Digital Commons Network^™

Promoting Healthy, Home-Cooked Meals: Formative Research For A Social Marketing Program Targeting Low-Income Mothers, Jean M. Najor

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic of perceived benefits and barriers associated with cooking meals at home. The findings will be used to design a social marketing campaign promoting healthy home-cooked meals. Participants included 64 SNAP-eligible mothers throughout the state of Kentucky aged 21-49 years with young children. Eight focus groups were conducted in four metro and four non-metro counties. A mixed methods approach was used to examine behaviors such as where families purchase foods, the types of foods purchased, family cooking skills and habits, and family time management. Results from this …

The Effect Of A Nutrition Education Program On Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Intake, Body Composition And Perceived Sport Performance Among High School Athletes, Aaron Kyle Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, body composition and perceived sport performance were measured before and after an eight week nutrition intervention. The sample consisted of eleven male high school football athletes aged 14-18 years old. Baseline nutrition knowledge was higher than anticipated but fruit and vegetable intake was low. As a result of the nutrition intervention, vegetable intake improved from 0.94 servings per day to 2.02 servings per day (p=0.02). Of the eleven subjects in the study, eleven conceded to both performing and feeling better as a result of the nutrition intervention. The present study suggests that a nutrition intervention can …

Exploring The Relationship Between Emotional Brain Training, Stress, Depression, Food Addiction, And Weight, Bailey Regina Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Obesity is a complex issue; stress, depression, and food addiction, are several psychological conditions that can accompany an obesity diagnosis. Emotional Brain Training (EBT) was evaluated as a new approach to these conditions. Stress, depression, food addiction, and weight were assessed at baseline, after a seven week active intervention, and after a seven week no contact period. The final sample consisted of 26 obese adults. At seven week assessments, EBT participants experienced significant weight loss (p-value = 0.05) and decreased perceived stress (p-value = 0.035). Food addiction also decreased from 50% to 8.3% (or one participant). At fourteen week assessments, …

Cortisol, Physical Activity, And Weight Loss In A Randomized Clinical Trial, Shawn S. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Abnormal cortisol levels may be an important factor in the ability of an individual to lose weight and maintain weight loss. This study examined overweight and obese individuals who participated in a weight loss program. Cortisol, physical activity, and weight loss were measured at regular intervals and examined for possible relationships

Exploring New Approaches For Weight Loss Maintenance: Intuitive Eating And Emotional Brain Training, Joy Ann Vaught

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

While traditional behavioral weight loss programs have been successful at producing weight loss, weight maintenance is difficult to achieve. Addressing stress, one major contributing factor in weight gain, may be a potential solution. The purpose of this study was to test a stress-management program (EBT) for changes in weight and blood pressure, and maintenance of those changes. Obese adults (N=33) were randomized to two weight loss groups for a seven-week intervention and a seven-week follow-up period: an intuitive eating group or a stress management group. The intuitive eating group did not have any statistically significant changes in weight or blood …

Primary Stroke Prevention: 3-Hydroxy-3-Methyl-Glutaryl-Coenzyme A (Hmg-Coa) Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) Use In The Diabetic Patient, Amy L. Hatcher

DNP Projects

Purpose: The primary objective for this retrospective chart review was to evaluate provider adherence to the 2011 AHA/ASA Primary Stroke Prevention guideline of prescribing a statin to all diabetic patients for primary prevention of stroke, regardless of dyslipidemia. A second aim of this study is to identify provider facilitators and barriers to prescribing a statin therapy for primary prevention.

Methods: Using a retrospective study design, a random sample of 100 medical records of diabetic patients presenting to a university women’s health clinic within the previous year were reviewed for statin use and rationale.

Results: Of the 100 diabetic patients sampled, …

Do Municipal Stat Programs Improve Services And Reallocate Resources? Evidence From Louiestat, Jamie Giles

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Performance metrics and municipal stat programs are becoming increasingly popular to measure performance of city departments in order to improve services and save taxpayers’ dollars. The intent of this research is to give decision makers a better understanding to what extent municipal stat programs make an impact on the departments being measured, using an analysis of Metro Louisville’s LouieStat as evidence. Understanding the effect of PerfomanceStat tools will provide insight for the Louisville Administration and for other cities considering using a similar tool.

The literature finds performance management tools to be more widely used as a management tool to influence …

Academic Asset Or Instructor’S Indulgence? The Effect Of Arts & Cultural Institutions On Academic Achievement, Hank Harned

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Across the country arts and cultural institutions seek to preserve our past and use it to educate our future. As their exhibits expand these institutions have become treasures in their own rights; places like the Smithsonian Institute are landmarks that attract visitors from around the world. In addition to travelers they also attract school groups. For decades schools have been using “field trips” to museums as a way to supplement their curriculum. But do these trips actually benefit the students or are they a waste of resources? This project aims to evaluate whether these institutions are an asset to academics …

Does Tax Revenue Diversification Help States Weather Economic Downturns? Evidence From The Great Recession, Nick Kilby

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This capstone seeks to build on previous research to assess the validity of the claim that revenue diversification is an effective policy tool for states to use during recessions in order to stabilize their revenue flow. Revenue diversification is defined as the degree to which states take advantage of various tax sources, rather than reliance on a few or one in particular. Previous research, especially by Carroll (2005) and Suyderhound (1994), has shown that states with higher revenue diversification rates experience lower revenue shortfalls during recessions and other economic downturns on average.

This paper will reassess these claims in terms …

Spending For Affordable Housing: How Lexington-Fayette Urban County, Ky Compares To Similar Cities In The U.S., Chenglin Zhao

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Objectives: The shortage of affordable housing in Lexington-Fayette urban county has become an important policy issue. The analysis in this study is designed to find out does Lexington-Fayette Urban County do better or worse in financing affordable housing for low-income residents.

Method: By comparing Lexington-Fayette Urban County with 11 similar cities in U.S., there may reveal options for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County government to improve housing supply financing assistance services, find new funding sources for affordable housing and ensure more low-income residents can find affordable housing.

Key finding: Nonprofit housing operations play meaningful roles in addressing the supply of affordable …

Public Retirement Systems: An Examination Of Governance Characteristics And Their Impact On The Funded Ratio, Chris Groves

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

By almost all accounts, the fiscal health and stability of the United States public retirement system at all levels is in peril. Collectively, local and state public retirement systems are underfunded at a rate of $700 billion as a low estimate to $3 trillion as a higher estimate. While plenty of research has been conducted to identify the reasons that programs are underfunded, the system would be best served if more attention were paid to identifying program characteristics that improve performance. In turn, these characteristics could be evaluated and implemented if not already present. If programs do not want to …

Cost Analysis Of A Pharmacy Intern Program At A Tertiary Academic Medical Center, Bridgette Kanz

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In the modern world of healthcare, the role of the pharmacy intern is growing as hospitals look to decrease cost and increase care. The University of Kentucky Pharmacy Intern Program (UKPIP) employs pharmacy interns as pharmacist extenders to help complete the clinical task of medication reconciliation (med recs). The purpose of this study was to quantify the value of completing this task and determine whether it is cost effective to have interns or pharmacists in this role.

The Institutional Review Board approved this study. UK’s electronic medical record database identified admission med recs completed by pharmacy interns and pharmacists in …

Crossing The Border For The Pill: An Analysis Of The Decision To Purchase Oral Contraceptives Over-The-Counter From Mexican Pharmacies, Nadine Johnson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2012, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published an opinion statement in which they acknowledged that oral contraceptives were safe to be sold over the counter. Although there are several arguments that the lack of insurance of over the counter birth control would create a bigger cost barrier, research shows that women are in fact willing to pay for contraception if it is available over the counter. Some countries, such as Mexico, have this option available and because of the proximity to the United States, many women who live on the southern border take advantage of this. However, …

The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act’S Effects On Patterns Of Coverage In A Ryan White Funded Hiv Clinic: What Are The Implications For The Bluegrass Care Clinic?, Jacqueline Wagner Mccuddy

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Ryan White CARE Act of 1991 implemented a federal grant program to help individuals in the US with HIV/AIDS get access to healthcare and diminish barriers to care. Since its enactment, there have been many changes in the environment of HIV/AIDS, including a demographic shift in those most affected by the disease and a growing number of new infections, the introduction of Antiretroviral therapy, and most recently, the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

The PPACA is expected to have a positive effect on patients with HIV in the US by increasing access to care, …

Utilization Of The Kentucky Aids Drug Assistance Program Versus Kentucky Medicaid Using Medication Possession Ratio: Policy Implications For Public Program, Jenna Parrett

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Uninsured and underinsured people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are able to utilize federally funded AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) to cover the price of their HIV-related medications. In Kentucky, this program also provides support services through social workers, a dedicated pharmacist, and medications by mail order. With the Affordable Care Act, many patients previously covered by the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program (KADAP) will be newly eligible for Medicaid and will no longer receive services through KADAP. There is concern that people in this situation will be at a disadvantage without these services and, in …

Deep And Chronic Poverty In The P.S.I.D. - Assessing The Panel Survey Of Income Dynamics Using Pα And Kα Indices, Paul G. Metzler

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Poverty, while an intuitive concept, proves harder to specify and measure, especially over time. Foster, Greer and Thorebecke (1984) introduced an axiomatically sound, and commonly used poverty index Pα that is later developed by Foster (2009) to include time spent in poverty. I use their dual-cutoff spells approach to determine the occurrence, depth, and severity of poverty in a longitudinal dataset.

Using the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics over the timeframe 1990-2010, high-risk populations are explored further, especially African Americans, unmarried females, and those without a high school diploma. I explore the proportions of poverty incidence to find head of …

Assessment Of The Quality Of Public Data Reporting By Nonprofit Social Service Agencies Receiving Funding From The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government In Fy 2013, Yuanyuan Song

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2012 and 2013, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) Department of Social Service requested a “Social Service Needs Assessment Project” in Fayette County, Kentucky. In Aug, 31, 2012, Social Service Department established the “Needs Assessment Budget”. During Mar-Oct, 2013, two teams from The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (COSW) and the Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration worked together to accomplish this project.

One of the tasks of this project is to assess the quality of data reported by the social service partner agencies of Lexington. “Partner organization” is the name government officials give to …

Riding In Real-Time: Estimating Ridership Effects Of The Adoption Of Mobile Real-Time Transit Tracking Applications, Kendrick Vonderschmitt

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Advances in technology, and declining costs of adoption have permitted local transit agencies to provide real-time tracking information to their customers. The customers through the use of a mobile phone can find up-to-the-minute wait times for transit stops. This is enabled through the use of GPS technology and modern mapping software to account for networked distance and traffic impedance. This technology is a service upgrade in strict economic terms, but it is important to inquire whether such an improvement would have an effect on service utilization. This study analyzes the relationship between ridership and adoption of this service upgrade.

The …

Nonprofit Organizations & Social Media Fundraising: An Analysis Of The Goodgiving Guide Challenge, Laura Whitaker

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In today’s age of social media and interconnectedness, nonprofit organizations have the ability to be creative in their fundraising efforts. One method of online fundraising is a social media campaign, such as the GoodGiving Guide Challenge, an eight-week online charitable giving campaign for nonprofit organizations across Central Kentucky.

A review of related literature shows that previous studies have touched on the growing trend of social media as a nonprofit marketing tool, the role of internet in the nonprofit sector in general, the return on investment in nonprofit internet use, and the importance of accountability and trust in terms of online …

Environmental Justice In Kentucky: A County-Level Study Of Enforcement Of The Clean Air Act, Katherine Meade

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Not available.

Study On Private Health Insurance Coverage For Adults Under 65: 34 States From 2003 To 2010, Weisheng Gu

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Objectives: The analysis in this paper is designed to find out what factors contributed to the change of uninsured rate of people aged between 18 and 65 from 2003 to 2010.

Method: A fixed-effect analysis with panel data is conducted. The analysis unit is state. The main independent variable is the private health insurance cost per enrollee per year. The private insurance cost data covered 34 states sampled in Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2003 to 2010.

Key finding: The private insurance cost per enrolled adult below 65, private insurance cost per enrolled adult below 65 as a proportion of …

Influences On Reported Nonprofit Lobbying Efforts, Alyson Partain

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The nonprofit sector holds an interesting role in democracy, as this segment balances the powers of government and business by providing a way to cultivate social justice and afford people a means of acting and promoting interests outside of the government and private sectors. Nonprofit organizations therefore allow people to join together in providing services and programs that strengthen the communities in which they act. Advocacy involves identifying, embracing, and promoting a cause, especially by educating the public about their organization, whether this is through public engagement, coalition building, or lobbying.

Lobbying is a specific but critical component of general …

Identifying Sources Of The Tragedy Of The Commons In Root Competition: A Spatially Explicit Simulation Model And Plants Grown In Transparent Growth Medium, R Deric Leith Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Existing research shows that plants produce less root when growing alone than when growing in competition with other plants. When plants under root competition over-allocate resources to roots at the cost of reproduction, it represents a Tragedy of the Commons. I constructed simulation models to determine the circumstances likely to give rise to a Tragedy of the Commons, and explore mechanisms by which plants may solve it. I grew plants in nutrient-rich transparent gel, allowing me to quantify root growth and development without destructive sampling. My plants responded positively to additional space and the presence of a competitor at full …

Use Of The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual-5 Among Current Music Therapy Students, Jasmine Simons

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) provides updates of diagnostic criteria and it is crucial that clinicians from all relevant fields are aware of new terminology. Music therapists are increasingly being added to interdisciplinary teams and need to efficiently communicate with other professionals. This study aimed to discover if current music therapy students are familiar with the DSM-5 before they enter their professional practice. Music therapy students from two American Music Therapy Association-approved universities completed a survey aimed to assess their use and knowledge of the DSM-5. A total of 58 participants were included in the analysis. Findings from …

The Role Of Surface Chemistry In The Toxicity Of Manufactured Cerium Dioxide Nanomaterials To Caenorhabditis Elegans, Emily Kay Oostveen

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Manufactured CeO₂ nanomaterials (CeO₂-MNMs) are used for a wide variety of applications including diesel fuel additives and chemical/mechanical planarization media. To test the effects of CeO₂-MNM surface coating charge on to model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, we synthesized 4 nm CeO₂ with cationic (DEAE-), anionic (CM-), and neutral (DEX) coatings. In L3 nematodes exposed for 24 hours, DEAE-CeO₂ induced lethality at lower concentrations than CM- or DEX-CeO₂. Feeding slightly decreased CeO₂ toxicity, regardless of coating. In L2 nematodes exposed for 48 hours with feeding, DEAE-CeO₂ caused lethality at the …

Trauma, Personality, And Behavior: A Longitudinal Study Predicting Adverse Outcomes After Sexual Assault From Personality Prior To The Assault, Jessica L. Combs

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Exposure to sexual assault results in ongoing harms for women. After an assault, some women engage higher levels of externalizing behaviors, such as drinking problems and drug use, and others experience higher levels of internalizing dysfunction, such as clinical anxiety and clinical depression. In a longitudinal sample of 1929 freshman college women assessed across three time points, I found the following. Pre-assault negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed) interacted with assault exposure to predict increased subsequent drinking and initiation of drug use. Pre-assault trait anxiety/depression interacted with assault exposure to predict increased subsequent clinical anxiety and depression. …

Korean American Adolescents And Their Mothers: Intergenerational Differences And Their Consequences, Hui Chu

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined the links and mechanisms associated with intergenerational cultural conflict, psychological distress, and the intergenerational differences in acculturation and model minority stereotype (MMS) endorsement for South Korean immigrants. Specifically, Korean American adolescents’ (ages 12-19, M = 15.3, SD = 1.71) and their mothers’ (N = 209 dyads) acculturation difference and MMS endorsement difference were measured and analyzed as predictors of intergenerational cultural conflict and psychological distress for adolescents. Furthermore, the study analyzed intergenerational cultural conflict as a mediator in the acculturation gap-distress and the MMS endorsement-distress paths. Results indicated that when mothers and their adolescents differed …

Β-Amyloid Deposition Is Shifted To The Vasculature And Memory Impairment Is Exacerbated When Hyperhomocysteinemia Is Induced In App/Ps1 Transgenic Mice, Tiffany L. Sudduth, Erica M. Weekman, Holly M. Brothers, Kaitlyn Braun, Donna M. Wilcock

Physiology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, it is estimated that almost half of all AD patients have significant cerebrovascular disease comorbid with their AD pathology. We hypothesized that cerebrovascular disease significantly impacts AD pathological progression.

METHODS: We used a dietary model of cerebrovascular disease that relies on the induction of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). HHcy is a significant clinical risk factor for stroke, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In the present study, we induced HHcy in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

RESULTS: While total β-amyloid (Aβ) load is unchanged across groups, Congophilic …

Diclazuril Protects Against Maternal Gastrointestinal Syndrome And Congenital Toxoplasmosis, Helieh S. Oz, Thomas Tobin

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a common cause of foodborne, gastrointestinal and congenital syndrome with particularly severe or unknown health consequences. There is no safe and effective preventive or therapeutic modality against congenital toxoplasmosis or to eliminate the persistent chronic infection.

HYPOTHESIS: Diclazuril to be safe in pregnancy and effective against gastrointestinal toxoplasmosis.

METHODS: CD1 programmed pregnant mice were divided into groups and administered a diet containing diclazuril, or sham control. Treatments were initiated on Day 5 of pregnancy and continued until Day 16 when dams were euthanatized. On Day 8 of pregnancy dams were infected intraperitoneally with escalating doses of tachyzoites …

Programmable Folding Of Fusion Rna In Vivo And In Vitro Driven By Prna 3wj Motif Of Phi29 Dna Packaging Motor, Dan Shu, Emil F. Khisamutdinov, Le Zhang, Peixuan Guo

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Misfolding and associated loss of function are common problems in constructing fusion RNA complexes due to changes in energy landscape and the nearest-neighbor principle. Here we report the incorporation and application of the pRNA-3WJ motif of the phi29 DNA packaging motor into fusion RNA with controllable and predictable folding. The motif included three discontinuous ∼18 nucleotide (nt) fragments, displayed a distinct low folding energy (Shu D et al., Nature Nanotechnology, 2011, 6:658–667), and folded spontaneously into a leading core that enabled the correct folding of other functionalities fused to the RNA complex. Three individual fragments dispersed at any …