarship has examined the relationship between coal mining and health and mortality rates in the Appalachian region. The first study incorporates air quality and pollution data to examine if coal mining counties have higher levels of pollution and if this pollution contributes to mortality disadvantage. In the second study, I construct a population-based coal-exposure measure to better evaluate the relationship between coal mining and health I find that …
Diversity For Diversity's Sake? The Relationship Between Diversity And School-Level Academic Achievement., Richard Aaron Wisman
Diversity For Diversity's Sake? The Relationship Between Diversity And School-Level Academic Achievement., Richard Aaron Wisman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
There is contention among researchers about how to best operationalize socioeconomic status (SES). This study seeks to provide an explicit definition of one metric of socioeconomic status, the diversity index (DI) of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and investigates its efficacy at predicting the aggregate academic achievement of students within a school, relative to other common metrics of SES which are analogous to components of the DI. Another purpose of this study is to investigate possible peer effects of socioeconomic diversity on low SES students. This study utilizes a correlational – multiple regression approach to explore relationships among study variables …
An Environmental History Of The Rio Grande In The Panama Canal Zone, 1521- 1950., Francisco Javier Bonilla
An Environmental History Of The Rio Grande In The Panama Canal Zone, 1521- 1950., Francisco Javier Bonilla
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis is an examination of the history of environmental change in the defunct Rio Grande river valley in the former Panama Canal Zone. By mining secondary sources and engineering records, this study provides a narrative of the historic river’s role in the formation of the so-called interoceanic corridor through the isthmus of Panama from 1521 to 1950. More importantly, however, as a case study of river histories in Latin American environmental history, this understudied, Pacific-draining river illustrates how nature and non-human nature made Panama’s strategic transit region into a loci for material flows over time. The Rio Grande played …
Effects Of Different Agricultural Management Systems On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity, Community Structure, And Ecosystem Services., Charles Bradford Gottshall
Effects Of Different Agricultural Management Systems On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity, Community Structure, And Ecosystem Services., Charles Bradford Gottshall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Disturbances associated with row-crop agricultural management systems include mechanical (tillage and cultivation) and chemical (fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides) inputs and are often co-occurring. Many soil microbes are sensitive to these disturbances, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), important plant mutualists in agricultural systems. AMF associate with many crop plants and provide direct benefits through root pathogen protection, drought resistance, nutrient acquisition and uptake, as well as contribute to ecosystem services by improving overall soil fertility. Examining how different row-crop management system disturbances affect the AMF community is important for understanding and enhancing benefits provided by these important mutualists, and key to …
The Evolution And Ecology Of Individual Specializations Amongst A Group Of Dietary Generalists., Carl S. Cloyed
The Evolution And Ecology Of Individual Specializations Amongst A Group Of Dietary Generalists., Carl S. Cloyed
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation examines individual diet specializations (IS) in a group of ecologically similar and evolutionarily related frogs and toads. Individual specialization is known to have widespread ecological and evolutionary effects. In an initial literature review (Chapter 2) I build a comprehensive theoretical framework showing how different types of population diversity can help, halt, or hinder sympatric speciation. I argue that IS can be maintained indefinitely in populations yet fail to lead to speciation because it is influenced by ecological conditions that may change. Additionally, IS can potentially aid niche partitioning among similar species, increasing species coexistence and resulting in less …
Quality Of Primary Care From The Patient Perspective In Saudi Arabia : A Multi-Level Study., Khalid Awad Alahmary
Quality Of Primary Care From The Patient Perspective In Saudi Arabia : A Multi-Level Study., Khalid Awad Alahmary
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Objectives: To assess primary care performance for measures of patients’ experience in Community-based Primary Care (CPC) and Employer-based Primary Care (EPC) systems in Saudi Arabia, to examine variations in performance across the two systems, and to explore factors at both the individual-level and the organizational-level that explain variations in primary care performance. Design and Methods: This is an observational and cross-sectional study, using comparative design and survey research methods. The newly revised and re-translated Arabic version of the Primary Care Assessment Survey (PCAS) was used to measure patients’ experience of primary care. PCAS operationalizes the IOM definition of primary care, …
Territoriality And Landscape Of Aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola
Territoriality And Landscape Of Aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Behavioral adjustments in response to the presence of landmarks can exert strong effects on population dynamics of territorial species as well as the evolution of behavior and social systems. Hence, an understanding of the role of landmarks in animal contests provides a link between behavioral decision-making and population dynamics, which has been viewed as a major goal in ecology. This dissertation investigates the effects of landmarks on territory defense, focusing on how landmarks affect differences in sex roles, the landscape of aggression and fundamental territory properties. To investigate these ideas, I used three different cichlid fish species as model systems. …
Religion And Regionalism : Congregants, Culture And City-County Consolidation In Louisville, Kentucky., Joshua D. Ambrosius
Religion And Regionalism : Congregants, Culture And City-County Consolidation In Louisville, Kentucky., Joshua D. Ambrosius
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Literature on religious involvement in public affairs typically examines the national scene, particularly public opinion and political behavior in presidential elections. Few scholars examine religious actors in urban politics and policymaking. Those who do study local politics emphasize morality policy and ignore issues of metropolitan governance and institutional design, central concerns of the urban politics field. This dissertation fills that gap by studying Louisville, Kentucky, site of the first large-scale city-county consolidation since 1969. I ask: does religion affect how people vote in a consolidation referendum and shape their opinions about merged government? I employ a survey instrument (N=807), collected …
Life As A Sober Citizen : Aldo Leopold's Wildlife Ecology 118., Nancy Stearns Theiss
Life As A Sober Citizen : Aldo Leopold's Wildlife Ecology 118., Nancy Stearns Theiss
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This historic case study addressed the issue of the lack of citizen action toward environmentally responsible behavior. Although there have been studies regarding components of environmental responsible behavior [ERB], there has been little focus on historic models of exemplary figures of ERB. This study examined one of the first conservation courses in the United States, Wildlife Ecology 118, taught by Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) for 13 years at the University of Wisconsin. Today, Aldo Leopold is recognized as an exemplary conservationist whose land ethic is cited as providing the ecological approach needed for understanding the complex issues of modern society. The …
Characterization Of Microbial Communities In Karstic Sediments : A Study Of Cave Bacteria In Central Kentucky., Justine Kay Roback 1964-
Characterization Of Microbial Communities In Karstic Sediments : A Study Of Cave Bacteria In Central Kentucky., Justine Kay Roback 1964-
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Few previous studies have compared microbial communities in subterranean and surface environments. Chemical analyses used to characterize the surface and cave microbial environments indicated limited exchange between surface and subsurface waters. Here, bacterial communities from four distinct cave sediments collected in central Kentucky and adjacent surface streams were compared using a combination of culture and molecular methods. Predictions were that: 1) Cave communities will have unique community structures when compared to those of nearby surface sediments, and 2) Genetic diversity of bacterial communities in cave sediments will be higher than those in nearby surface sediments. Since diversity and community structure …