Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A Pain Neuroscience Education Curriculum For Patients Who Experience Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain With Concurrent Opioid Dependence, Nicole D. Windsor

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is estimated to affect over 100 million adults annually and is targeted as an instigator of opioid dependence (OpD). Opioid medications are often the first response for patients suffering from CMP, but over 10 million people annually admit to misusing opioids. With the opioid epidemic, the healthcare system now has a population of patients who experience CMP with concurrent OpD. This persistent problem creates a perfect storm of fear of movement, low self-efficacy, and physical dysfunction. A critical component to chronic pain management is understanding how patients view their pain experience. Education may be one …

Using Authentic Online Resources In Russian For Stem Coursework For Novice Through Superior Level Learners, Molly T. Blasing

Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Publications

This article makes a case for incorporating STEM content into Russian language courses at the Novice through Superior levels of proficiency. The author presents models of asynchronous learning activities based on authentic online resources developed for a Russian for STEM pilot course taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. These lessons can be employed in online or face-to-face courses to prepare students to speak, read, write, and understand the language of STEM fields in Russian.

Effects Of Social Isolation On Perineuronal Nets In The Amygdala Following A Reward Omission Task In Female Rats, Dolores B. Vazquez-Sanroman, G. Arlington Wilson, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Negative urgency is a facet of impulsivity associated with negative affect and risky behavior that may involve the amygdala. The current study determined if social isolation during development alters negative urgency and c-Fos activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were raised in an isolated condition (IC), a standard social condition (SC), or an enriched condition (EC) and then were tested for locomotor activity, novelty place preference, and negative urgency using a reward omission task. Following performance on the reward omission task, the brains were analyzed for c-Fos expression in Ca2+ /calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) and calbindin (CB) …

Effects Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Pt150 On Stress-Induced Fentanyl Seeking In Male And Female Rats, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Emily D. Denehy, Benjamin A. Carper, Tracy L. Nolen, Mark A. Prendergast, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Rationale Opioid use disorder (OUD) is highly comorbid with stress-related disorders, and stress can serve as a trigger for reinstatement of drug seeking. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists such as mifepristone (RU-486) may be effective against stress-induced drug seeking. In the current study, PT150 (formerly ORG-34517), a more selective GR antagonist, was tested using two models of stress-induced drug seeking, namely footshock and yohimbine.

Methods Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer fentanyl (2.5 μg/kg/infusion, i.v.) in a model of escalation. Rats then received 7 days of abstinence, followed by extinction; PT150 (0, 50 or 100 mg/kg in …

Prevalence And Exacerbation Of Asthma Within Two Counties In Eastern Kentucky, Rachid Souleye

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

Background: Central Appalachia residents have one of the highest rates of serious respiratory diseases in the nation. Appalachian Kentuckians are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with adult asthma compared to the overall U.S. population. Yet, few epidemiologic studies have assessed risk factors for respiratory disease in this population. Using a community-based approach, the investigators of the Mountain Air Project (MAP), one of the largest adult cohorts from two disadvantaged communities in Central Kentucky, collected data to estimate the prevalence of asthma and assess various socioeconomic and environmental risk factors to determine their effect on asthma.

Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiologic …

Healthy Living People: A Hiv Transmission Intervention In Four Chicago Communities, Angela Wuerger

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

The transmission of HIV within the city of Chicago has been established as a major health concern: however, the lack of adequate resources has created gaps within current programming available for people living with HIV. Healthy Living People (HLP) is an evidence-based program focused on reducing the transmission of HIV through strengthening adherence to antiretroviral therapy and decreasing number of higher risk sexual encounters. The Chicago Department of Public Health will provide the HLP program, which includes fifteen 90-minute sessions over the course of one year. The HLP program will be offered for people living with

HIV in four Chicago …

Can Treatment Of Social Isolation And Loneliness Reduce Healthcare Utility? An Analysis Of Social Prescribing, Matthew Mattingly

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

The paper focuses on the practice of social prescribing as it is currently implemented through the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom. Social Prescribing is an emerging healthcare intervention aimed at referring patients to community-based activities. NHS promotes social prescribing as a method of reducing healthcare utilization in chronically ill patients. Current evidence on social prescribing is subject to significant variation and has not supported NHS’s claims. The potential link between feeling of social isolation, loneliness and chronic illness was further investigated through data from the National Social Life, Health & Aging Project (NSHAP). Data was tested for …

Rabies In Kentucky From 1989-2020: A Case For Surveillance, Sarah Jane Robbins

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

The Kentucky rabies reporting system includes data from five laboratories and provides an account of suspected rabies reports since 1989. Over 35,000 suspected cases are used to estimate rabies incidence temporally and spatially. Recommendations to the current rabies reporting methodologies are presented through proposed innovations of a standard, electronic reporting form. Given the multiple sources of data, the reporting system lacks standardization and comprehensive information about suspected rabies events, resulting in limited epidemiological capabilities; and data issues that prevent its use as a surveillance system. These issues are a limiting factor in rabies elimination; but a driving factor in over-testing, …

Maternal Residential Proximity To Surface Mining Associated With Preterm Birth And Low Birth Weight In Appalachian Kentucky, Whitney Smith

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

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between maternal residency in a county with surface coal production and preterm birth or low birth weight.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using birth records (n=62,766) for 54 Appalachian counties and coal production in tons. Logistic regression and chi-squared analysis was done to analyze the relationship between surface coal mining and preterm birth and low birth weight in two different birth groups.

Results: After controlling for covariates, statistically significant increases were seen in Birth Group 1 and Birth group 2. Birth Group 1 had statistically significant results for preterm birth ((1.19 …

Assessment Of The University Of Kentucky's Nutrition Education Program's Smarter Lunchrooms Pilot Plate Waste Project In Three Kentucky Schools, Natalie Jones

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

School-based approaches utilizing policy, systems, and environmental strategies are needed to address the complex factors driving childhood obesity. The purpose of this pilot study is to implement Smarter Lunchroom strategies in three participating Kentucky middle schools in 2019 and then assess two outcomes: (1) determine the impact of the intervention on fruit and vegetable purchases and waste, and (2) determine how purchases or waste varied by interventions selected for each setting. After the 6-week intervention, combined we found no statistical significant increases in fruit and vegetable purchasing from pre to post-intervention. No statistical significant decreases in fruit and vegetable plate …

A Case Study To Explore The Perception Of A Woman Participant In Drug Court Of A Community-Based Arts Program On Substance Use Recovery Outcomes, Catherine L. Troop

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

Addiction to drugs is a complex, chronic, and multi-faceted disease that often involves cycles of relapse and remission. The lifetime prevalence of alcohol and drug use disorders in women in the United States is 19.5 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively (McHugh, Wigderson, & Greenfield, 2014) yet there is a significant dearth of efficacious substance abuse treatment services tailored specifically to women. In addition, literature suggests that the third aspect of Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory (self-efficacy) potentially plays a significant role in abstinence of drug use. The role of art interventions on recovery outcomes for a woman enrolled in the Franklin …

The Relationship Between Stress And Quality Of Life In People With Multiple Sclerosis: The Mediating Role Of Resilience, Byung Jin Kim

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

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system encompassing the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve, in which the patient’s immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues. Due to the unpredictable characteristics of the disease, MS can lead to an unusually high level of stress and may negatively impact the individual’s QoL. Resilience is a psychological structure that shows positive coping and adaptive ability from difficult or stressful situations. Resilience also indicates a buffering effect on the stressors of individuals with disabilities and serves to protect psychological health and function from disability. The purpose of this …

Factors Influencing Mare Milk And Foal Gastrointestinal Health, Morgan Brewer Pyles

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Foals are born lacking a functional microbial community in their gastrointestinal tract (GIT). However, these microbes quickly colonize after birth. Factors influencing the process of microbial colonization and health of the foal’s gastrointestinal tract, such as milk yield and composition, are not well understood. Milk contains non-lactose carbohydrates termed “oligosaccharides”, which serve as prebiotics in human neonates and may serve a similar function in foals. Three animal studies were conducted to evaluate factors influencing mare milk and digestive health in the foal. In experiment 1, bacteria were enumerated and identified in foal feces and the utilization of different carbohydrates by …

The Effect Of Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed Consumption On Gut And Satiety Hormones Related To Intake Regulation In Holstein Steers, Mindy Elizabeth King

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Cattle consuming endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) typically experience a syndrome termed fescue toxicosis which is thought to be caused by ergot alkaloids produced by the endophyte. The most abundant alkaloid, and considered the most likely cause of the syndrome, is ergovaline (ERV). During fescue toxicosis, a decrease in ADG is observed which is likely due to the decrease in DMI commonly observed in animals consuming E+ compared to animals consuming non-endophyte-infected tall fescue (E-). However, the cause of the decrease in intake is not well elucidated. Many physiological responses control feed intake including, but not limited to, physical, neural, metabolic, …

Isolation Box Test (Ibt) And Dairy Calf Personality Traits Relationship With Performance Through Weaning, Megan Marie Woodrum Setser

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Personality tests are utilized to characterize individual differences in personality traits across species. Currently, there is no objective personality test that can be implemented on-farm to measure personality in dairy calves. Measuring personality of youngstock in the dairy industry may allow producers to utilize information on individual differences for management decisions and limit the investment in unfit individuals. The isolation box test is a personality test that has potential to be adapted and utilized for dairy calves. The main objective of this thesis is to develop, validate, and utilize an isolation box test for use on-farm in dairy calves. More …

New Evidence For P-Gp-Mediated Export Of Amyloid-Β Peptides In Molecular, Blood-Brain Barrier And Neuronal Models, Amanda B. Chai, Anika M. S. Hartz, Xuexin Gao, Alryel Yang, Richard Callaghan, Ingrid C. Gelissen

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Defective clearance mechanisms lead to the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in the Alzheimer’s brain. Though predominantly generated in neurons, little is known about how these hydrophobic, aggregation-prone, and tightly membrane-associated peptides exit into the extracellular space where they deposit and propagate neurotoxicity. The ability for P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, to export Aβ across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has previously been reported. However, controversies surrounding the P-gp–Aβ interaction persist. Here, molecular data affirm that both Aβ₄₀ and Aβ₄₂ peptide isoforms directly interact with and are substrates of P-gp. This was reinforced ex vivo by the …

Corporate Misconduct In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Richard C. Ausness

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Sadly, many pharmaceutical companies have engaged in unethical or illegal behavior. The current opioid crisis is the most recent example of misconduct by pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, this pattern of conduct is neither rare, nor recent. Instead, it is long-standing and pervasive in nature. Furthermore, unlike wrongdoing by other businesses that cause primarily economic or environmental harm, wrongdoing by pharmaceutical companies, like that of asbestos or tobacco companies, may cause personal injuries and death on a large scale.

Cartoon Contracts And The Proactive Visualization Of Law, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Contracts have always relied on text first, foremost, and usually exclusively. Yet, this approach leaves many users of contracts in the dark as to the actual meaning of the transactional documents and instruments they enter into. The average contract routinely uses language that only lawyers, law-trained readers, and highly literate persons can truly understand.

There is a movement in the law in the United States and many other nations called the visualization of law movement that attempts to bridge these gaps in contractual communication by using highly visual instruments. In appropriate circumstances, even cartoons and comic book forms of sequential …

Grounding Suicide Terrorism In Death Anxiety And Consumer Capitalism, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This article examines an influential theory on suicide attacker motivations, the Significance Quest Theory, and suggests that this death anxiety approach can be improved by shifting its focus toward the related, but more comprehensive, Terror Management Theory. The theoretical productivity of this realignment is tested by examining the relationship between suicide attacks and one of the variables thought to trigger the underlying anxieties: the local pressures from global consumer capitalism. After describing the relationship between death anxiety and suicide terrorism generally, this article concludes by applying these insights to the ethnographic context of Egypt.

Educational Intervention To Change Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Sexual Behaviors To Reduce Rates Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among University Of Kentucky’S Sorority Life Students., Julianna Maita

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

Sexually transmitted infections disproportionally affect young adults. Within this age group, women are at an increased risk for contracting and STI and face more severe long-term adverse consequences than men. College aged individuals are at an increased risk for contracting an STI due to risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected sex with multiple partners. College students involved in Greek Life have been found to engage in risker sexual behaviors than non-Greek life students. These individuals perceive themselves to be at a higher risk for contracting an STI and have an increased number of unprotected sexual encounters under the influence of …

Facilitating Analysis Of Toxoplasma Gondii Bradyzoite Metabolic Activity Via Image Processing And Multivariate Logistic Regression For High Throughput Classification Of Mitochondrial Morphologies, Brooke Place

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Approximately a third of the population worldwide is chronically infected by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. During chronic infection the parasite resides within tissue cysts as the poorly understood bradyzoite form. Observation of these bradyzoites via microscopic imaging within tissue cyst purified from infected mouse brains has shown metabolic activity with heterogeneous replication potential. With fluorescence microscopy imaging targeting the parasite’s actively respiring mitochondria, the parasite’s metabolic state can be further investigated as the morphology of mitochondria can be associated with specific physiologic states. However, manually classifying mitochondrial morphologies from these images can be tedious and prone to error as …

Artificial Intelligence And Soft Computing In Smart Structural Systems, Sajad Javadinasab Hormozabad

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Next-generation smart cities are the key feature in the next chapter of human life. Cities that employ innovative and technology-driven solutions to improve the sustainability, resilience, prosperity, and amenity of the community are considered smart cities. Development of smart cities requires fundamental innovations in many technical and technological aspects including those contributing to smart structures. Smart technologies improve the structural performance against natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and promote the sustainability of structural systems. Next-generation smart structures encompass a variety of technologies including Structural Control (SC) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). SC covers methodologies and technologies that modify the …

Impact Of Short Meditation On Attentional Performance, Lauren E. Guerriero

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Meditation describes a large variety of traditions that all include the conscious focus of attention. By maintaining attention, meditators experience both acute and long-term changes in physiology, anatomy, and cognitive performance. The type of performance benefit is believed to depend, at least in part, on the specific type of mental training. What is much less clear in the literature is the impact of a single session of meditation on the brain and how the acute changes could impact performance. Studies in advanced meditators show an increase in neuronal coordination and slowing of neuronal firing across many regions in the brain, …

Uncovering Frontier Mythologies: Memorial Landscapes In Minneapolis, Mn, Corrin Turkowitch

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis analyzes the relationship between settler colonialism and public memory in B.F. Nelson Park, a downtown park in Minneapolis. My focus is the Pioneer statue, a large granite memorial depicting a frontier family in the middle of the park, which I examine through the lenses of race, gender, power, and violence. Using archival and landscape analysis I examine the historical and present built environment of the park and how it relates to white supremacy. Through interviews of two municipal constituencies, I evaluate how these organizations maintain present narratives of European settlement and in turn uphold the monument. This research …

Southern Alterity In The Global Modernist Novel, 1899-1966, Benjamin J. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--English

My dissertation examines the portrayal of southern alterity in the global modernist novel. The trope of southern spaces as sites of decay, degeneration, and dissolution proves to be remarkably durable in both fictions set within the domestic U.S. south, as well as those colonial and postcolonial texts associated with the global modernist canon. Novels like Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! suggest that the alterity of places like the Congo and Haiti are inextricably bound up with racial hierarchies. On the other hand, texts such as Charles W. Chesnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition and Zora Neale …

"To Claim That Greatness For Themselves”: A History Of The Kentucky Horse Park, Emily Elizabeth Libecap

Theses and Dissertations--History

The Kentucky Horse Park describes itself as the world’s only equine theme park. However, the park is not entirely without historical precedent; instead, world’s fairs, amusement parks, and theme parks all form a century-long pedigree chart through which the park can trace its ancestors. The Kentucky Horse Park’s links to these predecessors deepen our understanding of how the park is a reflection of the world around it and the motivations for how and why it was built. From its inception in the late 1960s, to when it opened in 1978, through the present day, the Kentucky Horse Park was and …

The “Case” For Assessments: An Evaluation Of Case End Of Course Assessments And Teacher Motivation, Andrew Lawrence Hauser

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) End of Course (EoC) assessments are summative assessments used to evaluate the CASE curriculum. This quantitative study explored the effects teacher motivation has on student performance on CASE EoC assessments. CASE teachers (n= 55) who participated in the study responded to the 28-item CASE End of Course Assessment Teacher Motivation Questionnaire on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The researcher conducted a Pearson r Correlation test to determine a relationship between questionnaire mean values and secondary student assessment data. Results from the study outline frequency of responses, perceived value and expectancy mean values, and correlations …

Living As An Impostor: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Among Multiracial Youth In Secondary Agricultural Education, Juliana Danielle Markham

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The racial demographic of the United States is ever changing, and the increase of multiracial children is substantial. This multiple-case study examined the lived experiences of multiracial youth in secondary agricultural education. This study finds evidence of Impostor Phenomenon among these multiracial students in regard to their races. This study provides insight to advise other educational institutions and organizations on how these multiracial students perceive and are perceived, within agricultural education, how it affects them, and gives recommendations to improve the future experiences of multiracial students within agricultural education.

Acl Injury, A Time Course Study Of Transcriptional Changes, Thomas Carter

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

ACL tear is a common injury in the United States with a significant cost and time burden during recovery; reconstructive surgery often results in weakened quadricep muscle and higher risk of posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Prior research has highlighted cellular derangements within the quadriceps after ACL injury and reconstruction, but the early molecular effectors of cellular dysfunction remain to be identified. To further understand the molecular effectors of quadriceps dysfunction following ACL injury, this study aims to quantify the timing and magnitude of transcriptional differences between the quadriceps muscle of injured and contralateral non-injured limbs. These data will provide insight into the …

The Role Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In Leukemia Trafficking, Shaw Powell

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signaling protein involved in inducing and regulating endothelial cell proliferation and function (Duffy et al 2000). VEGF is also involved in cancer progression, as it induces vascular permeability and promotes angiogenesis to tumor laden areas, giving cancer cells critical oxygen and nutrients (Hoeppner et al.,2012. Studies indicate VEGF prevents lymphoblast apoptosis, which may contribute to leukemia formation and enable the proliferation of leukemic cells (Duffy et al 2000). Ongoing research seeks to further examine VEGF in leukemia, using a rag2:GFP-Myc expressing transgenic zebrafish as the animal model of T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL). …