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Commentary: Use Of Bactrac Proteomic Database-Uromodulin Protein Expression During Ischemic Stroke, Gabriella-Salome K. Armstrong, Jacqueline A. Frank, Christopher J. Mclouth, Ann M. Stowe, Jill M. Roberts, Amanda L. Trout, Justin F. Fraser, Keith R. Pennypacker

Neurology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Uromodulin (UMOD) is a glycoprotein expressed by the epithelial cells of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop in the kidney. Research has shown that increased uromodulin expression may be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. Utilizing the Blood and Clot Thrombectomy Registry and Collaboration (BACTRAC) (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03153683), a continuously enrolling tissue bank, we aimed to examine the associations between serum uromodulin, age, and high BMI (BMI> 25) and its relationship to stroke in patients.

Methods: Arterial blood distal and proximal to the thrombus was collected during a thrombectomy procedure using the BACTRAC protocol and sent …

Rethinking The Appalachian Economy: How Modern Technology Can Transform Agriculture In Mountainous Regions, Ben Childers

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Food Justice For All: Tailoring Urban Agriculture Law To Aid Disadvantaged Communities, Seth Stevens

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

2020 Kentucky Dental Workforce Update, Sydney P. Thompson, Melissa Slone, Frances J. Feltner

Center of Excellence in Rural Health Infographics

No abstract provided.

Physicochemical And Functional Property Modification Of Myofibrillar Protein By Phenolic Compounds Under Oxidative Stress, Anqi Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Polyphenol-rich spices and extracts of phenolic compounds are widely utilized in meat processing to modify product flavors. Chemically, polyphenols are reactive with myofibrillar protein (MP), the most functional fraction of all muscle proteins responsible for texture development in comminuted meat products. Such protein–polyphenol interaction is prevalent under oxidative conditions that are common in meat processing. As a large group of phytochemicals with diverse structures, phenolic compounds are known to interact with MP with varying efficacies. Yet, the structure-function relationship of polyphenols in eliciting modification of MP is poorly understood. The overall objective of this dissertation research was to elucidate the …

The Effect Of Oil Type, Oil Quality, Vitamin E, And Phytase Supplementation On Broiler Performance, Apparent Nutrient And Energy Utilization, And The Fatty Acid Profile Of Fat And Liver In Broiler Chickens, Richard A. Adefioye

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of oil type, oil quality, phytase, and vitamin E (VE) supplementation in broiler chickens. Experiment 1 used 378-day-old male by-product Cobb breeder chicks with 9 treatments, 7 replicates, and 6 birds per replicate, structured as a 2x2x2+1 factorial arrangement of treatments for 14 days. The first 8 treatments were based on a marginally non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) deficient diet (0.31%), while treatment 9 was a positive control (PC) diet with adequate NPP levels (0.45%). There were 2 levels of phytase (0 vs 1000 FTU/kg), 2 levels of oil quality (fresh soy oil; peroxide …

Animal And Plant Protein Oxidation: Chemical And Functional Property Significance, Youling L. Xiong, Anqi Guo

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Protein oxidation, a phenomenon that was not well recognized previously but now better understood, is a complex chemical process occurring ubiquitously in food systems and can be induced by processing treatments as well. While early research concentrated on muscle protein oxidation, later investigations included plant, milk, and egg proteins. The process of protein oxidation involves both radicals and nonradicals, and amino acid side chain groups are usually the site of initial oxidant attack which generates protein carbonyls, disulfide, dityrosine, and protein radicals. The ensuing alteration of protein conformational structures and formation of protein polymers and aggregates can result in significant …

The Person Of The Therapist: Therapists’ Personal Characteristics As Predictors Of Working Alliance And Treatment Outcomes, Alyssa Laura Clements

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Recent years has seen an increase in studies examining the unique contribution that the therapist has on treatment outcomes, which is commonly referred to as “therapist effects” (Barkham et al., 2017). Therapist effects on outcomes are believed to occur primarily via how the therapist’s interpersonal and intrapersonal qualities influence the therapeutic relationship, which in turn influences outcomes (Wampold et al., 2017). The current study focused on professional self-doubt, counseling self-efficacy, and humility because of previous writings about their potential to influence therapists’ interpersonal behaviors. Data was collected from Southwest Behavioral and Health Services (SBHS), a non-profit, comprehensive community behavioral health …

Whiteness And Multiculutral Competence: Counseling Psychology Faculty As Gatekeepers To Understanding Whiteness, Blanka Angyal

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The current phenomenological study aimed to explore how counseling psychology faculty’s understanding of whiteness informs their definition of multicultural competence and practice of psychology. The study presents a conceptual model for researching multicultural competence informed by critical race (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001), feminist standpoint (Smith, 1987, 1997), and intersectional (Collins, 1986; Chrenshaw, 1989) paradigms. Twelve counseling psychology faculty (N=12) teaching in APA-accredited programs were nominated by graduate trainees who deemed them multiculturally competent. Participants’ understanding and experiences of whiteness are described, including the dispositions, behaviors, and academic socialization that propagate whiteness. White faculty’s experience of whiteness and that of faculty …

Investigations Into The Genetics Of Mixed Pathologies In Dementia, Adam Dugan

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that leads to a loss of memory and thinking skills. While tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the genetics underlying AD, currently known genetic variants explain only approximately 30% of the heritable risk of developing AD. One hurdle to AD research is that it can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy, making cruder, clinic-based diagnoses more common. In recent years, several brain pathologies that mimic AD’s clinical presentation have been identified including brain arteriolosclerosis, hippocampal sclerosis (HS), and, most recently, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). It has become …

An Assessment Of Kentucky Birth Records, Focusing On Early-Onset Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy, Environmental Metal Exposures, And Geocoding Precision, 2008-2017, Courtney J. Walker

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Using live and stillbirth records from Kentucky (2008-2017), this dissertation assessed the county-level prevalence and geospatial patterns of early-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (eHDP); examined the geocoding precision of addresses recorded on birth records, and evaluated the association between individual risk factors and environmental metal exposures on eHDP prevalence. After adjusting for maternal demographic factors and pre-existing health conditions, we observed that eHDP prevalence was 38% higher (aPR=1.38, 95%CI:1.16, 1.64) in counties with the highest prevalence of married women (> 53.8%) compared to lower prevalence areas (31.6%) had a 20% higher prevalence of eHDP(aPR=1.20, 95%CI:1.00, 1.44) compared to counties with …

Are We Doing Enough?: A Look At Current Issues Affecting Lgbtq Students At The University Of Kentucky, Colton Barton

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

This paper takes a look at the culture surrounding the LGBTQ community at the University of Kentucky and the university’s efforts to make the campus more safe and inclusive for LGBTQ students. The resources offered by the Office of LGBTQ* Resources are analyzed as well as the current infrastructure in place to determine whether or not the University of Kentucky is doing enough. Various solutions are provided including the addition of a course in the UK Core, the inclusion of an event centered on diversity during freshman orientations, and the construction of gender-neutral bathrooms for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. Interviews …

Scalable Approaches For Auditing The Completeness Of Biomedical Ontologies, Fengbo Zheng

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

An ontology provides a formalized representation of knowledge within a domain. In biomedicine, ontologies have been widely used in modern biomedical applications to enable semantic interoperability and facilitate data exchange. Given the important roles that biomedical ontologies play, quality issues such as incompleteness, if not addressed, can affect the quality of downstream ontology-driven applications. However, biomedical ontologies often have large sizes and complex structures. Thus, it is infeasible to uncover potential quality issues through manual effort. In this dissertation, we introduce automated and scalable approaches for auditing the completeness of biomedical ontologies. We mainly focus on two incompleteness issues -- …

Evaluation Of Liquid Ice Melting Additives For Winter Maintenance Applications, Erin Lammers-Staats

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Winter weather can often pose difficulties for transportation agencies as they work to clear roads of snow and ice quickly so that motorists can travel safely and efficiently. Kentucky has made efforts to maximize efficiency within its winter maintenance program by focusing on optimized equipment usage and personnel time management. This study’s objective was to evaluate novel anti-icers and calculate how their performance compared to the current performance of brine and calcium chloride mixture. New brine additives claim to offer better results, but there is very little guidance about how to systematically evaluate new anti-icers. The author developed a testing …

Best Practices For Research Analytics & Business Intelligence Within The Research Domain, Baron Wolf, Terri Hall, Katherine Robershaw

Research Analytics Academic Publications

While an increased number of industries with business operations have been shaping their use of data analytics, the use of such tools and methods within the higher education research domain, specifically research administration, is still in its infancy. This mixed-methods study collected data to identify best practices in how universities and other research organizations use data analytics to drive their strategic agendas, create efficiency in operations, and promote complex research proposals throughout their institutions. Research methods included a survey to collect data on how research offices are using analytics and business intelligence tools, Rasch analysis (Rasch, 1993) to examine survey …

Farm Level Impact Of Adopting Multiple Component Pricing In The Appalachian Fmmo And Evaluating The Usmca Canadian Cream Trq: A Gsim Approach, Luke Gregory Cummings

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This thesis is composed of two essays regarding the dairy industry of North America. The first essay aims to evaluate the adoption of an MCP pricing system in the Appalachian FMMO. Producers in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina have formally voiced concern about adopting MCP due to concerns over reduced milk value. Using cow-level production data from Kentucky, the effect on farm level prices can be estimated. It is determined Jersey cow herd’s milk value under MCP appreciates 9% in Kentucky, while the impact on Holstein herds is dependent on many factors. The second essay evaluates the potential impact …

Cognitive Abilities In Hearing Loss: Perceived And Performance Abilities Of Adults Related To Attention, Memory, And Social Cognition, Karah Gottschalk

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit noted in aging adults. It is commonly known to reduce an individual’s ability to detect, identify, and localize sounds and speech and to cause issues in communication. However, there are other less commonly discussed impacts that hearing loss has beyond the auditory system. Literature suggests a correlation between hearing loss and cognition in aging adults. Similar to hearing loss, the domains of cognition experience performance and functional changes across the life span. In an aging adult, changes related to cognition are also suggested to be associated with hearing loss. This study aimed …

Work-Related Changes In The Trunk Stiffness Of Nursing Personnel, Clare Tyler

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Low back pain (LBP) is a significant issue related to spinal stability and, therefore, to trunk stiffness. Due to the nature of their work, nursing personnel are exposed to potential risk factors for LBP, such as lifting and trunk flexion, which have been reported in the literature to lead to decreases in trunk stiffness. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate potential occupational effects on the trunk stiffness in nursing personnel. Twenty-four nursing personnel participated in this study and completed two sessions (pre-shift and post-shift) during which two passive flexion tests (with and without an ~7.5-lb load) were …

The Role For Local Government In Promoting Environmental Policy, And How Louisville Is Mirroring National Trends, Cassie Chambers Armstrong

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Adjudicating On-The-Track Outcomes In Kentucky: Why Horse Administrators Should Provide Competitors A Right To Review, Howard Ball

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Horses, Humans, And The Law: A Study Of Four Pillars Of Support For Horse Ownership, Elaine M. Ramesh

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Unboxing The Japanese Sojourning Mom’S Pediatric-Going Experience: A Phenomenological Study Of Culturally And Linguistically Appropriate Health Services, Carolyn Oldham

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This study explores how twelve former Lexington-area Japanese sojourning mothers define culturally and linguistically appropriate services and how culture, gender and language shaped their health care beliefs, behaviors and experiences in pediatric settings. It is a naturalistic, pragmatic line of inquiry born in collaboration with Japanese sojourning moms across cups of matcha 末茶 and mugicha 麦茶. Framed by constructivist and intersectionality research lenses, this phenomenological study seeks to understand how study participants perceived the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of their interactions with Lexington-area pediatric offices and to begin to ascertain the meanings they created based on their subjective experiences. Its …

Rate To Measure Mathematics Teaching: Using The Many-Facet Rasch Modeling To Reevaluate The Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol For Practices (Mcop2), Chunling Niu

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Rater-mediated classroom observation protocols are increasingly being used for teaching performance assessments, which makes identifying and controlling for various rater effects a central issue to ensure the rating quality. A series of validation studies under the classical test theory framework, including content validity, interrater reliability, and structure analysis, have been completed for the 16-item Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP²).

However, the MCOP² data have never been investigated under the Rasch framework. Due to the methodological limitations of the CTT approach for rater-mediated assessments, it is imperative to examine the MCOP² validity and reliability using …

The Potential Role Of Trauma-Informed Positive Education In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom In Disrupting The Preschool-To-Prison Pipeline, Jessica Michele Doering

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed-methods study considered the potential for trauma-informed mathematics education to disrupt the preschool-to-prison (or school-to-prison) pipeline. Phenomenological qualitative interviews were conducted in conjunction with the use of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC; Baker et al., 2016) scale to determine teacher perceptions of trauma-informed care practices, their thoughts regarding challenging classroom behaviors and the connection of these behaviors with trauma and the pipeline, and their ideas about how much of an impact teachers can have on students who present with challenging behaviors that might be symptoms of trauma or that might be an indicator of future incarceration. This …

Three Essays On Export Earnings Volatility, Yoonseon Han

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

My dissertation consists of three essays on export earnings volatility. In the first essay, I look at the determinants of export earnings volatility. The four main determinants suggested by the theoretical literature are export concentration, durability, vertical linkages, and financial vulnerability. A panel of bilateral trade data at the industry level, containing 178 exporting countries, 194 importing countries, and 590 SITC Rev. 1 four-digit industries from 1962 to 2011, is used and these aspects are incorporated to empirically examine their effects on export earnings volatility. The essay finds that diversifying exports across different industries and trade partners plays an important …

Three Essays On The High-Speed Rail Network In China, Shiyu Cheng

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

My dissertation consists of three essays that study the economic consequences of China’s high-speed rail (HSR) expansion.

In the first essay, I use the college admission cutoff scores to reveal students’ college preferences under the enrollment quota. By exploiting the quasi-experimental variation in whether or not college cities are connected by the HSR network, I document a two-point increase in the cutoff scores following a HSR station opening in the college city using difference-in-difference (DD) approach. Colleges in the megacities experience a larger increase in cutoff scores after the station opening. These findings suggest that the HSR network stimulates “brain …

Peer Effects: An In-Depth Analysis, Lauren O. Dirago-Duncan

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

The social multiplier effect of peers has the potential to influence all members of a group through changing the outcomes of a single member and thus poses a strong, low-cost channel for increasing student performance. As such, peer effects are much studied in education and inform important policy decisions such as classroom composition, ability tracking, and magnet schools. These studies are often limited in scope to the contemporaneous period—how one’s peers affect them while they are around one another, but we should also be concerned with whether peer group continues to influence student outcomes after their inevitable separation. I use …

Essays On The Role Of Policies In Major Public Health Issues, Anh Le

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation explores the role of policy on health outcomes and behaviors that relate to major public health concerns. Essay 1 and Essay 2 investigate the effects of Medicaid expansions on substance-use outcomes. Essay 3 examines the impacts of school reopenings in Texas on COVID-19 and mobility outcomes.

Essay 1 studies the effect of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Using State Drug Utilization Data 2011-2017, I find that the Medicaid expansion is associated with an increase of 40-60 Medicaid-paid opioid prescriptions per 1,000 people aged 19–64. However, the results suggest that post-expansion prescriptions are, on average, shorter or prescribed …

Who’S Doing The Dishes?: Reproductive Labor, Gender, And Middle-Class Subjectivities In Rabat, Morocco, Miriam Ruth Dike

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

The dissertation uses reproductive labor as a lens to examine how gendered and classed subjectivities are continuously created, performed, and subtly transformed within and outside of urban middle-class Moroccan households. Reproductive labor is broadly defined as unpaid and paid labor associated with caregiving and domestic roles including but not limited to cleaning, cooking, and child care. Subjectivities are the perspectives, feelings, beliefs, and desires of subjects within uneven relations of power. This research is based on seventeen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Rabat-Sale, Morocco including fifty-seven semi-structured interviews with married working- and middle-class Moroccans, as well as extensive participant observation …

How Does Occupational Licensing Affect Entry Into The Medical Field? An Examination Of Emts, Aaron Yelowitz, Samuel J. Ingram

Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Working Papers

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to temporary suspensions of many occupational licensing laws, especially for health care professionals, in an effort to manage surges in health care demand. The crisis highlights more general concerns about occupational licensing laws, yet convincing empirical evidence on the degree to which such laws have inhibited entry into health care professions is scarce because most studies must rely on cross-sectional variation to identify such effects. In this study, we indirectly examine how occupational licensing affects the choice to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) by exploiting the demand-side shock from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). …