Digital Commons Network^™

Endowments Of Higher Education Institutions And Individual Income Tax Policy: Wealth Erosion From A Loss In Charitable Contributions, Jennifer W. Siebenthaler

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The most significant tax overhaul bill in over thirty years was enacted in 2017 and expected to have wide-ranging effects. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes numerous policies that directly and indirectly impact the higher education sector and the effect to endowments was not addressed in the public debate leading up to enactment. Unlike expendable gifts, a reduction in endowment contributions has a cumulative effect because a gift to an endowment can benefit all subsequent years. Each year following a contribution, investment income earned on the original gift is available for spending and benefits escalate over time in amount, …

Soft Skills: Old & New, Kevin Wayne Beardmore

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The problem of a prepared workforce is perennial. Part of the challenge is one of supply and demand, as education systems attempt to produce graduates with the technical competencies required for the current jobs available. In the new service- and knowledge-based economy, however, soft skills are cited as a greater need by today’s employers. Increasingly sought across all industry sectors, these skills allow employees to work independently and interdependently, respond rapidly to customer needs, and adjust to changing market conditions. As a result, institutions of higher education are being called upon to infuse soft skills into their curricula. In this …

The Stakeholder Gap Lens: Teacher And Parental Perceptions Of The Achievement Gap In Kentucky's Public Schools, Heather Renee Brown Chapman

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

The research around the achievement gap is extensive. However, regardless that the term “achievement gap” is so widely used in academia today, there is often confusion surrounding what the achievement gap is. This study seeks to answer three research questions: (1) To what extent does an achievement gap exist among different subgroups of students in Kentucky’s K-12 public schools? (2) How do the perceptions of parents and teachers interact with decision-making? (3) How do the ideas of parents and teachers regarding closing the achievement gap compare?

This research examines perceptions of the existence of an achievement gap in Kentucky’s public …

The Influence Of Access To Informal Stem Learning Experiences On Middle School Students’ Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem, Soledad G. Yao

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Informal learning experiences have become increasingly effective in enhancing self-efficacy and interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).This study investigated the impact of access to informal STEM learning experiences on student self-efficacy and interest in STEM before and after participating in the 2018 See Blue See STEM Summer Experience. Pre-survey results indicated that middle school students who had previous access to informal STEM learning experiences are 3.21 times as likely to demonstrate high self-efficacy in STEM as those who had no previous access. After engaging in the 2018 summer experience, post-survey results showed a statistically significant …

Principal Behaviors That Foster Collective Efficacy Among Teachers In Rural Secondary Schools In Kentucky, Tanya Jo Jury

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine principal behaviors, identified by teachers and principals, which foster collective efficacy among teachers. As instructional leaders of a school, principals are expected to lead their schools. Behaviors exhibited by the principal can either help or hinder the success of the school and teachers and students in that school. This study will assist principals, aspiring principals, and instructors of principal preparation programs in knowing what behaviors are necessary to foster collective efficacy in their schools, leading to greater success for that school.

Collective efficacy is a shared belief that by working together, “we …

Fanny Hensel's Das Jahr: Emergent Meaning At The Intersection Of Textual, Visual, And Aural Modalities, Lindsay Gray Clavere

Theses and Dissertations--Music

On Christmas Day in 1841, Fanny Hensel presented her husband with a Christmas gift—Das Jahr—a piano cycle comprised of twelve pieces, each one depicting a month of The Year. Not long thereafter, Fanny and husband Wilhelm would collaborate to create a Gesamtkunstwerk, reworking Das Jahr and expanding it by two additional expressions: vignettes drawn into the score by Wilhelm, and epigrams, snippets of poetry by master German poets.

This dissertation seeks to answer the question: “What meaning is achieved by the intersection of the three modalities present in Das Jahr: textual (epigram), visual (vignette), and …

Finding The “Tech” In Technique: A Pedagogical Approach To Electroacoustic Concert Percussion Performance Practice, William Brady Harrison Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Premise and Objectives

In our increasingly technology driven society, the impact of technology touches nearly every aspect of our lives in some form or another. This has been acutely felt within the world of percussion, with electroacoustic works representing perhaps the most rapidly expanding area of concert percussion over the last twenty years. Electroacoustic music couples electronic technology with traditional acoustic instruments and/or performance practices.

Broadly, this paper outlines a systematic approach to teaching electroacoustic performance practice, based on elements found in a cross-section of percussion literature. In using such an approach, not only does each student become more capable …

Lost & Found An Electro-Acoustic Musical Composition Referencing A Day In An African Village: A Commentary On A Musical Composition, George Essilfie

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Electro-acoustic music composition makes it possible for composers to manipulate sounds with the computer with either alone or both live and prerecorded sounds. From the end of the 19^th century when the first electronic devices for performing music were developed up till today, transformations in music technology keep surfacing and the possibilities with working with sounds have become endless. Electro-acoustic music has the ability to conjure mental images using vast sound manipulation techniques using the DAW(Digital audio workstation) and sound amplification through loudspeakers. Every space in our environment has its unique sound/s. Lost and found through these techniques provides …

John Mackey’S Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony For Band A Discourse And Analysis Of John Mackey’S Symphony For Band, Jonathan C. Sweet

Theses and Dissertations--Music

John Mackey’s Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band(2014) is a work of epic proportions and was the winner of the William D. Revelli Composition Contest of the National Band Association in 2015. Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Bandhas received much acclaim and many performances including a recording by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble in 2016.

The purposes of this dissertation are 1) to provide historical information on the genesis of the work through interviews with its composer, John Mackey, and commissioning director, Jerry Junkin; 2) to provide an analysis of how the programmatic elements of Homer’s Odysseyinteract with …

When The Inhuman Becomes Human: An Examination Of The Musical Portrayal Of The Robot In Twenty-First Century Science-Fiction Cinema Through An Analysis Of The Film Scores Of Automata, Ex Machina, And The Machine, Rebecca Ann O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Science fiction film has been telling stories about artificial anthropomorphic robots and androids for almost a hundred years, spawning films, such as Metropolis (1927), Ghost in the Shell (1951), and Blade Runner (1982). Each of these science-fiction films was complemented by a musical score that helped to create an onscreen world dominated by a dystopian view of the future. Influenced by the generations of prior science-fiction films, Automata (2014), The Machine (2013), and Ex Machina (2015) are all concerned with the same narrative in which humanity is in decline while artificial robots are rising up and experiencing life in a …

A Singer’S Stress: Yoga And Meditation Techniques In The Collegiate Voice Studio, Zackery David Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Often neglected in voice study is the understanding that a singer’s instrument lives in his/her body and therefore cannot be packed away like other musical objects. Yoga and mindfulness compliment the belief of a whole body instrument. Data gathered on college campuses report that stress and anxiety are on the rise, thus reinforcing the need for MBSR and yoga as beneficial and proven tools for stress relief. The current state of research in the realm of mental health in colleges merits the study of a cohesive layout of these exercises and their expected outcomes in singing as well as stress …

Exposing Corruption In Progressive Rock: A Semiotic Analysis Of Gentle Giant’S The Power And The Glory, Robert Jacob Sivy

Theses and Dissertations--Music

English progressive rock band Gentle Giant is catalogued under the progressive (or “prog”) rock genre for a variety reasons, including unique instrumentation, virtuosity, and interesting/unconventional musical attributes. The complexity of their music is often warranted by the sophisticated concepts behind their albums and the deep messages of their songs. The Power and the Glory (TPatG), Gentle Giant’s sixth studio album, is a concept album that emphasizes the rise and corruption of power. What makes their music, especially TPatG, worthy of scholarly attention beyond the simple examination of the compositional techniques employed is the way in which the …

Gender, Politics, Market Segmentation, And Taste: Adult Contemporary Radio At The End Of The Twentieth Century, Saesha Senger

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This dissertation explores issues of gender politics, market segmentation, and taste through an examination of the contributions of several artists who have achieved Adult Contemporary (AC) chart success. The scope of the project is limited to a period when many artists who figured prominently in both the broader mainstream of American popular music and the more specific Adult Contemporary category were most commercially viable: from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. My contention is that, as gender politics and gendered social norms continued to change in the United States at this time, Adult Contemporary – the chart, the format, and the …

Where We Belong: Spatial Imagining In American Women’S Life Narratives, 1859-1912, Gokce Tekeli

Theses and Dissertations--English

Where We Belong: Spatial Imagining in American Women’s Life Narratives, 1859-1912, studies three marginalized and disadvantaged American women’s self-life narratives during a transitional period in American history. In this dissertation, I am taking an interdisciplinary approach. Where We Belong borrows from social geography, new materialism, and autobiography studies in order to complicate critical discussions of women’s space and place in nineteenth-century women’s self-life narratives. Each chapter of Where We Belong presents a case study with the goal to provide a broader understanding of women’s strategies of belonging due to and despite their spatial exclusions. The overarching emphasis in each …

Identity, Spectacle, And Embodiment In Social Protest, Craig Alan Crowder

Theses and Dissertations--English

This dissertation examines the way rhetorical performances of identity function within a social movement. Examining the University of Kentucky chapter of a campus activist organization, United Students Against Sweatshops, I argue that embodied performances of identity often leverage spectacle in disruptive ways and work not only to solidify activists’ identities as part of a social movement but ultimately help to create solidarity within the movement, thereby working toward movement objectives. Historically under-examined in social movement literature in the rhetoric and composition tradition, identity performance examples are taken from an oral history project and archival materials to show how identity is …

Computational Tools For The Untargeted Assignment Of Ft-Ms Metabolomics Datasets, Joshua Merritt Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Metabolomics is the study of metabolomes, the sets of metabolites observed in living systems. Metabolism interconverts these metabolites to provide the molecules and energy necessary for life processes. Many disease processes, including cancer, have a significant metabolic component that manifests as differences in what metabolites are present and in what quantities they are produced and utilized. Thus, using metabolomics, differences between metabolomes in disease and non-disease states can be detected and these differences improve our understanding of disease processes at the molecular level. Despite the potential benefits of metabolomics, the comprehensive investigation of metabolomes remains difficult.

A popular analytical technique …

“More Than Just A Box”: The Co-Creation Of Social Identity Within Hispanic-Caucasian Multiethnic Family Systems, Anna-Carrie H. Beck

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Approximately 15% of all new marriages in the United States in 2010 were between spouses that shared different racial or ethnic backgrounds from one another. Socha and Diggs (1999) began to examine race as both an outcome of family communication as well as a factor that influences children's communication development in families because of the social pressure multiethnic families endure to fit a nuclear family model. This study utilized dyadic interviews of eleven multiethnic parent couples (N = 22 individuals; 11 dyads) in order to gain a deeper understanding of Hispanic-Caucasian multiethnic family systems. Communication in families plays a foundational …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Health Influencer Videos On Youtube In The Ostomy Community, Sarah Irenke Sophia Bell

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The expansion of YouTube into the mainstream media and its place as the second most-used website in the world makes it a prime place for health information seeking. However, content can be created and uploaded by anyone and thus, the threat of misinformation on YouTube is high. Medical researchers have established that videos created by health professionals on YouTube promote accurate information whereas videos by non-professionals promote generally inaccurate or misleading information. Yet, videos created by non-professionals have more views and higher relevance rankings on YouTube. To begin to understand this phenomenon, a descriptive study is used to lay a …

Multigenerational Genomic And Epigenetic Effects Of Manufactured Silver Nanomaterials In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Anye Wamucho

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

There has been an increase in the incorporation of silver nanomaterials into consumer products due to their antimicrobial properties. Therefore there is potential for silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) to leach out into the environment during different life-cycle stages of these nanomaterial-containing products. Concern about the toxicity of Ag-NPs has led to investigations into their toxic effects on a variety of organisms mainly using acute and sub-chronic, single-generation exposures. The focus of this project was to understand the effects of long-term continuous multigenerational exposure to AgNO₃ and Ag-NPs in both pristine and environmentally transformed forms, on the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans …

The Effect Of An Educational Workshop On Relational Aggression In An Acute Care Nursing Unit, Jennifer M. Dorsey

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on relational aggression in an acute care unit using a pre and post questionnaire. The questionnaire was used to examine changes in Relational Aggression (RA) self-awareness before and after an educational video and to determine the effectiveness of an educational video compared to no educational materials on self-awareness of RA behaviors.

METHODS: This study was single site, quasi-experimental non-equivalent pretest posttest study at the University of Kentucky. Sample size for the pre-survey was 15 acute care nurses on the control and experimental units, completed between …

Evaluating Pre-Procedural Anxiety In Adults Undergoing Interventional Radiology Procedures, Rebecca Doll

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate pre-procedural anxiety with the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) in the adult population of the Interventional Radiology department at University of Kentucky Medical Center. The objective is to provide meaningful data to providers in this clinical area that could potentially facilitate better departmental workflow and also promote quality patient outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review, using a pre/post design, was used to evaluate the departmental implementation of APAIS. Case logs for the department were observed from January 2018 to June 2018 and then again, following APAIS implementation, from July …

Barriers To Screening For Intimate Partner Violence Among Aprns In Kentucky, Kathryn L. Strait

DNP Projects

Abstract

Purpose:Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in at least one in every four females and one in nine men across the United States (Smith et al., 2017). While the prevalence of IPV is considerably high, the screening rates for IPV in primary care specifically average less than 12% (United States Preventative Services Task Force, 2013). Methods: In order to identify how to overcome the barriers to screening including time, knowledge of IPV, access to community resources, gender identity/sexual orientation, accuracy and availability of screening tools, and reimbursement for advanced practice nurses in Kentucky, a survey was sent to …

The Effect Of A Patient Navigator Strategy On Colorectal Cancer Screening Completion In A Women’S Health Clinic, Martha Rosenthal

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in the US. Kentucky has one of the highest rates of the disease. Approximately 1/3 of the population has not completed screening for colon cancer as recommended by guidelines. Patient navigation is a strategy proposed to increase completion of screening in the primary care setting.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this quality improvement pilot project was to provide preliminary data on the impact of a patient navigation strategy to improve colon cancer screening completion in low risk individuals.

METHODS: Colon cancer screening completion using Colonoscopy or Cologuard testing …

Emergency Room Services Used By Pediatric Patients Who Have An Established Primary Care, Rebecca J. Cooksey

DNP Projects

Background: The use of emergency room services for primary care issues is an ongoing problem. The incidence is higher in the Medicaid population and is associated with emergency room overcrowding and excessive medical costs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the extent of and the details surrounding non-acute emergency room visits in a pediatric population within an urban primary care clinic.

Methods: This was a two-part descriptive study with both quantitative and qualitative components. A retrospective chart review of this facility’s ER data constituted the quantitative descriptive part of the study. The qualitative arm of the study …

A Risk Reduction Education Intervention For Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among College Students, Mary Suzanne White

DNP Projects

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Although cardiovascular disease is often associated with middle aged and older adults, modifiable CVD risk factors are also present in young adults.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether a cardiovascular risk reduction educational intervention delivered via Facebook is feasible and effective for modifying risk factor reduction such as decreased body mass index and increased fruit/vegetable consumption among college students.

METHODS: This study involved the use of pre-test and post-test surveys modified from the Behavioral Risk Factor …

Nurse Executive And Middle Management Leadership Competency Assessment Within A Multi-Hospital System, Rachel Inyama

DNP Projects

BACKGROUND: Nursing leaders face increasing pressure to meet multiple outcomes and maintain standards of care while protecting the organization from potential financial consequences if standards or goals are not met. To meet the mounting demands, both nurse executives and middle management leaders will require the development of new skill sets not historically included in the job description.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the competencies of nursing leaders at the executive and middle management levels within Norton Healthcare.

METHODS: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey design to measure Chief Nursing Officer and Nursing Director leadership competencies. …

The Effect Of Provider Education On Copd Screening Rates In The Primary Care Setting, Kelli Craig

DNP Projects

BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. With early detection, COPD is a treatable disease, highlighting the need for an effective screening measure. The COPD Population Screener Questionnaire (COPD-PS) is a valid, accurate questionnaire that can identify individuals likely to have COPD.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a provider-based educational intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and screening rates of COPD using the COPD-PS screening tool among primary care providers.

METHODS: This study was a single-center, pre/post implementation study to evaluate …

Provider Adherence To National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute’S Guidelines On Screening, Diagnosis, And Treatment Of Hypercholesterolemia In The Pediatric Population Aged 9-11 Years, Alanna Cox

DNP Projects

Purpose: High cholesterol levels have been directly linked to atherosclerosis, which is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Risk factors that accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, such as high cholesterol can begin in childhood. The purpose of this project was to evaluate provider adherence to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents, specifically the guidelines on universal lipid screening in children aged 9-11 years. The objectives were: 1) determine the rate of lipid screening in children 9-11 years old; 2) determine the number of children who …

Tobacco Screening Among Adults In Primary Care: Evaluation Of The Use Of The 5a’S Framework For Treating Tobacco Dependence, Alexis Owens

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Tobacco use in the United States is the chief cause of preventable disease and death. Preventing and identifying tobacco use through screening and education is essential to assist users to quit and to decrease overall tobacco associated health risks.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the integration of the 5A’s tobacco engagement framework into the workflow at one Primary Care Center. Study objectives included determining baseline tobacco screening data prior to 5A’s education, providing providers and support staff education on the 5A’s process, reviewing and interpreting pre/post data of the 5A’s process, and identification of …

An Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of A Safety Strategy Training Program On Knowledge Retention In New Nurses, Annette Mtangi

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a lecture-based safety strategy training program on new nurses’ level of knowledge about how to reduce errors when providing patient care.

Conceptual Framework: Patricia Benner’s Novice to Expert model of knowledge and skill acquisition in nurses was the conceptual framework used for understanding how nurses acquire knowledge, skill and experience as well as their propensity for error at different stages of development.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test assessment of the current lecture format. The instrument used was a survey that asked demographic, safety strategy knowledge, and …