Digital Commons Network^™

Student Perspectives On Grading In Higher Education Stem Courses, Christopher Sean Burns, Daniela D.S. Digiacomo, Jennifer Pusateri, Katherine Ritchie, Christine Wusylko

Information Science Faculty Publications

Purpose

Despite a growing awareness of instructional practices that support student learning and well-being, higher education classrooms tend to still be dominated by the use of rigid approaches to assessment and course design. This study aims to understand the experiences of students in courses that implement a universal design for learning (UDL) pedagogical approach and an ungrading assessment approach. Design/methodology/approach

Leveraging a qualitative methodological approach, authors interviewed 13 graduate students in two library and information science technology courses and 11 undergraduate students in a computer science course in discrete mathematics about their experiences with ungrading within the context of UDL-designed …

Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan For Landslides For The Kentucky River Area Development District, Kentucky, Hudson J. Koch, Matt M. Crawford, Jason M. Dortch

Contract Reports--KGS

Landslides are a widespread and complex geologic hazard that affects people and infrastructure. The Kentucky River Area Development District, Kentucky, sustains relatively high landslide activity that impacts several municipalities in eastern Kentucky. This hazard mitigation planning project outlines landslide hazard and risk assessments for the Kentucky River Area Development District, with information needed for each community in the region to develop mitigation strategies that will support infrastructure and development needs, land-use planning, situational awareness, and response and recovery actions for the communities.

Avoiding Misleading Estimates Of Among-Individual Variance Caused By Non-Random Sampling Of Individuals In A Changeable Environment, Denis Réale, Hassen Allegue, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, Ned A. Dochtermann, Shinichi Nakagawa, Joel L. Pick, Holger Schielzeth, David F. Westneat, Niels J. Dingemanse

Biology Faculty Publications

Animal ecologists frequently quantify variance in hierarchically structured traits in wild populations. Importantly, phenotypic plasticity within the period of measurement can modify the trait of interest in response to various unmeasured, temporally or spatially changeable, environmental conditions. Non-random sampling among units of the random effect (e.g. individuals) regarding the environment at issue may lead to estimates of the variance among ((Formula presented.)) or within ((Formula presented.)) such units that conflate several types of processes. This mixing of underlying biology can affect interpretations of the random effect variance. Here, we explore the conditions leading to this situation and assess potential solutions …

Plasmons Enable Ultralow Threshold Solid-State Triplet Fusion Upconversion With A 2d Sensitizer, Seamus S. Lowe, Satya P. Butler, John E. Anthony, Saien Xie, Barry P. Rand

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Solid-state triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion has significant potential for application in light harvesting, optoelectronic devices, and bioimaging. However, the high optical powers required to achieve efficient upconversion have inhibited its adoption. In this work, we demonstrate plasmon-enhanced near-infrared (NIR)-to-blue TTA upconversion in a monolayer WSe2/organic heterojunction. Under far-field excitation, the device reaches a threshold of 19 mW/cm2 and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 0.17% with an anti-Stokes shift of 1.1 eV. Plasmon excitation lowers the threshold to 0.9 mW/cm2 and improves the EQE to 3.6%. We attribute the plasmon enhancement to surface plasmon polariton (SPP) near-field enhancement and dark-exciton …

Measurement Of Kaon Directed Flow In Au+Au Collisions In The High Baryon Density Region, B. E. Aboona, J. Adam, G. Agakishiev, I. Aggarwal, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, A. Aitbayev, I. Alekseev, E. Alpatov, A. K. Alshammri, A. Aparin, S. Aslam, J. Atchison, G. S. Averichev, V. Bairathi, X. Bao, P. Barik, K. Barish, S. Behera, P. Bhagat, A. Bhasin, S. Bhatta, I. G. Bordyuzhin, J. D. Brandenburg, A. V. Brandin, C. Broodo, X. Z. Cai, H. Caines, M. Calderón De La Barca Sánchez, D. Cebra, J. Ceska

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Rapidity-odd directed flow v ₁ measurements are presented for K ^± and K_S⁰ in Au + Au collisions for s_NN from 3.0 to 3.9 GeV with the STAR experiment. For comparison, v ₁ of π ^± , protons, and Λ from the same collisions are also discussed. The mid-rapidity v ₁ slope dv₁/dy|_y=0 for protons and Λ is positive in these collisions. On the other hand, v ₁ slope of kaons exhibits a strong p_T dependence: negative at p_T< 0.6 GeV/ c and positive at higher p_T. A similar p_T dependence is also evident for the v …

Information-Content-Informed Kendall-Tau Correlation Methodology, Robert M. Flight, Praneeth S. Bhatt, Hunter N.B. Moseley

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background: Almost all correlation measures currently available are unable to directly handle missing values. Typically, missing values are either ignored completely by removing them or are imputed and used in the calculation of the correlation coefficient. In either case, the correlation value will be impacted based on the perspective that the missing data represents no useful information. However, missing values occur in real datasets for a variety of reasons. In metabolomics datasets a major reason for missing values is that a specific measurable phenomenon falls below the detection limits of the analytical instrumentation (left-censored values). These missing data are not …

Role Of Succinate Dehydrogenase In Age-Related Th17 Inflammation, Evelyn Ocegueda, Gabrielle Chase, Michaella Niceforo, Aida Javidan, Lydia Gugliuzza, Jingting Yu, Rachel Y. Kang, Ava Lankowski, Olivia Stefanik, Kailey Leclerc, Yolander Valentine, Micah J. Drummond, Jude T. Deeney, Josephine S. Modica-Napolitano, Elizabeth A. Proctor, Hatice Hasturk, Barbara S. Nikolajczyk, Leena P. Bharath

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Age-related cellular changes negatively impact CD4⁺ T cell function. Our prior work showed that mitochondrial complex II (succinate dehydrogenase [SDH]) expression was upregulated in T cells from older (O) adults (60–80 years old). T cells from older adults also produced higher amounts of cytokines generally considered proinflammatory, such as Th17 cytokines IL-17A/F and IL-21, and the Th-17-supportive cytokine IL-6, compared to T cells from younger (Y) adults (25–40 years old). The objective of our study is to evaluate whether hyperactivation of SDH is required for the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and the mechanistic link between SDH and Th17 cytokine …

Generative Models And Synthetic Data In Clinical Prediction Models, Anthony A. Mangino, Taha Ahmed, Vincent L. Sorrell

Radiology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Reproducibility, consistency, and transparency are essential to responsible and ethical scientific inquiry, though practices supporting these qualities are often neglected. However, in many cases data are confidential or otherwise unable to be shared publicly. This tutorial describes a method utilizing generative adversarial networks (GANs) to create synthetic data that are sufficiently similar to the original dataset in such cases where the source data cannot be shared or where the source data are too sparse as to internally validate results. Methods: Utilizing an exemplar study that aimed to create a clinical prediction model employing a novel echocardiographic measurement to differentiate …

Exposing Car Dealerships' Final Hidden Sales Con: A Call For The Disclosure Of Interest Rate Markups When "Helping" Buyers With Indirect Financing, John C. Simms

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Congress's Mistaken Ip Power And Our Hybrid Constitutionalism, Barry P. Mcdonald

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Case For Lgbtq+ Adoption Rights In The Post-Roe Era, Tate Craft

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Dred Scott, Military Enslavement, And The Case For Reparations, Hugh Mcclean

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Taylor Dispersion In Variable-Density, Variable-Viscosity Pulsatile Flows, Prabakaran Rajamanickam, Adam D. Weiss

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

The phenomenon of Taylor or shear-induced dispersion of a non-passive scalar field in a pulsatile pipe flow is investigated, accounting for the scalar field's influence on fluid density and transport coefficients. By employing multiple scale analysis, an effective one-dimensional, unsteady mixing problem for the scalar field is obtained, which includes the diffusion coefficient for shear-induced dispersion. The resulting governing equations are applicable to a range of scalar transport problems in pulsatile pipe flows.

Dvr Service Evaluation And Fee Sufficiency Study, Mallory Brown, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Department of Vehicle Regulation (DVR) administers numerous fees and taxes. Many administered by the two divisions in DVR — Motor Vehicle Licensing (DMVL) and Motor Carriers (DMC) — have remained unchanged for many years despite salary increases, the adoption of more complex and expensive technologies, and inflation raising administrative costs. This report provides in-depth assessments of 10 fees and taxes (selected by division administrators). Six are administered by DMVL — certificate of title, duplicate title, vehicle title history report, additional registration fee, reflectorized license plate fund, and trailer registrations — and four are managed by …

Scratch-Induced Damage Of Doped Dlc And Mos2 Coatings—Deep Symbolic Analysis, Ming Liu, Zhitong Xu, Noraphat Yuktanan, Tang Gu, Guangan Zhang, Jinyang Jiang, Fuqian Yang, Rui Liang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding contact-induced damage is of paramount importance in the analysis of the lifespan and performance of surface coatings. In this work, we investigate the effects of dopants and interlayers on the structural durability of diamond-like carbon coatings (DLCs) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) coatings on stainless steel via microscratch tests. The analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) survey spectra and Raman spectra of the DLCs shows that the ratio of sp²/sp³ (i.e., the intensity ratio of sp² to sp³ obtained via XPS) is proportional to I_D/I_G, where I_D and …

Sacbe 1 And Classic Maya Urban Culture, Traci Ardren, Scott R. Hutson, Travis W. Stanton, Patrick Rohrer, Justin P. Lowry

Anthropology Faculty Publications

One of the most significant engineering accomplishments of Maya civilization is Sacbe 1, a raised road connecting the ancient urban centers of Yaxuna and Coba. Using new lidar data in concert with excavation, epigraphic inscriptions, and landscape reconnaissance, we show that settlement and an urban experience emanated westward from Coba along the sacbe. The leaders of Coba - in particular, an ambitious seventh-century queen - used the sacbe to expand the political and cultural influence of their dynasty into the center of the peninsula while securing territory and resources. Gaps in the sacbe, precise delineation of its many curves, and …

Pan-Genome Analysis Of The Fructokinase Gene Family Reveals A Light-Regulated Siphyc–Sifrk4 Module Controlling Carbon Partitioning In Foxtail Millet, Lu He, Juan Zhao, Guangxin Wang, Ling Yuan, Xingchun Wang, Zhirong Yang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Fructokinase (FRK) initiates fructose phosphorylation, channeling carbon into central metabolic pathways, yet its functional diversity and regulatory networks in C₄ cereals remain poorly understood. Here, we performed a comprehensive pan-genome analysis of the FRK gene family in foxtail millet (Setaria italica), identifying 697 SiFRKs across 110 accessions and revealing extensive presence–absence variation shaped by evolution and domestication. Among nine characterized members in the reference genome, SiFRK4 exhibited broad and high expression, a diurnal rhythm, and substantial natural variation. Biochemical assays confirmed its fructokinase activity in vitro. We discovered a novel physical interaction between SiFRK4 and the key photoreceptor Phytochrome …

Intermittent Hypoxemia And Brain Injury Biomarker S100b In Preterm Infants, Elie G. Abu Jawdeh, Linda J. Van Eldik, Jennifer Stevenson, Abhijit Patwardhan, Philip M. Westgate, Lina Chalak, Richard J. Martin, Henrietta S. Bada

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Abstract – Introduction: Intermittent hypoxemia (IH) is common in preterm infants and linked to brain injury. S100B is a glial-derived protein that rises early after neural injury and can be measured noninvasively in urine. We evaluated the relationship between IH burden and urinary S100B in preterm infants of ≤32 weeks’ gestation. Methods: Preterm infants of ≤32 weeks’ gestation were prospectively enrolled. Oxygen saturation was continuously monitored, and IH profiles were quantified using validated algorithms. Urine S100B was measured by ultrasensitive immunoassay and normalized for urinary creatinine. Infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage were excluded. Weighted Spearman correlations examined associations between IH …

Nitrogenated Graphene Quantum Dot-Derived Copper Single-Atom Catalyst For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Dawatage Shashika Madushani Perera, Prakhar Sharma, Ayanthi Thisera, Nadeesha Kothalawala, Matthew G. Boebinger, Beth S. Guiton, Doo Young Kim

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Despite the promise of fuel cells as sustainable energy conversion technologies, their widespread adoption is hindered by the high cost of platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts, particularly for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode. Here, we report copper-based single-atom catalysts (Cu-SACs) as cost-effective non-PGM alternatives for ORR. The catalysts were synthesized via simple pyrolysis of pyrene-derived amine-terminated graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in the presence of nitrogen and metal precursors. The abundant nitrogen functionality in GQDs effectively stabilized isolated Cu atoms during their conversion to porous carbon. A subsequent acid-washing step yielded a high density of atomically dispersed …

Interface-Directed Synthesis Of Cspbbr3-Based Particles With Water-Ode Antisolvent Systems, Saurabh Singh, Xiyu Wen, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

All-inorganic lead halide perovskites, specifically CsPbX₃ (X = I, Cl, Br), have attracted significant attention over the past few years due to their immense potential in optoelectronic devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells. Currently, most available synthesis techniques rely on high temperatures, inert environments, and toxic non-polar solvents, with limiting scalability and environmental compatibility. Herein, we present a facile, room-temperature, and partially green approach for synthesizing CsPbBr₃-based particles via a biphasic solvent system comprising non-polar octadecene (ODE) layered over deionized water. By simply tuning the volume ratio of DI …

Stress-Induced Bandgap Modulation In Semiconductor Quantum Wells, Saurabh Singh, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Strained semiconductor quantum wells have been an active area of research for more than three decades. However, a major part of the reported literature has shown a core focus on the theoretical and experimental investigations of their energy band structures under different internal and external perturbations, taking strain parameters as the basis and studying their resulting effects on various optoelectrical properties of the strained quantum wells. However, since stress parameters can be measured more easily and with an enhanced level of accuracy compared to strain parameters, developing a stress-based analytical framework offers distinct advantages. This study focuses on the theoretical …

Phase 1 Open-Label Study Of Asp9801, An Oncolytic Virus, In Patients With Advanced Or Metastatic Solid Tumors, John L. Villano, Jason J. Luke, Ricklie Julian, Christos Fountzilas, Manish R. Patel, Michael J. Chisamore, Pranob Bhattacharya, Shigeru Takeshita, Serguei Soukharev, Shunsuke Yamada, Leshi Zhang, Kristopher P. Wentzel

Neurology Faculty Publications

Purpose ASP9801, an oncolytic virus encoding interleukin-7 and interleukin-12, was assessed for safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity in patients with advanced solid tumors in a Phase 1 study. Methods The study comprised Part 1 ASP9801 monotherapy dose escalation and Part 2 dose expansion with ASP9801 monotherapy or plus pembrolizumab. Each part was divided into Groups A (ASP9801 injection into cutaneous/subcutaneous lesions) and B (ASP9801 injection into visceral lesions). Primary objectives were safety and maximum tolerated dose and/or recommended Phase 2 dose expansion (RP2D); secondary objectives included antitumor activity and pharmacokinetics. Results In dose escalation, 17 and 10 patients in …

Fiscal Year 2023 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Doug Kreis, Candice Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Every other year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires that states submit a Local Highway Finance Report (FHWA-536) to the agency. This report summarizes data on local highway finances and is used by FHWA to evaluate relationships between and changes in revenues, expenditures and investment patterns, and financial trends. This report presents information submitted by Kentucky in its fiscal year (FY) 2023 FHWA-536. Total receipts from local, state, and federal sources used for road and street infrastructure equaled approximately $1.11 billion. Local sources of funding accounted for the largest share of total receipts (47%), followed by state government sources (45%), …

Kytc Digital Project Delivery Phase 1 Summary, Rachel Catchings

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) launched its Digital Project Delivery (DPD) Initiative in September 2020 with the goal of expanding the use of digitally formatted plan and project information throughout the transportation asset life cycle, from project delivery through asset management. KYTC retained Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) staff with expertise in construction and design to facilitate DPD implementation. This document summarizes DPD-related efforts undertaken by the Cabinet over the past five years. Key activities completed during this period include a survey of Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors members to document their perspectives on design file usage and preferences, coordinating multiple …

Kentucky Cdl Adjudication Pilot And Compliance Needs Study, Jeeyen Koo, Andrew Martin, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report examines trends in how Kentucky District Courts have adjudicated charges related to commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Using court data, researchers evaluated historical patterns in charge filing volumes as well as conviction, dismissal, amendment, and diversion rates. Between 2002 and 2024, conviction rates declined and dismissals increased. Convictions peaked in the mid-70% range in the early 2000s, but fell to the mid-50% range by 2024. Speeding and other serious traffic violations — many of which are advanceable offenses — were dismissed or amended at rates that could have substantively affected the integrity of CDL …

Fiscal Year 2024 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Doug Kreis, Candice Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Every other year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires that states submit a Local Highway Finance Report (FHWA-536) to the agency. This report summarizes data on local highway finances and is used by FHWA to evaluate relationships between and changes in revenues, expenditures and investment patterns, and financial trends. This report presents information submitted by Kentucky in its fiscal year (FY) 2024 FHWA-536. Total receipts from local, state, and federal sources used for road and street infrastructure equaled approximately $1.27 billion. Local sources of funding accounted for the largest share of total receipts (50%), followed by state government sources (41%), …

Single-Cell Transcriptomics Of The Drosophila Ring Gland Identifies The Soxn–Vvl Complex As A Key Regulator Of Juvenile Hormone Biosynthesis, Yuhan Luo, Nan Chen, Yue Gao, Wei Luo, Shanshan Liu, Yang Li, Hanyue Wang, Xiangbin Gao, Jiawei Chen, Haosheng Ye, Kirst King-Jones, Subba Reddy Palli, Sheng Li, Suning Liu

Entomology Faculty Publications

Juvenile hormone (JH) is essential for maintaining juvenile status and promoting reproduction in insects, yet the transcriptional regulation of JH biosynthesis remains poorly understood. Previous transcriptomic studies of the Drosophila ring gland—which is composed of the corpus allatum (CA), prothoracic gland (PG), and corpora cardiaca (CC)—have treated the ring gland as a single tissue. As a result, these approaches lacked the resolution necessary to dissect JH biosynthesis and its regulation in a cell-type-specific manner. To overcome this limitation, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of 7,919 cells isolated from the larval ring glands. This analysis resolved distinct transcriptional profiles for …

Hyaluronan 35 Prevents Endotoxin-Mediated Dysregulated Skeletal Muscle Proteostasis During Ethanol Exposure, Nicole Welch, Pugazhendhi Kannan, Gangarao Davuluri, Annette Bellar, Amy H. Attaway, Saurabh Mishra, Jasmin A. Cunningham, Avinash Kumar, Ryan Musich, Elif G. Ertugral, Vandana Agrawal, Isaac L. Hsu, Terri J. Harford, Noah L. Weisleder, Vidula T. Vachharajani, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Carol A. De La Motte, Laura E. Nagy, Srinivasan Dasarathy

Neurology Faculty Publications

Sarcopenia in alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is of high clinical significance, but there are no effective treatments. Hyaluronan 35 kDa (HA35), a glycosaminoglycan polymer, modulates responses to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a lipopolysaccharide receptor, to improve hepatic and macrophage function in ALD. We evaluated skeletal muscle responses to HA35 in preclinical models of ALD. Responses to ethanol, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and HA35 were studied in differentiated murine C2C12/human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived myotubes, and wild-type/HA receptor CD44 knockout (CD44^—/—) mouse models of ALD (mALD). Signaling molecules and measures of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) were quantified by immunoblots, mitochondrial oxidative function …

Toward An Emerging Public Health Paradigm, Rod Wallace, Katherine Frels, Maria Itria Ibba, Conrad Lyford, Devin Rose, David Baltensperger, Jan A. Delcour, Steven Greenspan, Alison Lovegrove, Barbara Schneeman, Peter Shewry, Edward Souza, William W. Wilson, Gary W. Yohe, Jim Anderson, George Annor, Jayne Bock, Claudia Carter, Brett Carver, Jianli Chen, Edward C. Deehan, Noah Dewitt, Lisa Diewald, Jason Donovan, Corrine K. Hanson, David Holding, Amir Ibrahim, Mariah Jackson

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

An emerging paradigm in public health focuses on enhancing nutrition in existing food staples to reduce chronic disease at the population scale, rather than relying on individuals to change their behavior. This paradigm leverages plant and animal breeding, production practices, and processing to enhance nutrition, whereby foods consumed by millions can be improved at low incremental cost. This article supports and operationalizes this paradigm, illustrating the potential to improve diets through a case study that increases the arabinoxylan fiber content of commodity wheat through classical plant breeding (a non-GMO technology). The approach described in this article proposes to link agricultural …

High-Throughput Screens Identify Genotype-Specific Therapeutics For Channelopathies, Christian L. Egly, Alex Shen, Tri Q. Do, Carlos Tellet Cabiya, Paxton A. Ritschel, Suah Woo, Matthew Ku, Brian P. Delisle, Brett M. Kroncke, Björn C. Knollmann

Physiology Faculty Publications

Genetic diseases such as ion channelopathies substantially burden human health. Existing treatments are limited and not genotype specific. Here, we report a 2-step high-throughput approach to rapidly identify drug candidates for repurposing as genotype-specific therapy. We first screened 1,680 medicines using a thallium-flux trafficking assay against Kv11.1 gene variants causing long QT syndrome (LQTS), an ion channelopathy associated with fatal cardiac arrhythmia. We identified evacetrapib as a suitable drug candidate that improves membrane trafficking and activates channels. We then used deep mutational scanning to prospectively identify all Kv11.1 missense variants in an LQTS hotspot region responsive to treatment with evacetrapib. …