Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Hpv Vaccination In Elliott And Lawrence Counties, Keeghan Francis

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Appalachian counties within Kentucky have higher rates of HPV-related cancers, including cervical cancer. HPV vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of cervical cancer, but vaccination coverage in Appalachia remains low. The proposed program relies on recommended strategies to improve vaccine uptake by increasing access and demand for HPV vaccines. This will be done through school vaccine clinics and parent education on HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccines.

An Examination Of Diabetes Prevention Program Translations For Eastern Kentucky, William H. Robinson

DSW Capstone Projects

This capstone project examined translations of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) that have been adapted to improve cultural competency and analyzed the potential application of these adaptations to serve communities in Eastern Kentucky. Findings in the project were synthesized using the Ecological Validity Model (EVM) posited by Bernal et al. (1995) and the RE-AIM framework developed by Glasgow et al. (1999). EVM and RE-AIM have been used in other systematic literature reviews of the DPP and provide a framework for conceptual analysis and practice application of the findings. This project recommends changes in public health policy and social work …

Elucidating The Role Of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 In Lung Stem Cell Fate And Lung Disease, Aria Byrd

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

The average human lungs take ~22,000 breaths and inhale ~2,000 gallons of air each day. This organ is the primary conduit for the transfer of oxygen to the internal organs, making it crucial for the sustainment of life. Consequently, mechanical malfunction of the lungs and/or pollution of inhaled air negatively impact internal organ function and ultimately put survival in jeopardy. Epigenetics, by nature, is a plastic phenomenon in which environmental stimuli influence short term, long term, and generational gene expression patterns. Chronic exposure of harmful stimuli to the lung epithelium has also been shown to alter epigenetic pathways, engender aberrant …

Extracellular Vesicles And Cancer Therapy: An Insight Into The Role Of Oxidative Stress, Jenni Ho

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

As a result of improvements in cancer detection and treatment methods, a growing population of cancer survivors are living with side effects associated with their cancer therapy. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the development of cancer and as a mechanism for cancer therapy to exert its therapeutic effects, resulting in off-target tissue damage. Radiation has been long established as a means to utilize the generation of reactive oxygen species to kill cancer cells, and 50% of chemotherapy agents currently used are associated with inducing oxidative stress. One major side effect observed in cancer survivors is a decline in …

Overcoming Resistance To Sg-Aris In Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Chaohao Li

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Prostate cancer (PCa) ranks as the most diagnosed type of cancer and the second leading cause of death in men. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a pivotal function in promoting the survival and progression of PCa. Therefore, medication for PCa mainly focuses on the inhibition of AR pathway, which is termed androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, the disease eventually progresses and develops to a lethal stage called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that is characterized by resistance to canonical ADT. To deal with this situation, several second-generation AR inhibitors (SG-ARIs) have been created that have better efficacy against AR, including Enzalutamide …

Forage News [2022-01], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Posthuman Ethics In The Science Fiction Of Rosa Montero And Rita Indiana, Brittany Frodge

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

In this dissertation I put Posthumanist theory in tension with the ‘lived’ experiences of the posthuman protagonists of two recent Science Fiction trilogies. My aim in doing so is to uncover the shortcomings of Posthumanist accounts of ethics and discover alternative paths forward.

The first chapter of my dissertation is an overview of Posthumanist theory and Science Fiction, with a particular emphasis on the contributions Hispanic authors and women have made to the genre. In the second chapter, I develop a critique of Posthumanist ethics that place the onus of ethical-political intervention on marginalized subjects through a close reading of …

Use Of Heterothallic Mat Deletion Strains Of Fusarium Graminearum As Test Mates In Crosses To Evaluate The Genetics Of Pathogenicity And Fitness, Gabdiel Emmanuel Yulfo-Soto

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum sensu stricto and other members of the F. graminearum species complex (FGSC), is a plant disease that occurs on cereal crops worldwide. FHB causes yield losses not only by reducing grain weight, but also by contaminating the kernels with dangerous trichothecene mycotoxins, especially deoxynivalenol (DON). There is a high degree of genotypic and phenotypic variation among pathogen species and strains, but current FHB risk assessment models and treatments do not account for pathogen diversity. Therefore, it is difficult to predict what will happen if a new, potentially more aggressive variant is introduced, …

The Clean Water Act And The Ocean: An Unfulfilled Promise, Robin Kundis Craig

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

2021 Kentucky River Watershed Watch: Annual Report, Malissa Mcalister, Steven Evans

Kentucky River Watershed Watch

No abstract provided.

Management Of The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha Halys) (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae) On Small Acreage And Organic Vegetable Systems, Lauren Fann

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Invasive species can be very disruptive to established integrated pest management programs. They can cause increases in broad-spectrum insecticide applications with variable effectiveness to mitigate damage. However, not all introduced species develop invasive characteristics; often, many introduced species go undetected. It is not until a species begins to cause economic damage to commodities essential to humans that it becomes classified as an invasive pest. Many challenges arise with the management of invasive pests due to lack of understanding of their biology, behavior, and absence of natural enemies in their introduced range. This often results in poor management and population outbreaks …

Agri-Food Waste Reduction And Utilization: A Sustainability Perspective, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

As the human population edges closer to nine billion, we must explore how we can sustainably use Earth’s limited resources. Current agricultural production and food processing create significant amounts of wastes that have drastic effects on the environment, on the cost of production, and on human health and well-being. About a third of these wastes are produced domestically, as well as from agricultural production and food processing, and it often constitutes a disposal problem, although it contains many carbon-based materials (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and dietary fibers) that can be converted into useful value-added products. Converting these wastes …

Countercode: Bodies Un-Becoming, Aaron Reynolds

Graduate Thesis Exhibition Catalogue Gallery, 2022

In COUNTERCODE: BODIES UN-BECOMING, my intent is not to present a cohesive map or identify a single, primary mode of resistance. Rather, the five artists I have selected —Shana Moulton, Cooper Gibson, Amy Yeager, Jazmine Morris, and Clara Wouters—explore the socio-cultural implications of identity expression and persona play, particularly as it relates to the encoding of subjectivity in contemporary forms of digital media and pop culture. Their works glitch codes, find slippages, and create opacities in the fabric of capitalist realism, a term used by theorist Mark Fisher to describe the widespread acceptance of capitalism as the only viable economic …

Maximal Strength Training Increases Metabolic Energy Expenditure In Sedentary Adults Classified As Obese, Robert E. Anderson Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Background: Metabolic adaptations reduce resting and non-resting energy expenditure to account for approximately 120 kcal/day. Weight loss promotes greater skeletal muscle efficiency, reducing the energy cost of physical activity and is correlated with declines in skeletal muscle glucose oxidation. Maximal Strength Training (MST) has the potential to upregulate glucose utilization and may offset these metabolic adaptations. Objective: To determine if MST offsets markers of metabolic adaptation by increasing resting and non-resting energy expenditure in sedentary individuals classified as obese. Methods: Five (5) participants (2 females, 3 males), ages 18-35 years, with obesity (BMI 30–45 kg/m2) were enrolled in an 8-week …

Efficacy Of Prebiotic Dietary Intervention To Mitigate Risks For Dementia Via The Gut-Brain Axis, Lucille M. Yanckello

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia with various risk factors including age, environmental factors such as brain injury and genetic factors, such as the E4 allele of the Apolipoprotein gene. Presence of the APOE4 allele increases AD risk by two- to four- fold. Recent studies have shown that mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), even without loss of consciousness, increases risk of dementia diagnosis by more than two-fold in military personnel and is also a significant environmental risk factor for developing dementia in the general population. The gut-brain axis (GBA) or bi-directional communication between the brain and …

Cross-Cultural Communication In A Crisis: The Universality Of Visual Narrative In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

A primary goal of twenty-first century legal works is to communicate the law effectively to diverse audiences. Many of the most needful and most vulnerable audiences for legal information have members who lack basic literacy skills and suffer linguistic and cultural confusion from verbal textual media—namely, the printed word. Yet for centuries, legal rules and government restrictions have been communicated nearly exclusively through the printed word. Recent scholarship in visual legal rhetoric, visual literacy studies, and visual cultural studies is informed by cognitive psychology and neuroscience that all points to a solution: visual communication of the law. Visual communication is …

These Brutal Indignities: The Case For Crimes Against Humanity In Black America, Tiffany D. Atkins

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

There is nothing we can do. Not guilty. No indictment. There is nothing we can do. As cases of violence and police killings of Black Americans continue to rise, "there's nothing we can do" seems like the default response from the American justice system. Despite the evidence, police officers enjoy the protection of qualified immunity to insulate them from the consequences of their deadly actions. Prosecutors, who often work closely with police, decline to press criminal charges, or if charges are raised, they rarely lead to convictions. Instead of protecting its citizens from violence and loss of life, the American …

The Spirit Of The Law In The Anthropocene: A Massachusetts V. Environmental Protection Agency Casenote, Victoria Depalma

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Fixing The Holes In The Endangered Species Act, Alison Adkins

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of The Clean Water Act And Current Attacks On Its Layers Of Oversight And Effectiveness Under Sections 401 And 404, C. Scott Kunde

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Turning The Tides: An Inoculation Theory And Theory Of Planned Behavior Approach To Developing Mental Health Help-Seeking Interventions For Gen Z, Sarah Ann Geegan

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Extensive research, predating and during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates the rising prevalence of anxiety and depression among Gen Z college students in the United States—findings which are accompanied by rising rates of suicide, the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-24. Although college campuses often offer mental health resources, the number of college students utilizing them is significantly less than the number of students reporting mental health challenges. A dearth of empirical evidence, focused on Gen Z specifically, exists as a basis for developing interventions to address this issue. This investigation addressed this gap through two component studies. …

A Content Analysis Of Reddit Comments Discussing Fibroadenoma Appraisal And Decision Making, Hayley Marie Kay Stahl

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Though fibroadenomas are clinically benign in most cases, clinical research suggests that these lesions can cause diagnosis-related physical health complications and psychological distress. However, this research is limited and should be investigated further. Thus, this study aimed to explore how patients appraise their fibroadenoma diagnosis uncertainty. Additionally, this study sought to determine if a correlation existed between appraisal and decision making as well as identify the factors that influence the most common treatment decision: removal. Data was retrieved from Reddit discussions for a content analysis. These discussions were then qualitatively analyzed using codebooks associated with this study’s research questions. Findings …

Mechanisms Of Programmed Nutrition In Finishing Cattle In Vivo And Ruminal Parameters Of Amaize Supplementation In Vitro, Amanda Pesqueira Schiff

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Programmed Nutrition Beef Program (Alltech Inc.) is a dietary supplement that contains Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract with α-amylase activity that could reduce the use of feed additives such as monensin and tylosin in conventional feedlot diets. This study examines the changes in rumen fermentation resulting from feeding monensin/tylosin and Programmed Nutrition Beef Finisher. The goal was to determine if these shifts in rumen fermentation contribute to the Programmed Nutrition response observed in vivo. This study also analyzes how different levels of α-amylase (Amaize)supplementation impacts feedstuff degradation and utilization in vitro. In vivo experiment used eight steers in a replicated …

Elucidating The Role Of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 In Lung Stem Cell Fate And Lung Disease, Aria Byrd

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

The average human lungs take ~22,000 breaths and inhale ~2,000 gallons of air each day. This organ is the primary conduit for the transfer of oxygen to the internal organs, making it crucial for the sustainment of life. Consequently, mechanical malfunction of the lungs and/or pollution of inhaled air negatively impact internal organ function and ultimately put survival in jeopardy. Epigenetics, by nature, is a plastic phenomenon in which environmental stimuli influence short term, long term, and generational gene expression patterns. Chronic exposure of harmful stimuli to the lung epithelium has also been shown to alter epigenetic pathways, engender aberrant …

Sex Dimorphism In Hematopoiesis And Bone Marrow Niche, Xiaojing Cui

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), which are a rare population of cells existing in human circulating blood and bone marrow, can form the whole-blood system by their self-renewal capacity and differentiation ability. Sex dimorphism can be found in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and in the development of hematopoietic lineages. Also, males are at higher risk and have a worse prognosis for most hematologic malignancies than females. Under normal conditions, the number of circulating progenitor cells in women is lower than in men. Furthermore, female mice have a higher rate of HSC division than male mice. A dramatic gender difference exists …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Using A Rapid Coaching Intervention To Teach Parents Naturalistic Strategies To Teach Communication, Rose Campbell

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In this study, a multi-component, rapid coaching intervention that included providing rationales, modeling, coaching during brief practice sessions, and performance-based feedback to train parents of children with communication delays to use naturalistic strategies during play. In addition, this study modeled successful interdisciplinary collaboration. A multiple baseline design across behaviors was used to evaluate the intervention and subsequent changes in the parent’s behavior. Results indicated that hat the rapid coaching model can be effective when it came to teaching parents how to implement naturalistic strategies. Additional data are needed before a definitive decision can be made regarding the effectiveness of the …

Maternal Occupational Exposure To Organic Solvents And Noise: Maternal Effects And Infant Outcomes, Kristen Van Buren

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction: Several maternal occupational exposures have not yet been studied for potential reproductive harm or have inconsistent findings in the literature. Despite the challenges, identification of potential risk factors, specifically reproductive toxicants, is necessary to mitigate and prevent adverse health outcomes for working mothers and their infants. The purpose of this study was to examine maternal occupational exposure to organic solvents and noise to small-for-gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth (PTB) among infants. Additionally, the study sought to examine maternal occupational exposure to noise and presence of gestational diabetes (GDM) and pregnancy-related hypertension among participant mothers.

Methods: The study population …

Neurophysiological And Psychological Characteristics Of Individuals With History Of Lateral Ankle Sprain, Katherine Bain

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is among the most common lower limb musculoskeletal injuries impacting both the general and sport populations. Even more problematic is that approximately 70% of individuals who sustain an LAS develop residual deficits. Of that subgroup, roughly 40% develop chronic ankle instability (CAI). Chronic ankle instability is a clinical diagnosis defined by the presence of ongoing impairments following the initial LAS which may include perceived instability, pain, mechanical instability, and episodes of giving way during physical activity. Not all who sustain multiple ankle sprains or experience residual deficits fit the clinical diagnosis criteria for CAI; yet may …

Content Validation Of A Patient-Reported Outcome Measure For Pediatric Clients With Hand And Upper Extremity Impairment, Jenny M. Dorich

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Occupational therapists and physical therapists practicing in hand therapy have adopted routine use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for evaluating treatment outcomes. However, the PROMs currently used in pediatric hand care are limited in clinical utility for the pediatric population. Thus, a need exists for developing a PROM that is tailored to the pediatric hand therapy population. The overarching purpose of this dissertation is to establish the content validity of a novel PROM for children with hand and upper extremity impairment – the Upper Extremity Life Impact Measure-Youth (UE LIM-Y).

This three-part dissertation applies published standards for PROM development …

Clinical Interventions For Developmental Trauma Disorder: How Evidence-Based Practice And Attachment Theory Can Inform Therapeutic Approach, Victoria Deveau

DSW Capstone Projects

Approximately two-thirds of U.S. children and adolescents report having experienced a traumatic event. A posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis requires that the youth has directly experienced a traumatic event, witnessed a traumatic event occur to others, or learned that a traumatic event has occurred to someone close. The clinician is in a diagnostic quandary, however, when the youth presents with the PTSD hallmarks of hyperarousal, avoidance, and emotional dysregulation, in absence of such life experiences. The answer to this quandary lies in an understanding of developmental trauma disorder (DTD). Clinical interventions for DTD are the focus of this capstone.

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