Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Clinically Relevant Intronic Splicing Enhancer Mutation In Myelin Proteolipid Protein Leads To Progressive Microglia And Astrocyte Activation In White And Gray Matter Regions Of The Brain, Adam D. Bachstetter, Scott J. Webster, Linda J. Van Eldik, Franca Cambi

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Mutations in proteolipid protein (PLP), the most abundant myelin protein in the CNS, cause the X-linked dysmyelinating leukodystrophies, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) and spastic paraplegia type 2 (SPG2). Point mutations, deletion, and duplication of the PLP1 gene cause PMD/SPG2 with varying clinical presentation. Deletion of an intronic splicing enhancer (ISEdel) within intron 3 of the PLP1 gene is associated with a mild form of PMD. Clinical and preclinical studies have indicated that mutations in myelin proteins, including PLP, can induce neuroinflammation, but the temporal and spatial onset of the reactive glia response in a clinically relevant mild form of PMD …

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program And Food Insecurity, Christian Gregory, Matthew P. Rabbitt, David C. Ribar

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

This chapter reviews recent theory and empirical evidence regarding the effect of SNAP on food insecurity and replicates the modelling strategies used in the empirical literature. The authors find that recent evidence suggesting an ameliorative effect of SNAP on food insecurity may not be robust to specification choice or data. Most specifications mirror the existing literature in finding a positive association of food insecurity with SNAP participation. Two-stage least squares and control function methods do show that SNAP reduces food insecurity, but effects are not consistent across sub-populations and are not always statistically significant.

A Convergence-Building Model Of Superfund Site Communication: Building On Lessons From The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Anna G. Hoover, Lindell Ormsbee

Anna G. Hoover

Best practices approaches have guided governmental risk communication efforts at Superfund and other chronic risk sites for more than two decades, playing an important role in the ways in which those most affected by contamination make sense of risk. Such approaches can affect the information environment in two separate but related ways: 1) directly, through the explicit sharing of information, and 2) indirectly, through ongoing stakeholder interpretations of the processes by which that information is shared. To date, the indirect, process-related effects have not been addressed in assessments of communicative efficacy at Superfund sites. Thus, it increasingly is necessary to …

Snap And The School Meal Programs, Judith Bartfeld

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

The Great Recession and its immediate aftermath have brought increasing attention both to food insecurity among children and to the associated food safety net. After a decade of largely stable food insecurity rates, the share of children living in food insecure households jumped by one-third between 2007 and 2008, and has remained stubbornly high since then. As of 2012, 21.6% of all children lived in food insecure households (Coleman-Jensen et al. 2013). The scope and reach of the food safety net for children has likewise grown – a response to rising need, efforts to reduce administrative and logistical barriers to …

Sexual Coercion And Sexual Violence At First Intercourse Associated With Sexually Transmitted Infections, Corrine M. Williams, Emily R. Clear, Ann L. Coker

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Violence against women has been associated with subsequent risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We explored whether sexual coercion or violence at first intercourse was associated with self-reported STIs.

METHODS: Using nationally representative data from the 2006 to 2010 National Survey of Family Growth, we analyzed female respondents aged 18 to 44 (n = 9466) who answered questions on coercion at first intercourse (wantedness, voluntariness, and types of force used) and STIs using logistic regression analyses. We explored degrees of coercion, which we label as neither, sexual coercion (unwanted or nonphysical force), or sexual violence (involuntary or …

Diabetes And Prostate Cancer Screening In Black And White Men, Maureen Sanderson, Jay H. Fowke, Loren Lipworth, Xijing Han, Flora Ukoli, Ann L. Coker, William J. Blot, Margaret K. Hargreaves

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

PURPOSE: Prior studies conducted primarily among white men find a reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with time since developing diabetes. While biologic explanations are plausible, the association may in part arise from more frequent prostate cancer screening among those with a diabetes diagnosis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between diabetes and prostate cancer screening.

METHODS: We examined differences in prostate cancer screening (prostate-specific antigen and/or digital rectal examination) testing practices after a diabetes diagnosis among lower-income persons living in the southeastern United States and enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002 …

The Effect Of Snap On Poverty, Laura Tiehen, Dean Jolliffe, Timothy Smeeding

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

On signing the Food Stamp Act of 1964, President Johnson noted that “as a permanent program, the food stamp plan will be one of our most valuable weapons for the war on poverty” (Johnson, 1964). From a humble beginning of 2.9 million recipients per month and $228 million in benefits in 1969 (earliest national figures), the program has grown to serve 47 million persons with benefits of over $74.6 Billion in 2012 (USDA, 2013a). In the late 60’s and early 70’s, when the average monthly benefit was under $20 per month per month, we did not record the effects of …

Why Are So Many Americans On Food Stamps? The Role Of The Economy, Policy, And Demographics, James P. Ziliak

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

1 in 7 Americans received assistance from SNAP in FY2012, which is a rate 141 percent higher than in FY2000, but only 59 percent higher than in FY1980. In this chapter I describe the socioeconomic and policy climate in recent decades that had bearing on SNAP participation, along with a formal empirical analysis of those determinants and detailed simulations of the relative contributions of the economy, policy, and demographics to changes in SNAP participation over time. The results suggest that SNAP is operating effectively as an automatic fiscal stabilizer—nearly 50 percent of the increase in participation from 2007-2011 is due …

Circulating Micrornas In Alzheimer's Disease: The Search For Novel Biomarkers, Véronique Dorval, Peter T. Nelson, Sébastien S. Hébert

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. While advancements have been made in understanding the genetic and molecular basis of AD, the clinical diagnosis of AD remains difficult, and post-mortem confirmation is often required. Furthermore, the onset of neurodegeneration precedes clinical symptoms by approximately a decade. Consequently, there is a crucial need for an early and accurate diagnosis of AD, which can potentially lead to strategies that can slow down or stop the progression of neurodegeneration and dementia. Recent advances in the non-coding RNA field have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) can function as powerful biomarkers …

The Influence Of Parental Aspirations, Attitudes, And Engagement On Children's Very Low Food Security, Elizabeth T. Powers

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Survey of Income and Program Participation data are used to investigate the relationship between parenting and children’s very low food security. Parenting is characterized along five domains (emotional outlook, support, education desires, activities with the child excluding meals, and television viewing rules). Food security definitions are obtained from questions in a special SIPP module that are based on the USDA’s core food security module. Graphical evidence indicates that parenting patterns differ distinctly for households experiencing various levels of food insecurity. Descriptive regression evidence suggests that some of the parenting attributes are significantly associated with children’s food insecurity, even controlling for …

Food Insecurity During Childhood: Understanding Persistence And Change Using Linked Current Population Survey Data, Sheela Kennedy, Catherine A. Fitch, John Robert Warren, Julia A. Rivera Drew

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Our paper examines the prevalence and determinants of children’s transitions into and out of food insecurity since 2001. We use longitudinally linked data from the Food Security Supplements to the Current Population Surveys to estimate one-year transition probabilities of entry and exit from food insecurity. Our results indicate that child hunger is typically short-lived, but children experiencing very low food security frequently experience multiple consecutive years of food insecurity. We demonstrate large demographic and socioeconomic differences in rates of entry into very low food security and persistence in children's food insecurity. Income and employment shocks are important predictors of child …

Use Of Alternative Financial Services And Childhood Food Insecurity, Katie Fitzpatrick

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Low- and moderate-income (LMI) households with children often face considerable difficulties in ensuring enough financial resources for an adequate diet. This project investigates the use of financial services and other financial decisions parents make that may affect the risk of very low food security and food insecurity of children. With households in both the December 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement and the January 2009 CPS Unbanked and Underbanked Supplement, the project studies the relationship between bank account ownership, use of alternative financial service (AFS) providers, the organization of household finances, and the food security of children. Both …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Prevalence Of Vlfs In Children Among Children Of Foreign-Born Mothers, John Cook

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

This research examined VLFS in children among households with foreign-born (FB) mothers compared to US-born mothers through three research questions: Is mother’s foreign-born status (FBS) associated with VLFS in children, and can association be explained by mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics? Are FB mothers more or less likely to receive nutrition or non-nutrition assistance benefits, or work for pay than US-born mothers? Do mothers’ FBS, or protective/risk factors associated with FBS, modify associations of negative economic shocks and hardships with VLFS in children? Data are on approximately 44,000 mother-child (ages<48 Mos.) dyads collected from household surveys administered under a "sentinel surveillance" system over 1998-2012 at teaching hospitals and clinics in seven US cities. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models tested study hypotheses. Mothers' FBS is strongly positively associated with VLFS in children after controlling for available risk and protective factors. FB mothers are less likely to receive SNAP and non-nutrition assistance (TANF, LIHEAP or housing subsidies), but more likely to receive WIC and to be employed than US-born mothers. FB mothers are no more likely to report negative reasons for not receiving SNAP or TANF, or losing jobs or decreasing work hours than US-born, and reported "immigration concerns" rarely. No need/chose not to participate are most frequently reported reasons for not receiving SNAP and TANF; pregnancy/maternity leave and "market conditions" for lost jobs and decreased work hours. Economic shocks and hardships are positively associated with VLFS in children, but Mothers' FBS does not interact with shocks and hardships to modify those associations.

Dose- And Time-Dependent Neuroprotective Effects Of Pycnogenol® Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Mubeen A. Ansari, Kelly N. Roberts, Stephen W. Scheff

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), both primary and secondary injury cascades are initiated, leading to neuronal death and cognitive dysfunction. We have previously shown that the combinational bioflavonoid, Pycnogenol® (PYC), alters some secondary injury cascades and protects synaptic proteins when administered immediately following trauma. The purpose of the present study was to explore further the beneficial effects of PYC and to test whether it can be used in a more clinically relevant fashion. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a unilateral moderate/severe cortical contusion. Subjects received a single intravenous (i.v.) injection of PYC (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) …

The Effect Of Household Financial, Time And Environmental Constraints On Very Low Food Security Among Children, Helen H. Jensen, Oleksandr Zhylyevskyy

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Food insecurity is detrimental to children’s well-being. A better understanding of factors contributing to low and very low food security among children in the United States can guide the design of food assistance programs. We analyze the effects of household characteristics and local food environment attributes, including food prices and availability of food stores and eating places, on children’s food insecurity. We also investigate the effects of these characteristics and attributes on food preparation time. Using Becker’s household production approach, we propose an economic model that formalizes the use of constrained financial and time resources in the household. The model …

Development Of Novel In Vivo Chemical Probes To Address Cns Protein Kinase Involvement In Synaptic Dysfunction, D Martin Watterson, Valerie L. Grum-Tokars, Saktimayee M. Roy, James P. Schavocky, Brinda Desai Bradaric, Adam D. Bachstetter, Bin Xing, Edgardo Dimayuga, Faisal Saeed, Hong Zhang, Agnieszka Staniszewski, Jeffrey C. Pelletier, George Minasov, Wayne F. Anderson, Ottavio Arancio, Linda J. Van Eldik

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Serine-threonine protein kinases are critical to CNS function, yet there is a dearth of highly selective, CNS-active kinase inhibitors for in vivo investigations. Further, prevailing assumptions raise concerns about whether single kinase inhibitors can show in vivo efficacy for CNS pathologies, and debates over viable approaches to the development of safe and efficacious kinase inhibitors are unsettled. It is critical, therefore, that these scientific challenges be addressed in order to test hypotheses about protein kinases in neuropathology progression and the potential for in vivo modulation of their catalytic activity. Identification of molecular targets whose in vivo modulation can attenuate synaptic …

Intracranial Injection Of Gammagard, A Human Ivig, Modulates The Inflammatory Response Of The Brain And Lowers AΒ In App/Ps1 Mice Along A Different Time Course Than Anti-AΒ Antibodies, Tiffany L. Sudduth, Abigail Greenstein, Donna M. Wilcock

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Gammagard IVIg is a therapeutic approach to treat Alzheimer's disease currently in phase 3 clinical trials. Despite the reported efficacy of the approach the mechanism of action is poorly understood. We have previously shown that intracranial injection of anti-Aβ antibodies into the frontal cortex and hippocampus reveals important information regarding the time course of events once the agent is in the brain. In the current study we compared IVIg, mouse-pooled IgG, and the anti-Aβ antibody 6E10 injected intracranially into the frontal cortex and hippocampus of 7-month-old APP/PS1 mice. We established a time course of events ranging from 1 …

Comprehensive Behavioral Characterization Of An App/Ps-1 Double Knock-In Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Scott J. Webster, Adam D. Bachstetter, Linda J. Van Eldik

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite the extensive mechanistic and pathological characterization of the amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS-1) knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), very little is known about the AD-relevant behavioral deficits in this model. Characterization of the baseline behavioral performance in a variety of functional tasks and identification of the temporal onset of behavioral impairments are important to provide a foundation for future preclinical testing of AD therapeutics. Here we perform a comprehensive behavioral characterization of this model, discuss how the observed behavior correlates with the mechanistic and pathological observations of others, and compare this model with other commonly used …

An Ehealth System Supporting Palliative Care For Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Randomized Trial, David H. Gustafson, Lori L. Dubenske, Kang Namkoong, Robert Hawkins, Ming-Yuan Chih, Amy K. Atwood, Roberta Johnson, Abhik Bhattacharya, Cindy L. Carmack, Anne M. Traynor, Toby C. Campbell, Mary K. Buss, Ramaswamy Govindan, Joan H. Schiller, James F. Cleary

Community & Leadership Development Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: In this study, the authors examined the effectiveness of an online support system (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System [CHESS]) versus the Internet in relieving physical symptom distress in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS: In total, 285 informal caregiver-patient dyads were assigned randomly to receive, for up to 25 months, standard care plus training on and access to either use of the Internet and a list of Internet sites about lung cancer (the Internet arm) or CHESS (the CHESS arm). Caregivers agreed to use CHESS or the Internet and to complete bimonthly surveys; for patients, these tasks …

Motivations For Disaffiliation From The Two-By-Two Sect, Julene L. Jones

Julene L. Jones

Disaffiliates from encapsulating sects may have many motivations for their disaffiliation. Multiple typologies exist which shed light on an individual’s motivations for disaffiliation from religious groups in general, and on motivations for disaffiliation from particular sects, though no exploration has been made of disaffiliates of the highly tense, fundamentalist Christian Two-by-Two sect. This thesis describes results from a survey of former members of the sect which points to motivations regarding the implausibility of doctrine as being the strongest motivations for these disaffiliates.

21st Century Crofting: Strengths And Opportunities For Community Development, Bryan J. Hains, Ronald Hustedde, Kristina G. Ricketts

Community & Leadership Development Faculty Publications

Scotland has one of the most uneven land ownership patterns in the world. In a country of 5.2 million people, about 969 people control 60% of the land. Over 20% of privately owned land in Scotland is held in some form of offshore or beneficial ownership (Committee on the Inquiry of Crofting, 2008). This land ownership pattern has a unique expression in the northern and western parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands with a 300-year-old system of tenant farmers known as crofters. Unlike other tenant farmers across the world, crofters have gained legal rights to stay on the land …

Intracranial Injection Of Aav Expressing Nep But Not Ide Reduces Amyloid Pathology In App+Ps1 Transgenic Mice, Nikisha Carty, Kevin R. Nash, Milene Brownlow, Dana Cruite, Donna M. Wilcock, Maj-Linda B. Selenica, Daniel C. Lee, Marcia N. Gordon, Dave Morgan

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

The accumulation of β-amyloid peptides in the brain has been recognized as an essential factor in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Several proteases, including Neprilysin (NEP), endothelin converting enzyme (ECE), and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), have been shown to cleave β-amyloid peptides (Aβ). We have previously reported reductions in amyloid in APP+PS1 mice with increased expression of ECE. In this study we compared the vector-induced increased expression of NEP and IDE. We used recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors expressing either native forms of NEP (NEP-n) or IDE (IDE-n), or engineered secreted forms of NEP (NEP-s) or IDE (IDE-s). In a six-week study, immunohistochemistry …

Bapineuzumab Alters Aβ Composition: Implications For The Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis And Anti-Amyloid Immunotherapy, Alex E. Roher, David H. Cribbs, Ronald C. Kim, Chera L. Maarouf, Charisse M. Whiteside, Tyler A. Kokjohn, Ian D. Daugs, Elizabeth Head, Carolyn Liebsack, Geidy Serrano, Christine Belden, Marwan N. Sabbagh, Thomas G. Beach

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

The characteristic neuropathological changes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other lines of evidence support the amyloid cascade hypothesis. Viewing amyloid deposits as the prime instigator of dementia has now led to clinical trials of multiple strategies to remove or prevent their formation. We performed neuropathological and biochemical assessments of 3 subjects treated with bapineuzumab infusions. Histological analyses were conducted to quantify amyloid plaque densities, Braak stages and the extent of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Amyloid-β (Aβ) species in frontal and temporal lobe samples were quantified by ELISA. Western blots of amyloid-β precursor protein (AβPP) and its C-terminal (CT) fragments …

Using Risk And Participatory Communication To Support Community-Based Decisions: The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Future Vision Project, Anna G. Hoover

Anna G. Hoover

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Internet On The Sexual Health Of Adolescents: A Brief Review, Julia Springate, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The object of this review is to summarize the impact of the Internet on the sexual health of adolescents. This article examines the use of websites, blogs and chat rooms as sources for sexual health information for adolescents. The influence of Internet pornography on sexual behaviors and attitudes is addressed. The use of the Internet as a place to find sexual partners is also assessed. During a time of great physical, emotional and sexual change, the Internet is playing a huge role in the decisions adolescents are making, both positive and negative.

Snap And Obesity, Craig Gundersen

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

No abstract.

Natural Treatment Systems As Sustainable Ecotechnologies For The Developing Countries, Qaisar Mahmood, Arshid Pervez, Bibi Saima Zeb, Habiba Zaffar, Hajra Yaqoob, Muhammad Waseem, Zahidullah, Sumera Afsheen

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of natural treatment systems is the re-establishment of disturbed ecosystems and their sustainability for benefits to human and nature. The working of natural treatment systems on ecological principles and their sustainability in terms of low cost, low energy consumption, and low mechanical technology is highly desirable. The current review presents pros and cons of the natural treatment systems, their performance, and recent developments to use them in the treatment of various types of wastewaters. Fast population growth and economic pressure in some developing countries compel the implementation of principles of natural treatment to protect natural environment. The employment …

A Study Of Corruption, Foreign Aid, And Economic Growth, Amanda Deerfield

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Foreign aid donors increasingly demand that aid is used efficiently and effectively. This study examines the effect of corruption levels, measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index, within a recipient country on the levels of economic growth. A growing literature outlines the mechanisms through which corruption impedes economic growth and is summarized within. Additionally, as longevity gains may result from foreign aid but are not captured in economic growth, this study computes a variable called the Life Quality Indicator (LQI) that combines such gains with economic growth and examines corruption’s effect on LQI growth. As any windfall, foreign aid has been …

To Produce Or To Buy? Exploring Determinants Of Local Government Privatization Decisions, Zhiwei Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The U.S. is experiencing the worst recession since the Great Depression. All levels of government have been hit really hard, this is especially apparent at the local level since services provided at the local level are woven into people’s daily life. Thus, how to “do more with less” is more urgent than ever before. The use of privatization came to surface as a sound solution for deficit-plagued governments as it is thought to be more cost effective and outperform the public sector in most cases. This dissertation contains two empirical chapters that examine determinants of privatization and specify the conditions …

Institutional Lending Models, Mission Drift, And Microfinance Institutions, Bethany L. Paris

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Microfinance is a development tool used to reduce poverty among extremely poor households. Impoverished households can access lines of credit through microfinance institutions (MFIs), in order to create a new business, smooth household consumption, fund medical emergencies, etc. Many authors postulate that MFIs are drifting from a welfarist to an institutionalist approach to lending.

Using MIXMarket data on specific MFIs in 118 countries between 1995 and 2011, the average loan balance of these organizations will be regressed against measure of outreach and sustainability of these institutions by charter type through a series of four, fixed effects models. The main research …