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Tunable Laser Interrogation Of Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors, Vaibhav Badjatya

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Surface plasmons are bound TM polarized electromagnetic waves that propagate along the interface of two materials with real dielectric constants of opposite signs. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors make use of the surface plasmon waves to detect refractive index changes occurring near this interface. For sensing purposes, this interface typically consists of a metal layer, usually gold or silver, and a liquid dielectric. SPR sensors usually measure the shift in resonance wavelength or resonance angle due to index changes adjacent to the metal layer. However this restricts the limit of detection (LOD), as the regions of low slope (intensity vs. …

Nutrient And Medication Intake Of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Cristina Elizabeth Hiten

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The incidence of autism continues to rise with no cure or understanding of the cause of the disorder. Approximately one in 150 children will be diagnosed with an (ASD) Autism Spectrum Disorder although recent prevalence data suggest one in 91. The objective of the study is to assess medicinal intake regarding prescription and nonprescription medications of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and its affect on their nutritional status compared to age, and sex matched healthy children. The study included families of children with autism in which they completed questionnaires and 24‐hour recalls. There were 26 children used within the questionnaire …

Direct Electron-Beam Patterning Of Teflon-Af And Its Application To Optical Waveguiding, Vijayasree Karre

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Thin films of Teflon AF have been directly patterned by electron-beam lithography without the need for post exposure chemical development. The relationship between pattern depth and exposure dose was found to be linear over a wide range of doses. Pattern depth was also observed to be dependent on initial film thickness. Teflon AF can be directly patterned at doses similar to typical e-beam resists. High resolution features as small as ~200 nm have been resolved. FTIR measurements revealed that CF3 and fluorinated dioxole groups play a significant role in the patterning mechanism. Teflon AF films also exhibited an increase in …

Collective Communication And Barrier Synchronization On Nvidia Cuda Gpu, Diego Alejandro Rivera-Polanco

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) employ a multi-threaded execution model using multiple SIMD cores. Compared to use of a single SIMD engine, this architecture can scale to more processing elements. However, GPUs sacrifice the timing properties which made barrier synchronization implicit and collective communication operations fast.

This thesis demonstrates efficient methods by which these aggregate functions can be implemented using unmodified NVIDIA CUDA GPUs. Although NVIDIA's highest “compute capability" GPUs provide atomic memory functions, they have order N execution time. In contrast, the methods proposed here take advantage of basic properties of the GPU architecture to make implementations that are both …

Reduction Of Stresses On Buried Rigid Highway Structures Using The Imperfect Ditch Method And Expanded Polysterene (Geofoam), Liecheng Sun, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The study of earth pressure distribution on buried structures has a great practical importance in constructing highway embankments above pipes and culverts. Based on Spangler’s research, the supporting strength of a conduit depends primarily on three factors: 1. The inherent strength of the conduit; 2. The distribution of the vertical load and bottom reaction; and 3. The magnitude and distribution of lateral earth pressures that act against the sides of the structure. Rigid culverts are frequently used in Kentucky for routing streams beneath highway embankments because of rolling and mountainous terrain, numerous streams, shallow depths to bedrock, which creates unyielding …

An Examination Of The Association Between Middle School Students' Perceptions Of Teacher Interactions, Home-School Dissonance, And School Attachment, Ruby Jewel Stevens

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether middle school students’ perceptions of teacher interactions and home-school dissonance are predictors of school attachment. The study sought to determine if there were differences in students’ perceptions of teacher interactions and home-school dissonance based on ethnicity, gender and/or grade level. This investigation is one of the first to explore the association between these variables.

Data for this investigation was obtained from a larger study where surveys were administered to over 800 racially diverse students in grades 6 through 8 in Language Arts classrooms in two public middle schools with diverse student …

The Association Between Alcohol Sales And County Level Economic Growth In Kentucky, Julia Hinkle Rollins

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of using alcohol sales as an indicator of development or lag associated with development in Kentucky counties using summary statistics, shift-share analysis and an econometric model. The summary statistics are used to evaluate possible lines of causality and the Shift-share analysis and econometric model deal the specific characteristics of the county that are assumed to be influenced by the sale of alcohol. Limitations to the county level data were limiting to the time period evaluated in this thesis. As a result, much of the findings were inconclusive as to the relationship between county level economic …

Trinexapac-Ethyl And Overseeding Effects On Shear Strength And Tolerance To Simulated Traffic Of Four Bermudagrass Cultivars Grown On A Sand-Based System, Michael Todd Deaton

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) is often used for athletic fields due to its wear tolerance and recuperative ability. Studies were conducted May 2007 through November 2008 in Lexington, Kentucky. The cultivars ‘Quickstand’, ‘Tifway’, ‘Riviera’, and ‘Yukon’ grown in a sand-based medium were used to investigate differences in wear tolerance and shear strength. Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) was applied at label rates and frequencies or untreated. Overseeding treatments were perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) at 0, 612, and 1225 kg PLS ha^-1. Traffic treatments were applied with a Brinkman traffic simulator 3 d wk-1 August through October. Shear tests …

Kentucky Highway User Survey 2008, Lenahan O'Connell

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study updates surveys of Kentucky driver opinion regarding the quality of Kentucky’s highway system. The survey was conducted in 2008. Data is presented in bar graphs and tables that allow the analysis of changes in public opinion since the first administration of the survey. For most topics, data are available from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2008. The respondents are 845 Kentucky-licensed drivers, age 18 and over. The study looked at seven characteristics of Kentucky highways and found that satisfaction levels were quite stable since 2003. In regard to overall satisfaction in 2008, 54% of drivers said they were …

Promises We Have Kept: Using Grounded Theory Methodology To Understand Developmental Factors That Contribute To Caucasian Low-Income Parents Positive Assessment Of Marital Health, S. Greg Thompson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Low-income Caucasian married parents described lifespan processes and conditions that contributed to their individual assessments that their marriage was healthy. Spouses participated in an interview together, followed later by an individual interview with each. Interview scripts referenced the study‘s primary research questions which sought their reflections on (a) external conditions that they considered to be important to their development, and (b) personal thoughts, emotions and behaviors they deemed relevant to the success of their marriage. A third research question called for integration of participants‘ reflections into a cogent grounded theory regarding successful low-income marriages. Analysis incorporated grounded theory methods, and …

Exploring Lesbian And Gay Experiences With Individuals, Systems, And Environments: Patterns Of Response To Heterosexist Prejudice And Discrimination, James Russell Couch

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

While the general social climate in the U.S. has become more accepting and tolerant of sexual minority individuals, heterosexist discrimination, prejudice and violence continues to affect LGBT individuals, families and communities. While much research literature exists on the experience of minority stress and the psychological consequences of minority stress on sexual minorities, little research has been produced that examines sexual minority coping. Within the last decade, heteronegativity has been suggested as a possible coping response to heterosexism. The goal of the present study was to understand sexual minority responses to heterosexism (including heteronegativity) in a variety of contexts and circumstances. …

International Trade And Industrial Geography, Fabien Tondel

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the impact of international trade on the geographic location of manufacturing activities and on regional productivity growth patterns within countries. This study develops models of trade with monopolistic competition in the context of a two-region country. It also provides empirical estimates of the e ect of tari policy on the distribution of industrial activities and on productivity growth di erentials across Colombia's regions.

The rst essay investigates the consequences of trade liberalization for the distribution of manufacturing activities between large and small cities. It presents an extension of the Melitz (2003) model of trade with monopolistic competition …

Towards Reducing Fungicide Use In The Control Of Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa F.T. Bennett) Disease On Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis Stolonifera L.), Kenneth Lee Cropper

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is commonly used on golf course greens and fairways in cool-humid regions but is plagued by numerous fungal diseases, one of which is dollar spot disease (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F. T. Bennett). Dollar spot occurs frequently throughout the growing season requiring biweekly fungicide applications for complete control. The objective of this study was to investigate methods of reducing the number of fungicide applications needed to maintain dollar spot at acceptable levels through dew removal and potential mechanisms of resistance in bentgrass. In the first study, a combination of mowing three times a week and …

In My Humble Opinion: Testing The Sprial Of Silence In Computer-Mediated And Face-To-Face Contexts, Robert James Zuercher

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this investigation is to further an understanding of the spiral of silence theory as it functions within both face-to-face (FtF) and computer-mediated contexts. Computer-mediated communication (CMC is often touted for being an empowering medium as it affords its users anonymity. This finding could have an impact on whether the spiral of silence occurs within CMC. Previous studies have relied upon hypothetical scenarios and have established weak support for the theory. Despite this study’s utilization of a within-subjects experimental design, however, no significant differences in minority opinion holders’ fear of isolation were found. Similarly, no significant relationship was …

The Law V. The Stranger: Language Interpretation And Legal Space In Lexington, Ky, Karen S. Kinslow

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis examines the role of interpretation in legal encounter in Lexington, Kentucky. Through an analysis of legal and interpretation practices, this study seeks to ascertain how these practices may affect non-native or low-proficiency English speakers’ (LLPs) experiences with both federal and local laws and legal spaces. This place-based study involves in-depth qualitative research. Using the methodological framework of feminist geo-jurisprudence, this research contributes to our understanding of 1) the limits of the publicity of legal space and, more specifically, the ways in which language barriers can prevent legal inclusion; 2) local strategies and tactics for dealing with the challenges …

Prose Rhythm In The Orations And Epistles Of Marcus Antonius Muretus, Miller Stanley Krause

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Marcus Antonius Muretus, the sixteenth century French and Italian Humanist orator and professor, employed, in his orations and, to a lesser degree, in his epistles, a system of metrical prose rhythm (numerus) consistent with Ciceronian practice. Muretus did not, however, seek to employ accentual prose rhythms (cursus) characteristic of medieval prose; nevertheless, such rhythms arose naturally in his work as a byproduct of metrical prose rhythm. These findings, confirmed by statistical analysis, are congruent with the assumption that Humanist authors preferred Ciceronian stylistics to those associated with the “middle ages,” in accord with the tripartite Humanist …

Mpi Within A Gpu, Bobby Dalton Young

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

GPUs offer high-performance floating-point computation at commodity prices, but their usage is hindered by programming models which expose the user to irregularities in the current shared-memory environments and require learning new interfaces and semantics.

This thesis will demonstrate that the message-passing paradigm can be conceptually cleaner than the current data-parallel models for programming GPUs because it can hide the quirks of current GPU shared-memory environments, as well as GPU-specific features, behind a well-established and well-understood interface. This will be shown by demonstrating a proof-of-concept MPI implementation which provides cleaner, simpler code with a reasonable performance cost. This thesis will also …

The Effects Of Roads On Space Use And Movements Of Black Bears In Eastern Kentucky, Rebekah A. Jensen

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Kentucky, USA, is the site of recent natural recolonization by the American black bear (Ursus americanus); however, bears are rarely observed outside the Cumberland Mountains along the state‘s southeastern border. I examined the influence of roads in constraining the distribution of this population by altering animal space use and movement. I identified patterns of road avoidance and road crossing using data from Global Positioning System collars worn by 28 adult bears (16M, 12F), and described road mortality trends using 27 roadkill events. Bears avoided roads at the home range and landscape scale, primarily crossed low-traffic roads, and crossed …

Parental Choice Of Nondenominational Christian Education: Reasons For Choice, Exit, And The Types And Sources Of Information Used, Robert M. Hall

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

School Choice is a topic that finds itself at the top of school reform and political agendas across the United States, while also being a significant focal point in the educational literature. However, little attention in the debate has been placed on private, independent school choice – including private religious school choice – despite that data that shows “seventy-nine percent of all private schools had a religious affiliation in 1999– 2000: 30 percent . . . affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, and 49 percent with other religious groups” (U.S. Department of Education, 2002, p. 3) and that “initial research …

An Exploratory Study Of High School Students. Conceptions Of Atomic And Cellular Structure And Relationships Between Atoms And Cells, Elizabeth Anne Edwards Roland

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Constructivist learning theory is based upon the tenets that students come to learning experiences with prior knowledge and experiences that the learner will choose from to make sense of the present situation. This leads to a mixture of understandings among students. This study proposed to reveal students‟ understanding of atomic structure and cell structure as well as the relationships between atoms and cells.

High school students from one private school participated in a paper-and-pencil test to uncover conceptual understanding and content knowledge of atoms and cells. The 120 participants were from grades: 9 (13m, 15f), 10 (9m, 20f), 11 (21m, …

Glutamate Regulation In The Hippocampal Trisynaptic Pathway In Aging And Status Epilepticus, Michelle Lee Stephens

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A positive correlation exists between increasing age and the incidence of hippocampal-associated dysfunction and disease. Normal L-glutamate neurotransmission is absolutely critical for hippocampal function, while abnormal glutamate neurotransmission has been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies, overwhelmingly utilizing ex vivo methods, have filled the literature with contradicting reports about hippocampal glutamate regulation during aging. For our studies, enzyme-based ceramic microelectrode arrays (MEA) were used for rapid (2 Hz) measurements of extracellular glutamate in the hippocampal trisynaptic pathway of young (3-6 months), late-middle aged (18 mo.) and aged (24 mo.) urethane-anesthetized Fischer 344 rats. Compared to young animals, glutamate terminals …

Content Relevance Centric Theory: An Investigation Of Content Relevance's Ability To Predict Learning Outcomes In A Training Environment, E. Patrick Leddin

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

After three decades of research, instructional communication scholars find themselves facing several key challenges. These range from an overemphasis in past studies on variable-analytic, atheoretical research to a lack of connection to learning outcomes. Many in the field contend that the time has come for instructional communication researchers to define instructional communication theories, test hypotheses, tie research efforts to learning outcomes, and clarify key terms. The present study addressed these shortcomings by proposing the Content Relevance Centric Theory and testing related hypotheses.

The research occurred in a professional training environment and involved the use of a modified content relevance instrument …

Maternal Antibody Transfer And Meningeal Worm Infection Rates In Kentucky Elk, Willie Elwood Bowling

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Elk (Cervus elaphus) were historically present throughout Kentucky, but were extirpated by the mid 19th century. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources initiated elk reintroduction efforts in 1997, resulting in a self-sustaining population. I designed this project to study the effects of a parasitic nematode, meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), on Kentucky’s elk herd. I examined potential maternal transfer of P. tenuis antibodies to elk calves, and investigated the relationship between elk habitat use and meningeal worm infection. I captured neonatal elk in 2004-06, fitted them with VHF transmitters, and collected blood samples for an enzyme-linked …

The Importance Of Nutrition Label Usage In The Context Of Obesity: A Cross-Country Study Of The Usa And Turkey, Emine Bayar

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Obesity, the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., and related health problems increase people’s concerns about healthy food consumption. The increased prevalence of obesity is a major concern of societies both in developed and developing countries. Nutrition label usage has been increasing due to the link between diet and health. This study intends to provide a framework for describing profiles of consumers who are more likely to use nutrition labels in USA and Turkey, a developing country with increasing obesity rates in recent years. Empirical results present similarities and differences between consumers’ attributes for food label usage …

Furthering Pharmacological And Physiological Assessment Of The Glutamatergic Receptors At The Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction, Junyoung Lee

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Drosophila larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) serve as a model for synaptic physiology. The molecular sequence of the postsynaptic glutamate receptors has been described; however, the pharmacological profile has not been fully elucidated. Despite the postsynaptic molecular sequence used to classify the receptors as a kainate subtype, they do not respond pharmacologically as such. Kainate does not depolarize the muscle, but dampens evoked EPSP amplitudes. Quantal responses show a decreased amplitude and area under the voltage curve indicative of reduced postsynaptic receptor sensitivity to glutamate transmission. ATPA, a kainate receptor agonist, did not mimic kainate’s action. The metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist …

The Impact Of Perceived Barriers To Export: An Analysis Of Kentucky Agricultural And Food Processing Firms, Kelly A. Davidson

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

As intra-industry trade increases in U.S. agricultural and food processing industries, the historical agricultural trade surplus is tightening. In efforts to maintain the trade surplus a focus has shifted towards the promotion of agricultural and processed food exports among small and medium sized firms. This study intends to identify and evaluate the potential for exports among small to medium sized agricultural and food processing firms in Kentucky through a collection of survey data. The objectives of this thesis are to identify the state’s product marketing opportunities and product specifications for international exports while identifying transaction requirements for potential exports. An …

An Interaction Between Risk Perceptipton And Trust In Response To Food Safety Events Across Products And Regions, And Their Implicaitons For Agribusiness Firms, Jonathan D. Shepherd

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Food safety events receive substantial media coverage and can create devastating economics losses for agribusiness firms. It is unclear what factors influence consumers’ purchasing decisions before or after a food safety event occurs. The objectives of this study is to identify these factors that influence purchasing decisions, determine how consumers respond to hypothetical food safety events, and compare these findings across different products and geographical regions. The data for this research was obtained from two surveys. One survey concerned fresh produce while the second focused on meat products. The SPARTA model, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, is used …

Influences Of Supplementing A Mannan Oligosaccharide Containing Product To Pig Diets On Sow And Weanling Pig Performance, I-Fen Hung

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effect of supplying mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) to pig diets on both weanling pig and sow performances.

Nursery pigs challenged with LPS to stimulate an immune challenge had increased body temperature and respiratory rate as well as elevated serum cortisol and TNF-α concentration, MOS-supplemented pigs had a lower rectal temperature and respiratory rate which implied that MOS improves some aspect of the immune function of piglets.

MOS supplementation in sow diets during late gestation and lactation had no effect on litter size, but the piglets from MOS-fed sows were heavier at birth …

The Culture Connection: Testing A Model Of African American Attitudes Toward Mental Health Service Utilization, Andrea Michelle Smith

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to combine the factors previously determined to be related to African American help seeking into a single path model and, using structural equation modeling (SEM), determine the relative influence of each factor in the attitudes toward seeking mental health services (see Figure 2.2) among a community sample of African American adults from several metropolitan areas in the US. As such, SEM was utilized to compare the relative fit of two opposing models within this sample, one where a path from economic barriers to help-seeking attitudes was estimated freely and one where that path …

Assessing Factors Influencing Participation And Dissemination In Community-Based Public Health Coalitions: An Exploration Of Social Change, Chad Tyler Morris

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The community-based public health coalition has proliferated in public health practice since the 1970‘s as a favored means of achieving community participation in public health promotion. There is concern, however, that many contemporary coalitions are not particularly inclusive, and that population health indicators fail to demonstrate significant improvement in health outcomes resultant from coalition practice. This dissertation research was designed to critically examine participation and dissemination of coalition-derived ideas through ethnographic study of five community-based participatory public health coalitions in the United States. The research answers calls from public health scholars to improve upon the coalition theory base and to …