Digital Commons Network^™

Parental Knowledge Of Car Seat Safety, Breanne P. Webb

DNP Projects

Background: Injuries sustained from motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in children every year. In one year, more than 618,000 children 0-12 years of age rode in vehicles without the use of a proper restraint device at least some of the time. Of the children ages 12 years and younger who died in a motor vehicle accident in 2016 (for which safety restraint use was known), 35% were not buckled up (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to evaluate parental knowledge and understanding of car seat and …

Incidence And Treatment Of Acute Sinusitis In Two Outpatient Primary Care Settings And Provider Challenges In Treating Adult Sinusitis, Britney Nicole Perkins

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nationally, approximately one third of antibiotics are currently being prescribed unnecessarily. Antibiotic misuse can result in disability, longer hospital stays, increased costs to organizations, antibiotic resistance and death.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was two-fold: (1) explore current management of acute adult rhinosinusitis in an outpatient setting (2) assessing providers perceptions on the barriers to preventing antibiotic misuse.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 150 charts was performed to examine prescribing practices by providers treating rhinosinusitis at two primary care practices. An interview was conducted with the practice providers on barriers for compliance in antibiotic stewardship.

RESULTS: …

Advance Directives For Older Adults In Primary Care: An Intervention To Promote Screening And Documentation, Kathryn Bower

DNP Projects

Background: Advance care planning is the process of making decisions about the healthcare one wishes to receive should they become unable to make decisions for themselves, including the development of advance directives and designation of health care surrogates. Advance care planning is universally supported by governing bodies and professional organizations; however, less than one-third of Americans have an advance directive or designated health care surrogate.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to assess primary care provider attitudes and knowledge of advance care planning and to increase screening for and documentation of advance directives and/or health care surrogates …

An Evaluation Of Preexisting Psychiatric Diagnosis: Patient Outcomes In An Intensive Care Setting, Nicole R. Ryan

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual is able to acknowledge ability levels, cope with the normal stresses of life, be a productive member of society and contribute to the community. An important consideration for DNP prepared nurses is implementing principles of the Collaborative Care Model as a guiding framework to improve access to evidence-based mental health care in a medical care setting.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this DNP project was to examine the demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with both medical and psychiatric diagnoses admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Outpatient Iv Diuretic Therapy For Patients With Decompensated Heart Failure, Christina Thompson

DNP Projects

Heart failure is a prevalent chronic disease that contributes to many hospitalizations that may not always be necessary. Evidence supports that patients who present to the Emergency Department in fluid overload can be treated in the outpatient setting when only IV diuretic is warranted. Both decreases in costs and improved outcomes have been reported, yet there has been little movement toward providing outpatient diuresis versus hospitalization. The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate the feasibility of an outpatient option for IV diuretic therapy for patients with acute decompensated heart failure experiencing symptoms of fluid overload. This descriptive study …

Screen Time And The Effects On Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cassandra Starks

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project is to determine if an educational intervention with families decreased overall screen time use in school-aged children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

METHODS: This study was a single group pre-test, post-test interventional study design. The sample population consisted of the parents/guardians of 30 school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD (5-12 years) recruited from the University of Kentucky Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic between November 2019 and February 2020. Parents completed a survey about their child’s daily screen time exposure (tablets/cell phones, laptops/computers, video games, and television) and were educated how screen time can exacerbate ADHD symptoms, …

Field Evaluation Of Tobacco Engineered For High Leaf-Oil Accumulation, James Perry

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The biofuel market is dominated by ethanol and biodiesel derived from cellulosic and lipid-based biomass crops. This is largely due to the relatively low costs and reliability of production. At present, production of non-food plant-derived oils for biofuel production in the U.S. is minimal. A research team from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an independent Australian federal government research institution, has developed an efficient transgenic system to engineer oil production in tobacco leaves. This novel system is comprised of multiple transgenes that direct the endogenous metabolic flux of oil precursors towards triacylglycerol (TAG) production. Additional genes were …

Integrating Cover Crops And Herbicides For Horseweed [Conyza Canadensis (L.) Cronq.] Management Prior To Soybean [Glycine Max (L.) Merr.], Austin Sherman

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Horseweed (Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq.) is prevalent in Kentucky and can be difficult to control. Research has shown multiple weed control methods to be more sustainable than relying on chemical control alone, so the use of multiple methods for horseweed management was examined in this study. The main objective was to determine best practice(s) to reduce horseweed prior to soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Treatments included: fall-planted cover crop [CC; cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) or none], fall-applied herbicide (saflufenacil or none), and spring-applied herbicides (dicamba, 2,4-D ester, or none). We hypothesized horseweed densities would be reduced …

Nanomaterials For Double-Stranded Rna Delivery, Stuart Lichtenberg

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

RNA interference has enormous potential as a potent, specific, and environmentally friendly alternative to small molecule pesticides for crop protection. The use of exogenous double-stranded RNA offers flexibility in targeting and use in crops in which transgenic manipulation is not an option. The combination of RNAi with nanotechnology offers further advantages that are not available with dsRNA alone. In this work, I have evaluated several different combinations of nanomaterials and polymers for use in RNAi-based pest control systems. First, I have characterized the use of chitosan/dsRNA polyplex nanoparticles for gene knockdown using the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Though chitosan/dsRNA …

Oxidative Degradation Of Lignin And Investigation Of Utilization Of Lignin-Derived Materials As Building Blocks For Epoxy Resins, Zhen Fang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth, is potentially a replaceable source for bulky fuels and chemical feedstocks. There have been numerous reports on methods for the oxidative cleavage of β-O-4 linkages but relatively few reports of how those methods affect other linkages that are present in lignin. We investigated how the β-1 and β-5 linkages respond under oxidative conditions proposed for lignin deconstruction based on their effect on β-O-4 linkages. Mechanochemical treatment of lignin can greatly improve the yield of monomer products and we applied a mechanochemical approach, using powerful ring-and-puck milling to promote lignin degradation. Along with …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Carbonaceous Particles From Xylose And Soybean Residuals, Shanshan Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Carbonaceous materials, especially in micro and nanoscale, are useful in optical, energy storage, electronic, and biomedical devices or technologies. Techniques have been developed for preparation and modification of the carbonaceous materials, while it is still challenging to tailor the properties of carbonaceous materials effectively and economically. Laser is a powerful tool in academic and industrial laboratories, which also plays important roles in the preparation and modification of high-performance carbonaceous nanomaterials.

In this study low-cost hydrothermal synthesis, high-temperature annealing, and Laser ablation (LAL) methods are developed to prepare functionalized carbon nanomaterials and modify their electrochemical and optical properties.

Sub-micro hollow carbon …

Synthesis, Functionalization, And Application Of Nanofiltration And Composite Membranes For Selective Separations, Andrew Steven Colburn

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Future nanofiltration (NF) membranes used for selective separations of ions and small organic molecules must maintain performance in environments where high concentrations of total dissolved solvents or foulants are present. These challenges can be addressed through the development of composite membranes, as well as the engineering of enhanced surface properties and operating conditions for existing commercial membranes.

In this work, ion transport through commercial thin film composite (TFC) polyamide NF membranes were studied in both lab-prepared salt solutions and industrial wastewater. The dependence of several variables on ion rejection was investigated, including ion radius, ion charge, ionic strength, and temperature. …

Functionalization Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles And The Impact On Surface Reactive Oxygen Species Generation For Potential Biomedical And Environmental Applications, Trang Mai

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been widely studied for a variety of applications, from biomedical applications (e.g., cell separation, drug delivery, contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging and magnetically mediated energy delivery for cancer treatment) to environmental remediations (e.g., heavy metal removal and organic pollutants degradation). It has been demonstrated that IONPs can induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via Fenton/Haber-Weiss reactions which has been shown to be one of the key underlying mechanisms of nanoparticles toxicity. This inherent toxicity of nanoparticles has been shown to enhance the efficacy of traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation. …

Impact Of Conformational Change, Solvation Environment, And Post-Translational Modification On Desulfurization Enzyme 2'-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-Sulfinate Desulfinase (Dszb) Stability And Activity, Landon C. Mills

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Naturally occurring enzymatic pathways enable highly specific, rapid thiophenic sulfur cleavage occurring at ambient temperature and pressure, which may be harnessed for the desulfurization of petroleum-based fuel. One pathway found in bacteria is a four-step catabolic pathway (the 4S pathway) converting dibenzothiophene (DBT), a common crude oil contaminant, into 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP) without disrupting the carbon-carbon bonds. 2’-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-sulfinate desulfinase (DszB), the rate-limiting enzyme in the enzyme cascade, is capable of selectively cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds. Accordingly, understanding the molecular mechanisms of DszB activity may enable development of the cascade as industrial biotechnology. Based on crystallographic evidence, we hypothesized that DszB …

Targeted Illumination Strategies For Hydrogen Production From Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria, John D. Craven

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The movement towards a more sustainable energy economy may require not only the generation of cleaner fuel sources, but the conversion of waste streams into value-added products. Phototrophic purple non-sulfur bacteria are capable of metabolizing VFAs (volatile fatty acids)and generate hydrogen as a byproduct of nitrogen fixation using energy absorbed from light. VFAs are easily produced from dark anaerobic fermentation of food, agricultural, and municipal wastes, which could then be fed into photobioreactors of purple bacteria for hydrogen production.

The process of photofermentation by purple bacteria for hydrogen production remains attractive due to the capability of reaching high substrate conversions …

Development Of Magnetic Nanocomposite Materials As Reusable Adsorbents For Chlorinated Organics In Contaminated Water, Angela Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The constant growth in population worldwide over the past decades continues to put forward the need to provide access to safe, clean water to meet human needs. There is a need for cost-effective technologies for water and wastewater treatment that can meet the global demands and the rigorous water quality standards and at the same maximizing pollutant efficiency removal. Current remediation technologies have failed in keeping up with these factors without becoming cost-prohibitive. Nanotechnology has recently been sought as a promising option to achieve these goals. The use of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles as nanoadsorbents has led to a new …

Synthesis, Characterization And Applications Of Reduced Graphene Oxide And Composite Membranes For Selective Separations And Removal Of Organic Contaminants, Ashish Aher

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Among the next generation materials being investigated for membrane development, partially reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) has received increasing attention from the membrane community. rGO-based nanofiltration membranes have shown promising results in applications such as partial desalination, organic contaminant removal, gas-phase separations, and separations from solvent media. rGO offers a unique platform compared to common polymeric membranes since it can be used for separation applications in both aqueous and organic solvent media. An rGO-based platform could also be utilized to synthesize reactive membranes, giving rGO membranes the additional capability of reactively removing organic contaminants. This research focuses on the synthesis of …

Nanoharvesting And Delivery Of Bioactive Materials Using Engineered Silica Nanoparticles, Md Arif Khan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) possess large surface areas and ample pore space that can be readily modified with specific functional groups for targeted binding of bioactive materials to be transported through cellular barriers. Engineered silica nanoparticles (ESNP) have been used extensively to deliver bio-active materials to target intracellular sites, including as non-viral vectors for nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) delivery such as for siRNA induced interference. The reverse process guided by the same principles is called “nanoharvesting”, where valuable biomolecules are carried out and separated from living and functioning organisms using nano-carriers. This dissertation focuses on ESNP design principles for both applications. …

Multi-Scale Computational Studies Of Calcium (Ca2+) Signaling, Bin Sun

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Ca²⁺ is an important messenger that affects almost all cellular processes. Ca²⁺ signaling involves events that happen at various time-scales such as Ca²⁺ diffusion, trans-membrane Ca²⁺ transport and Ca²⁺-mediated protein-protein interactions. In this work, we utilized multi-scale computational methods to quantitatively characterize Ca²⁺ diffusion efficiency, Ca²⁺ binding thermodynamics and molecular bases of Ca²⁺-dependent protein-protein interaction. Specifically, we studied 1) the electrokinetic transport of Ca²⁺ in confined sub-µm geometry with complicated surfacial properties. We characterized the effective diffusion constant of Ca²⁺ in a cell-like environment, which helps to understand …

Don't Forget To Subscribe: Regulation Of Online Advertising Evaluated Through Youtube's Monetization Problem, Nicole E. Pottinger

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Art In The Age Of Contractual Negotiation, Christopher G. Bradley, Brian L. Frye

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Misadventure Of Copyrighting State Law, Eric E. Johnson

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Limiting Lessons From Property: Reimagining The Public Domain In The Image Of The Public Trust Doctrine, Deirdré A. Keller

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Experimenting With State-Enacted Resale Rights, Guy A. Rub

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The People V. Their Universities: How Popular Discontent Is Reshaping Higher Education Law, Ben Trachtenberg

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Ai And The "Death Of Trademark", Michael Grynberg

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Do Bulimic Behaviors Increase Shame? Toward An Understanding Of Transdiagnostic Risk, Heather A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Binge eating is a harmful, maladaptive behavior associated with comorbid psychopathology. Theory posits that increases in maladaptive, transdiagnostic emotions following binge eating in individuals with BN may predict the experience of comorbid symptoms. The current study served as a laboratory test of the first part of this theory: whether state increases in maladaptive emotions occur following engagement in binge eating behavior in women with BN compared with healthy controls. Women (n = 51) were recruited from the community if they met DSM-5 criteria for BN or OSFED BN (of low frequency) (n = 21) or were free of lifetime disordered …

Analysis Of Automatic Judgments Of Religious Belief, Maxine Belén Najle

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The measurement of religious belief has some social desirability concerns that make the development of an implicit measure of religiosity advantageous. Currently, there are few options for implicitly measuring religious belief. This study attempted to add to this literature by analyzing the automatic judgements of religious belief through the use of an implicit measure known as the MouseTrack task, allowing for the measurement of latency in the expression of these beliefs as well as the certainty of these beliefs by tracking the path taken during the decision process. A sample of 121 undergraduates was recruited from the UK SONA subject …

Flexible Liminality Among The Tibetan Diaspora: Tibetan Exiles Adjusting Cultural Practices In Dharamsala, India And The United States, Sneha Thapa

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

In this dissertation, I investigate the characteristics and quality of liminality among the Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala, India, and the United States. I argue that the quality of their liminality defines this exile community’s ability to maneuver and voice their influence to geo-political community of states that surround them, all while within their liminal condition. The Tibetan exile people live as stateless foreigners in India but have a better standard of living and better opportunities to acquire transnational resources than their surrounding host community. In the U.S., Tibetan diaspora people live as asylum-seekers and naturalized Tibetan-Americans but have established …

Making Experts: An Ethnographic Study Of “Makers” In Fablabs In Japan, Vaughn M. Krebs

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

“Makers” around the world cohere in a digital and physical network of technology hobbyists. “Makers" are open-source hardware enthusiasts who use machines like 3D printers and laser cutters - manufacturing tools that have only recently become accessible to laypeople - to make things. “Makers" share a vision for a world where everyone would be able to make almost anything, supplanting top-down economic systems and channels of production. This ethnographic research examines a subset of the “maker” community: “makers” in “FabLabs” in Japan. These “FabLabs” are small workshops that house the machines that “makers” need and make them open to the …