Digital Commons Network^™

Continuing Resolutions: The Influence Of Temporary Spending Restrictions On Monthly Expenditure Patterns Of Federal Agencies, Thomas Alexander Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, and many federal agencies rely on annual appropriations to fund activities and programs. Nonetheless, the federal government often enters a new fiscal year without a fully approved budget, which actuates the requirement for a temporary means of funding government operations. Congress and the president provide provisional resources by way of continuing resolutions which enable the operation of government programs until regular appropriations are enacted. However, continuing resolutions are restrictive by design and may have unintended effects on government spending behavior beyond the timeframe to which the resolutions apply.

This …

Social Networks, Drug Use, And Drug Abuse Help-Seeking: A Test Of The Network Episode Model Among African American Women, Erin L. Pullen

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Untreated substance use disorders are a major public health concern that has costly consequences at both the societal and individual level. Identifying the characteristics and resources of those who seek help for substance abuse problems in order to inform more effective intervention and treatment techniques is therefore an important research objective. Using the Network Episode Model (NEM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation examines both substance abuse help-seeking (i.e. inpatient/outpatient treatment and 12-Step meeting attendance) and patterns of drug use over time among low-income African American women, with a special focus on the role of the social network system in …

Identity And Social Relations: A Case Of Chinese Graduate Students In The U.S., Baiqing Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This dissertation research separates out the social relations implied in identity theory and empirically shows the interaction of identity and social relations. I conducted 60 interviews and one online survey with respondents at two public universities in two cities with distinctive sociocultural characteristics. The respondents were graduate students from mainland China pursuing their master’s or doctoral degrees in the U.S. The students’ lengths of stay in the U.S. varied, but all experienced a major life transition from China to the U.S.

The qualitative interview data show that the adoption of a religious identity in the two places, defined as different …

Science Wars As Culture Wars: Fracking And The Battle For The Hearts And Minds Of Women, Jenrose D. Fitzgerald

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

In this thesis, I examine how claims regarding the environmental and health impacts of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” are constructed by industry advocates who promote the practice and environmental and social justice groups who reject it. More specifically, I examine the cultural underpinnings of the debate over fracking, and the prominence of gender as a central framing device in that debate. While the controversy over fracking is often presented as scientific or technical in nature, I maintain that it is as much a culture war as it is a science war. I demonstrate this by showing how both pro-fracking and …

Explaining Public Opinion Towards A Federal Educational Reform: The Impact Of Accountability, Symbolism, Group Interest, And Authoritarianism On Support For The No Child Left Behind Law, Jonathon Holland

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study focuses on public opinion of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The act is a federal reform act, therefore politicians will pay attention to voters’ opinions of the law when considering if they should pass future legislation like it. Data were collected from a sample population of United States citizens by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International. People’s educational views, political views, group interests, and authoritarian views were all used to measure which groups have a positive attitude toward NCLB. Logistic regression was used to test several models to predict which groups have the strongest opinion of …

Talking Food: Motivations Of Home Food Preservation Practitioners In Kentucky, Lisa Conley

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Recent reports detail a rise in the practice of home food preservation in the United States due to economic woes, nutritional concerns, and increasing devotion to local food production.Home food preservation is the processing of foods in order to extend its shelf-life. Current common approaches to preserving foods at home include pressure canning, freezing, drying, water bath canning, and cellaring/storing. Local food production in four Kentucky counties were examined through in-depth qualitative interviews with home food preservation practitioners to yield a rural/urban comparison. Forty home food preservation practitioners were interviewed between Fall 2009 and Fall 2013. The primary question driving …

Using Microbial Community Interactions Within Plant Microbiomes To Advance An Evergreen Agricultural Revolution, M. E. Lucero, Seth Debolt, A. Unc, A. Ruiz-Font, L. V. Reyes, Rebecca L. Mcculley, S. C. Alderman, R. D. Dinkins, J. R. Barrow, D. A. Samac

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Innovative plant breeding and technology transfer fostered the Green Revolution (GR), which transformed agriculture worldwide by increasing grain yields in developing countries. The GR temporarily alleviated world hunger, but also reduced biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and carbon (C) sequestration that agricultural lands can provide. Meanwhile, economic disparity and food insecurity within and among countries continues. Subsequent agricultural advances, focused on objectives such as increasing crop yields or reducing the risk of a specific pest, have failed to meet food demands at the local scale or to restore lost ecosystem services. An increasing human population, climate change, growing per capita food and …

Characterization Of Jabba, A Ricin-Resistant Mutant Of Leishmania Donovani, Megan Rhea Phillips

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

The abundant cell-surface lipophosphoglycan (LPG) of Leishmania parasites plays a central role throughout the eukaryote’s life cycle. A number of LPG-defective mutants and their complementing genes have been isolated and have proven invaluable in assessing the importance of LPG and related glycoconjugates in parasite virulence. While ricin agglutination selection protocols frequently result in lpg- mutants, one L. donovani variant we isolated, named JABBA, was found to be lpg+. Procyclic (logarithmic) JABBA expresses significant amounts of a large-sized LPG, larger than observed from procyclic wild-type but similar in size to LPG from wild-type from metacyclic (stationary) phase.

Structural analysis of …

Regulation Of Glucose Homeostasis By The Phlpp1 Phosphatase, Kara L. Larson

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that affects one in ten people in the United States. It is caused by a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors. Disease progression begins with insulin resistance in peripheral tissues followed by pancreatic beta-cell failure. The mechanisms behind disease progression are not completely understood. PH domain leucine rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) is a known regulator of Akt and other members of the AGC kinase family. Akt has been established to play a role in numerous metabolic signaling pathways, including insulin action. It is hypothesized that as a regulator of Akt, …

Leptin Resistance Induced Obesity And Diabetes Promote Neuropathological Changes In The Aging Brain, Thomas Platt

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

The aging brain is prone to the development of pathology and dementia. With a rapidly growing elderly population diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson’s disease are on the rise. Additionally, diabetes and obesity are linked to an increased risk of dementia. The convergence of this increasingly aged population with the obesity and diabetes epidemic give rise to new concerns regarding the future of prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Our lab has previously shown that leptin, an adipokine involved in signaling satiety to the hypothalamus, can modulate the generation of the amyloid …

Trajectories Of Symptom Dimensions In Short-Term Response To Antipsychotic Treatment In Patients With A First Episode Of Non-Affective Psychosis, J. M. Pelayo-Terán, Francisco J. Diaz, R. Pérez-Iglesias, P. Suárez-Pinilla, R. Tabarés-Seisdedos, Jose De Leon, B. Crespo-Facorro

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Background Trajectory patterns of positive, disorganized and negative dimension symptoms during antipsychotic treatment in drug-naive patients with first-episode psychosis have yet to be examined by using naturalistic data.

Method This pragmatic clinical trial randomized 161 drug-naive patients with a first episode of psychosis to olanzapine, risperidone or haloperidol. Patients were assessed with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Positive Symptoms (SAPS) at baseline and at the end of weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of antipsychotic treatment. Censored normal models of response trajectories were developed with three dimensions of the SAPS-SANS scores (positive, disorganized and …

Dopaminergic And Activity-Dependent Modulation Of Mechanosensory Responses In Drosophila Melanogaster Larvae, Josh S. Titlow

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

A central theme of this dissertation is nervous system plasticity. Activity-dependent plasticity and dopaminergic modulation are two processes by which neural circuits adapt their function to developmental and environmental changes. These processes are involved in basic cognitive functions and can contribute to neurological disorder. An important goal in modern neurobiology is understanding how genotypic variation influences plasticity, and leveraging the quantitative genetics resources in model organisms is a valuable component of this endeavor. To this end I investigated activity-dependent plasticity and dopaminergic modulation in Drosophila melanogaster larvae using neurobiological and genetic approaches.

Larval mechanosensory behavior is described in Chapter 2. …

The Jak/Stat Pathway Is Reutilized In Drosophila Spermatogenesis, Lingfeng Tang

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In the Drosophila testis, sperm are derived from germline stem cells (GSCs) which undergo a stereotyped pattern of divisions and differentiation. The somatic cells at the tip of the testis form the hub, which is the niche for both the somatic cyst stem cells (CySCs) and GSCs. The hub expresses Upd, a ligand for the JAK/STAT pathway that has roles in the maintenance of CySCs and GSCs. Male mutants of upd3, another ligand of the JAK/STAT pathway, become sterile much earlier than the wild-type, leading to the hypothesis that similar to upd, upd3 also promotes the self-renewal of …

Structural Mechanisms Of Glucan Phosphatase Activity In Starch Metabolism, David A. Meekins

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Starch is a water-insoluble glucose biopolymer used as an energy cache in plants and is synthesized and degraded in a diurnal cycle. Reversible phosphorylation of starch granules regulates the solubility and, consequentially, the bioavailability of starch glucans to degradative enzymes. Glucan phosphatases release phosphate from starch glucans and their activity is essential to the proper diurnal metabolism of starch. Previously, the structural basis of glucan phosphatase activity was entirely unknown. The work in this dissertation outlines the structural mechanism of activity of two plant glucan phosphatases called Starch EXcess4 (SEX4) and Like Sex Four2 (LSF2). The crystal structures of SEX4 …

Dimensions And Validation Of Perceived Message Sensation Value Scale For Print Messages, Lisanne F. M. Grant

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The purpose of this research project was to develop a reliable and valid scale to assess the perceived message sensation value (PMSV) of print messages. The goal of this project was accomplished by conducting two studies. Study one involved collecting 397 undergraduate students’ responses to one high and one low sensation value anti-smoking message, while for study two, 284 undergraduate students’ responses to one high and one low sensation value anti-crystal meth message were collected. The results of the studies highlighted that the PMSV of a print message can be assessed using three dimensions (emotional arousal, novelty, and dramatic impact) …

Development Of Northrop-Grumman Mark Viie Training Unit And Wireless Video System For Use In Immersive Environments, Randall Lee Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

A training unit has been developed that allows NVESD researchers to develop training simulations within virtual environments to enhance infantry skill and awareness. A ground station was developed to house a computer, power system, and video transmission system. This station will allow for a remote operator to wirelessly send a video/audio stream to the handset. The ground station also allows the use of external video and audio inputs to be sent using onboard converters. Different wireless frequencies were evaluated to determine the best for long-range transmission of content. A handset was developed from a carbon fiber prototype shell. The handset …

Virtualized Welding Based Learning Of Human Welder Behaviors For Intelligent Robotic Welding, Yukang Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Combining human welder (with intelligence and sensing versatility) and automated welding robots (with precision and consistency) can lead to next generation intelligent welding systems. In this dissertation intelligent welding robots are developed by process modeling / control method and learning the human welder behavior.

Weld penetration and 3D weld pool surface are first accurately controlled for an automated Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) machine. Closed-form model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is derived for real-time welding applications. Skilled welder response to 3D weld pool surface by adjusting the welding current is then modeled using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), and compared …

Assessing Pediatric Nurses' Knowledge And Comfort Level With Recognition And Reporting Of Child Abuse, Andrea Sebastian

DNP Projects

Child abuse is a serious, yet preventable problem in the United States. Child abuse is defined in The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act as “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation or an act or failure to act, which presents an imminent risk of serious harm” (United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], Children’s Bureau, Child Maltreatment 2009, 2010).

In 2010, there were an estimated 3.3 million referrals to Child Protective Services for the suspected abuse …

Implementation Of A Depression Screening Protocol Specific To Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients; A Quality Improvement Project, Kendra M. Kratzwald

DNP Projects

Background: Depression in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is a problem that has not been well addressed by providers. In 2012 the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific statement that recommended structured and routine depression screening of these patients. The AHA statement also recommended further research on depression screening instruments and their use with this population. Aims: 1.) To develop and implement an evidenced based depression screening protocol appropriate for patients with an ICD seen in an outpatient setting. 2.) Evaluate provider knowledge about depression screening (? Is this what you mean) and depression screening practices before and …

Emergency Nurses' Knowledge Of Pediatric Complaints, Kari J. Blackburn

DNP Projects

Each year there are more than 25 million pediatric emergency department (ED) visits, with 37-60% of the complaints being non-urgent (Brosseau, Hoffman, Nattinger, Flores, Zhang and Gorelick, 2007). Injury is the number one reason children present to the ED and is strongly associated with a complaint of pain (AHRQ, 2013). While pain is a high volume reason for visiting the ED, there are other presentation causes that may pose a high risk to pediatric patients. Nausea and vomiting is not typically viewed as a high risk complaint, yet there are some high risk etiologies resulting in nausea and vomiting that …

Assessing Prevalence Of Known Risk Factors In A Regional Central Kentucky Medical Center Heart Failure Population As An Approach To Assessment Of Needs For Development Of A Program To Provide Targeted Services To Reduce 30 Day Readmissions, Christeen Ivy Broaddus

DNP Projects

Abstract

Objectives:

1. Determine demographic, physiologic, and laboratory characteristics at time of admission of the heart failure (HF) population in a regional acute care facility in Central Kentucky through review of patient electronic medical records.
2. Determine which HF population characteristics are significantly associated with readmissions to the hospital.
3. Provide identification of the statistically significant common characteristics of the HF population to this facility so that they may work towards development of an electronic risk for readmission predictive instrument.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Regional acute care facility in Central Kentucky.

Participants: All patients (n = 175) with a diagnosis or history …

Final Dnp Capstone Report: Improving Adolescent Hpv Vaccination Rates, Jessica L. Murray

DNP Projects

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been shown to be effective against HPV types that are linked to cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. Despite Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations that all 11-12 year old males and females in the U.S. should be vaccinated with the three-dose HPV vaccine series, vaccination rates remain low. In 2012, only 34.9% of adolescent females and 6.8% of adolescent males completed the series. Efforts to increase vaccination rates are needed, and healthcare providers have been shown to be an important part of the solution.

Purpose: This investigation was conducted to …

Assessing Blood Pressure Control In Primary Care, Ashley W. Guiliani

DNP Projects

Purpose: To evaluate provider adherence to JNC 7 by assessing documentation of blood pressure control and interventions in the absence of control in order to assist providers in reaching Healthy People 2020 goal of blood pressure control.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients with essential hypertension. Data collected included blood pressure, use of a home blood pressure log, documentation of blood pressure medication compliance, and provider interventions in the absence of blood pressure control across three visits. A provider survey regarding provider barriers to blood pressure control was also completed.

Results: All surveyed providers were aware and …

Assessment Of Pediatric Primary Care Providers Behaviors And Procedures Regarding Pediatric Overweight And Obesity, Jessie N. Meiser

DNP Projects

CAPSTONE INTRODUCTION

Childhood overweight/obesity is a critical public health problem with devastating consequences. Many factors have combined to create the epidemic, and primary care providers can play an important role in addressing the problem by identifying overweight/obese children and encouraging them to engage in healthy behaviors. However, providers face a number of competing priorities making it difficult for them to provide these services effectively without outside support.

Obesity has reached an epidemic proportion in the nation’s youth. The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (2011) found that 35.7% of children age 10 – 17 in Kentucky are overweight …

Delivery Of Evidence-Based Tobacco Use Interventions In Primary Care, Amber Silberman

DNP Projects

This capstone report presents three manuscripts which focus on tobacco use interventions in the primary care setting. The first manuscript presents a critical analysis of the Public Health Service guideline on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. The second manuscript presents a literature review pertaining to interventions that increase primary care provider compliance with guideline recommendations. The literature obtained from these first two manuscripts led to a descriptive study, which examined the documentation and implementation of specific guideline recommendations in a primary care clinic. The third and final manuscript details this study, and presents some practical implications for improving documentation …

Evidence-Based Blood Conservation Education For Icu Nurses: A Pre And Post-Test Evaluation Of Nursing Knowledge, Stefanie M. Bull

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based education project was (i) to evaluate baseline nursing knowledge of anemia, blood conservation and transfusion medicine, (ii) to identify current blood conservation practice and the nurse’s prior exposure to blood conservation education (iii) to determine the potential impact of evidence-based education on nursing knowledge, and (iv) to determine the impact of education on the nurse’s attitudes towards future implementation of blood conservation practices based on the nurse’s self report.

Setting: The project was implemented in the Cardiovascular and Thoracic ICU (CVICU) at an 875-bed level-1 Trauma and Multi-Organ Transplant Center located in central Kentucky. …

Tobacco Treatment In College Students, Teresa H. Huber

DNP Projects

This study was conducted in a southeastern University to determine tobacco use status in a population of university students, student intention to quit, treatment options, use of student health service, and student’s degree of support of a tobacco-free policy. A major implication for practice is the need for college health providers to screen all students utilizing the USPHS Guidelines, as even light smokers may be vulnerable to nicotine addiction. However, the study found that a high proportion of the smokers were nondaily smokers who do not consider themselves as smokers and the vast majority of those were undergraduates. Thus, college …

Assessing Provider Knowledge And Attitude Towards Animal-Assisted Therapy As A Complementary Treatment For Children, Shannon Leigh Million

DNP Projects

Objective: The purpose of this project was to determine knowledge and attitudes of pediatric primary care providers working in a university outpatient clinic settings towards the use of animal-assisted therapy as a complementary treatment for children. This report also includes an integrative review of animal-assisted therapy in pediatric populations and a clinical practice guideline analysis regarding the use of equine facilitated learning with high risk children and adolescents in residential psychiatric treatment.

Methods: A survey tool was administered to the Department of Pediatrics at UK Healthcare.

Results: There were 41 respondents to the survey, 36 of which …

Trauma Resuscitation Team Program Evaluation, Lisa J. Fryman

DNP Projects

To evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented charge nurse-led trauma resuscitation team approach in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU). The approach was developed to improve patient throughput efficiency at a Level 1 Trauma Center. Measures of effectiveness include patient throughput efficiency, patient clinical outcomes, and financial impact. The implementation of the charge nurse-led trauma resuscitation team showed an improvement in efficiency of patient throughput without adversely affecting patient outcomes, and opening up critical resources for the next patient that arrives.

Screening For Sepsis: A Key Strategy For Early Identification And Management Of Septic Patients, Amy P. Fisher

DNP Projects

Background: Sepsis, defined as a systemic inflammatory response to infection, is a life-threatening medical condition that rapidly progresses from severe sepsis (characterized by signs of organ dysfunction) to septic shock with fluid-refractory hypotension. Adherence to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines for the management of severe sepsis and septic shock have been associated with improved delivery of care and reduced mortality. Delays in recognition of sepsis has been identified as a barrier to achieving early goal-directed therapy targets.

Purpose: To determine if a sepsis screening protocol could facilitate earlier identification of patients with sepsis

Methods: A retrospective medical record review was …