Digital Commons Network^™

Firefighter Health: A Narrative Review Of Occupational Threats And Countermeasures, Drew E. Gonzalez, Sarah N. Lanham, Steven E. Martin, Richard E. Cleveland, Thad E. Wilson, Emily L. Langford, Mark G. Abel

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Structural firefighters are responsible for protecting properties and saving lives during emergency operations. Despite efforts to prepare firefighters for these hazardous occupational demands, the unfortunate reality is that the incidence of health morbidities is increasing within the fire service. Specifically, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health disorders are among the most documented morbidities in firefighters. Pubmed and Google Scholar search engines were used to identify peer-reviewed English language manuscripts that evaluated firefighters’ occupational health threats, allostatic factors associated with their occurrence, and evidence-based strategies to mitigate their impact. This narrative review provides fire departments, practitioners, and researchers with evidence-based practices …

Expanding Karst Groundwater Tracing Techniques: Incorporating Population Genetic And Isotopic Data To Enhance Flow-Path Characterization, Benjamin Tobin, Benjamin V. Miller, Matthew Niemiller, Andrea Erhardt

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Karst aquifers are unique among groundwater systems because of variable permeability and flow-path organization changes resulting from dissolution processes. Over time, changes in flow-path connectivity complicate interpretations of conduit network evolution in karst hydrogeology. Natural and artificial tracer techniques have long provided critical information for protecting karst aquifers and understanding the potential impacts on ecosystems and human populations. Conventional tracer methods are useful in karst hydrogeologic studies for delineating flow paths and defining recharge, storage, and discharge properties. However, these methods only provide snapshots of the current conditions and do not provide sufficient information to understand the changes in interconnection …

Advancing Universal Id Through Demonstration Of Enabling Technologies, Joseph Crabtree, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Brian Beaven

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this project was to install, demonstrate, and evaluate two candidate technologies that could be used to achieve “Universal ID” (i.e., having a unique, electronically readable identifier on every commercial motor vehicle in the United States). The two technologies selected for this demonstration represent (1) a potential low-cost near-term solution (simple RFID tags and roadside readers) and (2) a potential future solution that leverages technology that is anticipated to be installed on all future vehicles to support a variety of connected-vehicle (CV) applications. For this demonstration project, both types of roadside reader technology were installed at three existing …

Inhibited Surface Diffusion In Nanoporous Multi-Principal Element Alloy Thin Films Prepared By Vacuum Thermal Dealloying, Tibra Das Gupta, Thomas John Balk

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Nanoporous structures with 3D interconnected networks are traditionally made by dealloy- ing a binary precursor. Certain approaches for fabricating these materials have been applied to refrac- tory multi-principal element alloys (RMPEAs), which can be suitable candidates for high-temperature applications. In this study, nanoporous refractory multi-principal element alloys (np-RMPEAs) were fabricated from magnesium-based thin films (VMoNbTaMg) that had been prepared by magnetron sputtering. Vacuum thermal dealloying (VTD), which involves sublimation of a higher vapor pres- sure element, is a novel technique for synthesizing nanoporous refractory elements that are prone to oxidation. When VMoNbTaMg was heated under vacuum, a nanoporous structure was …

The Roles Of Carbonaceous Wastes For Catalysis, Energy, And Environmental Remediation, Chi Huey Ng, Mohd Aizzan Mistoh, Siow Hwa Teo, Andrea Galassi, Hin Taufiq-Yap, Nancy Julius Siambun, Jurry Foo, Coswald Stephen Sipaut, Jeffrey Seay, Jidon Janaun

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This article reviews recent studies about various generations of the carbon materials for their applications in energy and environmental remediation. The synthesis routes of the carbon materials including the condition parameters, interaction of precursors, dopants and carbon materials, as well as their physical/chemical properties are explicated first. Then, the application and mechanism of metal-free/metal-doped/non-metal-doped carbon materials are discussed in detail. Lastly, this review is ended with a summary and invigorating perspectives on the challenges and future directions at the forefront of the catalysis platform to take a step further for real application.

Investigating The Structure And Performance Of Electrodes Made By Dry And Wet Slurry Processes, Kubra Uzun, Bhamiti Sharma, Bradley R. Frieberg, Ming Wang, Jiazhi Hu, Anita Li, Xiaosong Huang, Yang-Tse Cheng

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Performance, cost, and safety are vital factors in producing and handling lithium-ion batteries. Using a dry process reduces the cost and environmental impact of producing large-scale lithium-ion battery electrodes significantly as solvents are eliminated. Thus, in this study, solvent-free dry electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) and conventional slurry processes were compared to uncover the influence of the manufacturing process on thick LiNi 0.8Mn0.1Co 0.1O 2 (NMC 811) positive electrodes. More pressure during calendering was found necessary for the dry-made (dry) electrodes to have the same porosity, leading to more cracks within the NMC particles and better adhesion. At slower discharge rates, …

Mapping Urban Form Into Local Climate Zones For The Continental Us From 1986–2020, Meng Qi, Chunxue Xu, Wenwen Zhang, Matthias Demuzere, Perry Hystad, Tianjun Lu, Peter James, Benjamin Bechtel, Steve Hankey

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Urbanization has altered land surface properties driving changes in micro-climates. Urban form influences people’s activities, environmental exposures, and health. Developing detailed and unified longitudinal measures of urban form is essential to quantify these relationships. Local Climate Zones [LCZ] are a culturally-neutral urban form classification scheme. To date, longitudinal LCZ maps at large scales (i.e., national, continental, or global) are not available. We developed an approach to map LCZs for the continental US from 1986 to 2020 at 100 m spatial resolution. We developed lightweight contextual random forest models using a hybrid model development pipeline that leveraged crowdsourced and expert labeling …

Pilot Study On Improving Crash Data Accuracy In Kentucky Through University Collaboration, Michael A. Fields, Eric Green, Robert Kluger, Xu Zhang, Kirolos Haleem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Without high-quality crash data and robust interpretive/analytical tools to analyze these data, transportation agencies will struggle to develop evidence-based strategies for improving road safety. Crash narratives are one element of crash reports that pose especially acute interpretive challenges. These narratives supplement coded data and give an account of incidents authored by responding law enforcement officers. Despite their value, conducting manual reviews of the 150,000+ crash reports and narratives issued in Kentucky each year is not feasible. To address this challenge, reviewers examined approximately 8,000 crash narratives from calendar year 2020 using a proprietary web-based quality control tool to identify discrepancies …

Feasibility And Clinical Utility Of Reporting Hereditary Cancer Predisposition Pathogenic Variants Identified In Research Germline Sequencing: A Prospective Interventional Study, Megan L. Hutchcraft, Shulin Zhang, Nan Lin, Justine C. Pickarski, Elizabeth Belcher, Sainan Wei, Therese J. Bocklage, Rachel W. Miller, John L. Villano, Michael J. Cavnar, Joseph Kim, Susanne M. Arnold, Frederick R. Ueland, Jill M. Kolesar

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

PURPOSE

Patients with cancer frequently undergo research-grade germline sequencing but clinically actionable results are not routinely disclosed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of reporting clinically relevant sec- ondary findings (SF) identified in germline research sequencing using the institutional molecular tumor board (MTB) and the treating oncology physician.

METHODS

This prospective, interventional cohort study enrolled Total Cancer Care par- ticipants with any cancer diagnosis at a single institution. Patients underwent research-grade germline whole-exome sequencing, with bioinformatic anal- ysis in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–certified laboratory to verify pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in any American College …

Geodatabase And Modeling Code Used For Dynamic Landslide Hazard Maps In Eastern Kentucky, Nathaniel O'Leary, L. Sebastian Bryson

Earth and Environmental Sciences Research Data

We developed spatiotemporal landslide hazard maps (LHMs) using soil, hydrologic, and geomorphic parameters from the subaerial infinite slope factor of safety (FS) equation under unsaturated conditions. Soil properties were extracted from the NRCS WSS, while geomorphic variables were derived from a 1.5 m LiDAR-based DEM and ArcGIS Online. Soil moisture from Hydrus-1D, driven by precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) data from Irrigation Manager, introduced temporal variability. Validation against known landslide sites showed spatial and temporal FS accuracy despite some false positives. We also developed a landslide susceptibility maps (LSM) after comparing three machine learning algorithms, with bagged trees achieving the highest …

Modelling Leucaena Biomass Under Rainfed Production Systems Of Semiarid Regions, M. J. D. Cândido, J. L. G. Santos, A. C. R. Cavalcante, S. R. Maranhão, M. A. Santos, J. M. Osorio Leyton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The climatic variability of semiarid regions is the main source of uncertainties associated with forage and animal production, indicating a need for tools that accurately estimate forage production in order to construct a forage budgeting plan for livestock. This study simulated the biomass of Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) using the PHYGROW model in four locations located in Brazilian Semiarid. The work was carried out based on field data collected from 2019 to 2021. After sowing in 2018, leucaena was harvested when it reached 200 cm and to a target residual height of 70 cm. The biomass (fresh matter) was …

Micro Mineral Concentrations Of Congo Grass As Affected By Shading And Harvesting Age, P. A. Dele, J. I. Akinyode, A. A. Eesuola, B. T. Akinyemi, F. E. Enwete, C. C. Anotaenwere, O. I. Awoola, O. L. Aiyesa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study investigated the effect of levels of artificial shading and harvesting age on four micro mineral concentrations (iron, manganese, copper and zinc) of Congo grass (Brachiaria ruzizinensis Germain & Evrard). The experiment was a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement in a split plot design with four replicates, which is three levels of artificial shading (0, 30 and 60% shading) as the main plot and three harvesting age (3, 6 and 9 weeks after cutback). The grass was established in May 2017 and grazed in 2018 and 2019, but a cutback was done in May 2020 for this study …

Prospects For Improving Alfalfa Yield Using Genomic- And Phenomic-Based Breeding, M. W. Francis, D. Pap, A. Krill-Brown, E. C. Brummer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial outcrossing legume that is cultivated as an important forage crop in many parts of the world. Yield is the most important trait for profitable alfalfa production, yet over the last 30 years yield improvement in California has stagnated. Current breeding methods focus on recurrent phenotypic selection; however, alternatives incorporating genomic- and phenomic-based information may enhance genetic gain and help to address the lack of yield improvement. Here we attempt to increase the yield potential of alfalfa using genomic selection (GS) in combination with high throughput phenotyping (HTP). A total of 193 families …

Improving Frost Seeding Accuracy With An Entry Level Gps Unit, B. L. Hendrix, Christopher D. Teutsch, J. Jackson, C. Raymond

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Guidance utilizing GPS has long been used for various operations in row crop agriculture. However, the high cost of these systems has limited their use in low-input forage and livestock operations. Reduced prices and the availability of used guidance systems have the potential to increase the use of precision agriculture in pastoral settings. In the past, frost seeding often resulted in areas that received no seed and areas that were double seeded. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the impact of using a guidance system on the uniformity of seed dispersal. This study was conducted at the University …

Looking At Cell Wall Components With Our Customers In Mind, D. J. Heuschele, Z. Xu, J. F. S. Lamb, H. J. Jung, D. A. Samac

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fiber digestibility of alfalfa for animal nutrition is a complex system encapsulating animal, plant, and microbe biological traits. Understanding all components within the system is key to predicting forage quality. We investigated the relationship between alfalfa cell wall components and invitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) speed (16-hr) and potential (96-hr) of by cattle ruminant microbes. A composite alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) population from seven commercial cultivars underwent two cycles of bidirectional selection for plants with low or high stem 16-hr IVNDFD and low or high stem 96-hr IVNDFD. The resulting selected populations were then evaluated by near inferred spectrometry …

Review: Potential Of Using Seaweed Silage Inoculated With Lactic Acid Bacteria And Its Impact Towards Sustainable Animal Feed, Azziza Mala, Subha Bhassu, Norhidayah Mohd Taufek, Najiah M. Sadali, Siran Wang, Shao Tao, Elnour Mohamed, Adibi N, Nor

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Since ancient times, seaweed has been used to supplement animal feed in coastal areas.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for seaweed as an animal feed. Effective preservation methods are required because of annual variations in seaweed availability and biochemical composition. Ensiling could be an effective method to preserve seaweeds for animal feed applications. Using lactic acid bacteria is a substitute biological technique for keeping and restoring the usual physiological state of the animal and increasing efficiency. The aim of this review is the potential of using lactic acid bacteria as an inoculant for seaweed silage for …

Managing Interspecies Competition To Improve Spring Pasture, Kelly M. Mercier, Eric D. Billman, K. Soder, D. M. Jaramillo, Sarah C. Goslee, P. A. Adler

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is one of the earliest maturing pasture grasses utilized in the northeastern United States. However, wet springs can delay forage harvesting resulting in advanced forage maturity and reduction in nutritive value. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a tall, upright-growing forb that shows promise as a high-energy companion crop to orchardgrass and may delay orchardgrass maturity through shading effects on plant morphology. The objective of this study was to evaluate monocultures and mixtures of orchardgrass, chicory, and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) over two consecutive springs to determine the effects of species diversity on …

Effect Of Zwitterionic Additives On Solvation And Transport Of Sodium And Potassium Cations In (Ethylene Oxide)10: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study, Manh Tien Nguyen, Yuhua Duan, Qing Shao

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Sodium- (Na+) and potassium- (K+) ion batteries are cost-effective alternatives to lithium- ion (Li+) batteries due to the abundant sodium and potassium resources. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are essential for safer and more efficient Na+ and K+ batteries because they often exhibit low ionic conductivity at room temperature. While zwitterionic (ZW) materials enhance Li+ battery conductivity, their potential for Na+ and K+ transport in batteries remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect of three ZW molecules (ChoPO4, i.e., 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphoryl- choline, ImSO3, i.e., sulfobetaine ethylimidazole, and ImCO2, i.e., carboxybetaine ethylimidazole) on the dissociation of Na+ and K+ coordination …

Project Final Report Watershed Plan For Crafts Colly, Sand Lick, And Dry Fork, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

KWRRI Research Reports

The North Fork: Whitesburg Tributaries Watershed Plan, developed under this project, provides a path to improve waterbodies impacted by poor wastewater treatment, coal mining, and encroachments on floodplain by housing and roadways. Crafts Colly, Sand Lick, and Dry Fork are tributaries to the North Fork of the Kentucky River. They are located just north of the City of Whitesburg, in Letcher County, which is in the coalfields of southeastern Kentucky. The three watersheds encompass 18 square miles of primarily forested lands and about 30 miles of streams, most of which are entrenched. Because of the steep mountain terrain, most of …

Effects Of Psycho-Attitudinal Characteristics On Drivers’ Behavior: A Driving Simulator Study, Francesco Galante, Filomena Mauriello, Simone Fucito, Mariano Pernetti, Alfonso Montella

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

Human factors are crucial in causing traffic crashes and researchers try to identify and understand these factors to explore patterns of risky driving behavior and its consequences. It is clear that human factors play a crucial role in the causation of traffic accidents, and researchers are trying to identify and understand these factors. That is why it is important to explore the patterns that identify drivers prone to risky driving behavior and the possible negative consequences of that behavior At this aim, an experiment was conducted using the VERA dynamic driving simulator at the Road Safety Laboratory of the University …

Finding And Hiring A Research Analyst Unicorn, Hansa Magee, Nick Bilyk

Research Analytics Summit 2024

As more data analytics programs pop up, we see graduates with these degrees and certificates in our applicant pool. However, the analyst that works in higher ed administration is not like a data scientist that looks for biomarkers in genomic data or the programmer that writes in R all day. What are the skills needed for this job? What exactly is this job that we are hiring for? Should managers prioritize applicants with analytics certificates? Or is experience with sponsored projects more important? We (your presenters) don’t have perfect answers but we (the collective conference attendees) can come up with …

Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion Using Aquaculture Sludge From Rainbow Trout Aquaculture Facilities: Effect Of Salinity, Jihyun Chun, Su Min Kim, Gwangil Ko, Hyo Jeong Shin, Minjae Kim, Hyun Uk Cho

UK CARES Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the potential of using thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) to hydrolyze aquaculture sludge, and to investigate the hydrolysis efficiency and changes in microbial community structure during TAD at 0, 15, and 30 practical salinity units (psu). As digestion progressed, soluble organic matter concentrations in all reactors increased to their maximum values at 6 h. The hydrolysis efficiency at 6 h decreased as salinity increased: 2.42% at 0 psu, 1.78% at 15 psu, and 1.04% at 30 psu. The microbial community compositions at the genus level prominently differed in the relative abundances of dominant …

A Recruited Participant Study Of Pedestrian Infrastructure, Amy Wyman, Hisham Jashami, David S. Hurwitz

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Pedestrian-Vehicle Conflicts In Urban Intersections Based On Trajectory Data, Qinyi Hu, Jaeyoung Jay Lee

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Local Knowledge In Climate Change Research, Ryan E. Mccoy

Theses and Dissertations--Philosophy

This dissertation addresses the growing need within climate research for improvements in regional and local climate information. I argue that knowledge gaps in regional climate information constitute a form of climate injustice in which harm largely falls on regions most vulnerable to climate change. Moreover, I show that our current methods for garnering regional climate information fail to provide information on place-specific factors, such as local culture, socio-economic systems, and ecology, which mediate climate change impacts. In order to address these knowledge gaps, as well as provide information necessary for effective mitigation and adaptation, I argue for the inclusion of …

Sustainable Additive Manufacturing Of Polysulfone Membranes For Liquid Separations, Brian Leonard, Harrison Loh, David Lu, Ebuka A. Ogbuoji, Isabel Escobar, Konstantinos Sierros, Oishi Sanyal

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Membranes serve as important components for modern manufacturing and purification processes but are conventionally associated with excessive solvent usage. Here, for the first time, a procedure for fabricating large area polysulfone membranes is demonstrated via the combination of direct ink writing (DIW) with non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS). The superior control and precision of this process allows for complete utilization of the polymer dope solution during membrane fabrication, thus enabling a significant reduction in material usage. Compared to doctor blade fabrication, a 63% reduction in dope solution volume was achieved using the DIW technique for fabricating similarly sized membranes. Cross …

Drivers’ Education Through Elearning And Exposure: An Opportunity To Increase Acceptance Of Connected And Automated Vehicles, Sarah El-Dabaja, Bhaven Naik, Bernard Ndeogo Issifu, Deborah S. Mcavoy, Deogratias Eustace

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Potential Safety Benefits Resulting From Different Automation Levels And Penetration Rates Of Automated Vehicles: A Case Study In The Netherlands, Dimitra Michalaka, Amna Chaudhry, Eleonora Papadimitriou, Joshua Wetmore

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.

Discrepancies In Av Work Zone Mapping: Analyzing Design Vs. As-Built Coordinates And Their Impact On Safety, Vaishnavi Wagh, Sean Brennan

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.

Virtual Reality Simulation Of Pedestrian Crossings At Channelized Right-Turn Lanes In Urban Unsignalized Intersections, Alberto Figueroa-Medina, Didier Valdés-Díaz, Andrés Chamorro-Parejo, Natacha Cardona-Rodríguez

Kentucky Transportation Center Presentations

No abstract provided.