Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Resilience In Children In Out-Of-Home Care: Using Person-Centered Health Services Research, Hyeeun K. Shin

Theses and Dissertations--Health Services Research (HSR)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which refer to exposure to traumatic life events before age 18, and instability in caregiving experiences contribute to poor physical, mental, behavioral, and developmental health outcomes for both children and adults. Previous research shows that these experiences can have negative effects both in the short term and throughout a person’s life. However, children’s strengths, which are the internal and external assets that support their development, can help protect against the impact of ACEs. Effective parenting, positive social support, and self-regulation skills are essential factors that build resilience, helping individuals adapt to challenges that may affect their …

The Digital In The Library: Finding The Mutually Beneficial Synergy, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Books and Chapters

With the value of access to digital resources abundantly demonstrated during the COVID-19 lockdown, enthusiasm for the format is reaching new heights. This chapter counsels restraint, rebutting the argument that skepticism concerning the wide adoption of digital materials into the library is due merely to nostalgia by anti-technologists for a now-bygone age. Despite their obvious usefulness in certain situations, patrons have not responded well when libraries propose to discard legacy print collections in favor of transient electronic formats.To explain this rejection, this chapter argues that libraries are built upon principles of collection development and organization of materials in order to …

College Student Perceptions Of A Pilot Cooking And Nutrition Education Workshop Through The Lens Of The Social Cognitive Theory: A Qualitative Study, Emma Watras, Amelia Sullivan, Emalee Harrington, Mona Therrien-Genes, Kathryn Yerxa, Makenzie Barr-Porter, Jade Mcnamara

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

This study qualitatively examined college students' perceptions of a pilot cooking and nutrition workshop, College Cooking Connection (CCC), through the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) framework. Undergraduate students who attended at least one CCC workshop (N = 29) were invited to a 30 min virtual focus group. A trained moderator guided the discussion to gather perceptions of the program. Themes were identified using thematic analysis with a directive and deductive approach based on SCT. Focus groups revealed eight major themes across the SCT. Cognitive themes included: (1) improved nutrition literacy, (2) understanding the nutrition-mental health connection, and (3) increased awareness of …

Do Magnesium Ions Have Similar Effects As Calcium Ions On Resting Membrane Potential?, Anthony Hana, Youngwoo Kim, Joy Bidros, Katie Neglia, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Maintaining a membrane electrical potential of biological cells is a dynamic process, as some cells have a continually changing potential, like pacemaker cells, while other cells may function with large or small changes in the membrane potential. Additionally, some cells may change their electrical potential when stimulated or inhibited by electrical signals, chemical compounds, or both—either simultaneously or episodically. The persistent leak of K⁺ through two-pore-domain potassium channels (K2P) and of Na⁺ through Na⁺ leak channels (NALCNs) and the action of pumps and exchangers are primarily responsible for maintaining a resting potential. Ca²⁺ ions are known …

An Evolving View Of Lineage Diversification, Pascal O. Title, L. Francisco Henao-Díaz, Rosana Zenil-Ferguson, Thais Vasconcelos

Biology Faculty Publications

Systematists have long been fascinated by the astounding variation in species diversity across the various branches of the tree of life, a net result of the uneven rates at which lineages undergo speciation and extinction over time. The past 30 years have seen the development and widespread application of tools that allow diversification to be quantified and characterized in empirical data sets. These advances have, in turn, enabled the statistical evaluation of hypotheses about the causes behind the uneven distribution of species richness among lineages, leading to a more nuanced understanding of diversification rate variation, as reflected in an ever-expanding …

Exogenous Estradiol Does Not Regulate Daily Metabolic Rhythms Underlying Diet-Induced Obesity In Male Mice, W. Brad Osborne, Oliver Vöcking, Victoria Alvord, Oluwabukola Omotola, Yuriko Katsumata, Julie S. Pendergast

Biology Faculty Publications

Male mice fed high-fat diet become obese, but female mice are resistant to diet-induced weight gain. We previously found that circulating estradiol in females protects their daily rhythms from disruption by high-fat feeding to prevent diet-induced obesity. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of estradiol on daily metabolic rhythms in male mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were treated with estradiol and fed high-fat diet for 2 weeks. We measured the effects of high-fat diet feeding on daily rhythms of eating behavior and locomotor activity, and on the phases, or timing, of circadian rhythms in central and peripheral …

Drinking Microstructure Analysis Of Direct Controls Of Water Intake In Male And Female Rats, Bo W. Sortman, Emalie L. Mullane, Kennedy L. Lamb, Andrea A. Edwards, Ann-Marie Torregrossa, Derek Daniels, Jessica Santollo

Biology Faculty Publications

Measures of rodent drinking (lick) patterns are used to test how various manipulations affect fluid intake. Decades of research indicate that manipulating the satiating potency of a stimulus affects the number of licking bursts whereas manipulating the hedonic value of the solution affects the size of the licking bursts or rate of licking. This type of analysis has been largely applied to manipulations that modulate drinking that is already occurring (i.e., indirect controls or modulators of intake), but there is a dearth of studies with detailed measures of licking due to stimuli that are primary drivers of intake which happen …

Expressing Experiences Of Being Gender Non-Conforming In The “Ladies” Restroom Through Autoethnography-Based Research Poetics, Ellen D.B. Riggle

Gender and Women's Studies Faculty Publications

Three research poems are created as an autoethnographic response to feedback on a research article on the author’s experiences as a gender non-conforming person in women’s public restrooms. The feedback loop includes the sharing of lived experiences by others and theoretical (why?) discussions in the context of the gendered policing and politicalization of women’s restrooms. The first found poem includes words, phrases, and descriptions of images used to label spaces designated as women’s restrooms. The second prose poem recounts the author's experiences through a reframing of risk to women’s health, understanding the cultural context of male entitlement and White supremacy, …

Stacked Risks, Unequal Returns: Stratified Risk Allocation In Housing And Higher Education, Regina M. Lewis

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, public policy does more than distribute resources. It distributes risk. The same policy can create profoundly different consequences for different people because policies operate on landscapes shaped by generations of unequal investment and opportunity.

To explore this process, I introduce the Stratified Risk Allocation (SRA) Framework to demonstrate how facially neutral policies reproduce inequality by allocating risk across populations with unequal capacity to absorb it. Drawing on risk society theory, historical institutionalism, critical race theory, intersectionality, and stratification economics, the SRA framework distinguishes between Exposure, the likelihood of encountering policy-generated risk, and Capacity, the resources available …

Legal Professional Identity Development: An Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Processes By Which Law Students Transition From Novices To Professionals, David Hall Abney Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation seeks to heed the call for expansion of instructional communication research (ICR) beyond the undergraduate classroom and undergraduate learning objectives by exploring older learners and higher-order affective learning objectives. Legal professional identity development (LPID) is a discipline-specific type of higher-order affective learning that is conceptualized as a continuous nonlinear process that begins in law school and extends throughout a lawyer’s career, involving the internalization of the legal profession’s core values and norms and their integration with an evolving identity. Using a pragmatic ICR approach and a mixed-methods design, Phase 1 employed individual interviews and focus groups to investigate …

“We Do Things A Little Different Exactly As You'd Expect Here...": Egocentric Network Structures As Predictors Of Organizational Culture Type, Ray Celeste S. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation examines organizational culture as an outcome of communication structures by integrating the Competing Values Framework (CVF) with egocentric network analysis. Although CVF is one of the most widely used frameworks for diagnosing organizational culture and predicting organizational effectiveness, prior research has overwhelmingly treated culture as an independent variable. Responding to calls for greater attention to the antecedents of culture, this study reconceptualizes organizational culture as a dependent variable and investigates how individuals’ perceived communication networks predict perceptions of CVF culture types. Using egocentric network data collected from employees across a diverse range of organizations and industries, this study …

Can Love Bloom On A Battlefield: An Analysis Of Queer Militaristic Fanfiction, Brandon Bost

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

It is noted that readers and fans hold unique and valid interpretations of texts, interpretations that become expressed in fan works like fan art, memes, or the subject of this study, fanfiction. This study performs textual analysis on queer fanfiction in Metal Gear Solid and Code Geass fandoms. It examines the unique relationship militarism holds with intimacy, and how intimacy intersects with violence and control in unique ways in these fan texts. Within these fanfics, militarism can serve as a barrier to intimacy, forcing relationships to adapt to militaristic structures within these fan interpretations.

Exploring The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Communication Among Equestrians In Facebook Groups, Jenna Young

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

People’s interpersonal relationships and social groups are connected to their self-esteem. Equestrians, a social group unified around riding or working with horses, form identities based on their involvement in the equine industry, whether that be recreationally or professionally. Equestrians’ subjective views of self-esteem may be related to their overall well-being. Theories related to self-esteem and identity indicate that communication within social relationships, like within the equine industry, may impact an individuals’ sense of self-worth. Facebook groups have increased in popularity in the equine industry due to the ease of communication between equestrians. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between self-esteem …

Conflict Management In Heterosexual Romantic Relationships: A Cognitive Dissonance Perspective, Benjamin Grissom

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This paper examines how cognitive dissonance corresponds with conflict management strategies in heterosexual romantic relationships from the perspective of romantic partners. The paper synthesizes current findings on how conflicting beliefs and attitudes impact partners' approaches to handling disagreements. Patterns are identified in how cognitive dissonance co-occurs with competition, avoidance, accommodation, compromise, and collaboration. Findings suggest that the discomfort arising from holding conflicting cognitions corresponds to their conflict management approaches depending on the degree of discomfort. Additionally, relationship length is examined as a moderator of the connection between cognitive dissonance and conflict management. Understanding these perceptions can provide insights into enhancing …

The Role Of Fandom On Perceived Racial Stereotypes Presented By The Media’S Coverage Of Sport And Crime, Christopher F. Clements

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation examines the intersection of sport, media, and race, focusing on the ways in which media portrayals of athletes involved in criminal activity relate to the reinforcement of racial stereotypes. Utilizing social identity theory (SIT), this dissertation employs three video clips of minority athletes at the time of their arrests to examine how media representations of minority athletes contribute to the reinforcement of viewers’ racial stereotypes and to investigate the impact of participants’ pre-existing racial stereotypes upon their perceptions of media representations of Black athletes involved in criminal activity. This dissertation utilizes focus groups to examine how fandom, as …

Students As Information Responders – Extending Our Understanding Of Students At A Pwi, Anyiah S. Chambers

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

As school shootings continue to rise across the United States, understanding how students respond to and share information during crises has become a critical concern for higher education institutions. While prior research has examined the role of students as first information responders (FIRs) during emergencies, few studies have investigated how these processes unfold among Black and non-Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). This mixed methods study is a replication and extension of Omilion-Hodges and Edwards (2021), examining how undergraduate Black and non-Black students at PWIs evaluate, construct, and disseminate crisis-related messages, particularly during active-shooter events. Grounded in channel specification …

Addressing Obesity And Diabetes In Appalachian Kentucky, Hannah E. Orens

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

Type 2 diabetes and obesity are major public health concerns in Appalachian Kentucky. Populations in this region experience much higher rates of chronic disease than the rest of the state, have limited access to preventive care, and ongoing economic challenges that affect health. Many rural counties face increased poverty, transportation challenges, and shortages of healthcare professionals, all of which contributed to poor health outcomes and reduced access to evidence-based prevention programs. As a result, there is a strong need for focused, feasible, community-based interventions that improve access to evidence-based prevention while addressing the social and economic factors influencing health in …

Purchasing A Healthier Future: A Nutrition-Focused, Community-Centered Approach To Reduce Obesity And Diabetes In Graves County, Kentucky, Marissa Stephens

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

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are among the most significant public health challenges in the United States, with Kentucky consistently ranking among the states with the highest prevalence of both conditions. Together, these conditions contribute to reduced quality of life, rising healthcare costs, and increased morbidity and mortality, underscoring the need for targeted, community-centered interventions. The disease burden of obesity and diabetes is particularly pronounced in rural areas, including the state’s westernmost region, the Jackson Purchase. Among rural populations, chronic disease risk is driven by a combination of factors, including low socioeconomic status, limited access to healthcare/supermarket options, and food …

Automated Object Detection And Change Quantification In Underground Mines Using Lidar Point Clouds And 360◦ Image Processing, Ana Fabiola Patricia Tejada Peralta, Roya Bakzadeh, Sina Siahidouzazar, Pedram Roghanchi

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

Underground mining environments pose significant challenges for automated hazard detection due to low illumination, restricted visibility, and the absence of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage. These factors limit situational awareness and delay inspection efforts, particularly after disruptive events when rapid assessment is essential for safety. This study addresses this problem by developing a dual-pipeline framework for 2D–3D detection that uses 360° imaging and LiDAR-based machine learning to identify people, vehicles, and positional changes in underground settings without requiring personnel to re-enter hazardous areas. The objective was to create a system capable of recognizing objects and monitoring spatial changes under …

Beef Cattle Producers’ Knowledge About And Preferences For Carbon Contracts, Zuyi Wang, Anastasia W. Thayer, Felipe De Figueiredo Silva, Michael Vassalos, Jordan M. Shockley, Nathan Smith

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Carbon contracts have gained attention as a way to incentivize carbon-emissions reduction for the agricultural sector, particularly among beef-cattle producers.

Our study utilized data from a survey of 222 beef cattle producers in the southeastern United States to examine their knowledge, perceptions, and preferences regarding carbon contracts.

Survey respondents demonstrated a lack of accurate knowledge about carbon markets and contract specifications, with many overestimating the price of carbon.

Among the most common barriers to signing contracts were the cost of altering practices, the duration, and insufficient payments.

Further, our results indicated that producers require an additional $103.74/hectare ($42/acre) to accept …

Building Public Health Data Dashboards: Tutorial Playbook, Elwin Wu, Raymond Balise, Benjamin Katz, Daniel R. Harris, Matthew Bullard, Naleef Fareed, Marc Larochelle, Jennifer Villani

Institute for Biomedical Informatics Faculty Publications

Public health data dashboards have substantial potential to improve transparency, understanding, and decision-making at multiple levels, from individuals to public health practitioners and policymakers. However, creating effective dashboards presents many challenges. In this case-based tutorial on public health dashboard development, we share lessons learned from our experience developing data dashboards for the HEALing Communities Study (HCS), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded, community-engaged intervention to deploy evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths in 67 communities across 4 states. We present key decision points dashboard teams must address, along with the major considerations and trade-offs that shaped our approach. First, …

A Framework For Enhanced Circular Product Development With Total Life Cycle Considerations, Gisele Bortolaz Guedes, Fazleena Badurdeen, Ibrahim S. Jawahir

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Advancing circular product development (CPD) requires design decisions that account for the entire product life cycle, from material sourcing and manufacturing to use and end-of-use (EoU) stages, to ensure enhanced sustainability performance. Existing Product Development Process (PDP) models tend to emphasize isolated phases or perspectives with limited explicit consideration of the total product life cycle. This hinders the systematic embedding of various Circular Economy (CE) strategies during product development. Thus, designers and engineers lack a unified framework to determine when and where critical decisions should be made to effectively incorporate CE strategies such as effective resource selection, extending product use-life, …

Chronic Alcohol Consumption Enhances The Differentiation Capacity Of Hematopoietic Stem And Progenitor Cells Into Osteoclast Precursors, Hami Hemati, Madison B. Blanton, Jude Koura, Rupak Khadka, Kathleen A. Grant, Ilhem Messaoudi

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Chronic alcohol consumption (CAC) is associated with an enhanced risk of bone fracture, reduced bone density, and osteoporosis. In a rhesus macaque model of voluntary ethanol consumption, CAC induces functional, transcriptomic, and epigenomic changes in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and their resultant monocytes/macrophages, skewing them toward a hyper-inflammatory response. In the present study, those studies were extended to investigate alterations in osteoclast development, which, in postnatal life, differentiate from HSPCs and play a critical role in maintaining bone homeostasis. Spectral flow cytometry revealed a skewing of HSPCs toward granulocyte-monocyte progenitors in the CAC group, consistent with an increased …

Chronic Alcohol Consumption Reprograms Osteoclast Lineage Communications To Promote Osteoclastogenesis, Hami Hemati, Brianna M. Doratt, Ilhem Messaoudi

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Chronic alcohol consumption increases the risk of osteoporosis and fracture by disrupting bone remodeling, in part by enhancing osteoclastogenesis. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying this process remain incompletely defined. We analyzed scRNA-seq data from osteoclasts differentiated in vitro from bone marrow mononuclear cells obtained from macaques following 12 months of chronic ethanol or isocaloric control solution consumption. Module scoring, trajectory inference with generalized additive modeling (tradeSeq), and CellChat-based analyses of intercellular communication were applied to uncover ethanol-induced changes in metabolic reprogramming, lineage progression, and signaling network dynamics. Module scoring indicated metabolic reprogramming toward oxidative phosphorylation, with reduced glycolytic, migratory, and …

Alcohol Consumption Exacerbates High-Fat Diet- Mediated Disruptions In Myelopoiesis And Osteoclastogenesis In Mouse Models Of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Diseases, Hami Hemati, Madison B. Blanton, Lauren Rutt, Nicholas Keiran, Rebecca Geron, Florence Lima, Rebecca L. Mccullough, Ilhem Messaoudi

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Objective: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Alcohol-related Liver Disease (MetALD) exhibit systemic immune abnormalities. Given that such immune dysregulation is closely linked to the skeletal complications frequently observed in MASLD and MetALD, we sought to comprehensively characterize the bone marrow hematopoietic compartment and its link to osteoclastogenesis.

Methods: We utilized bone marrow from mouse models of MASLD (high-fat diet, HFD) and MetALD (high-fat diet plus ethanol, HFD+EtOH), followed by flow cytometric analysis to phenotype hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), as well as in vitro and in vivo assays to evaluate osteoclastogenesis.

Results: We found that …

Assessing Radio Transmitter Weight Effect And Evaluation Of Northern Bobwhite Chick Survival In Coastal North Carolina, Autumn S. Randall, Theron M. Terhune Ii, Matthew T. Springer, Darin J. Mcneil

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Studies on the earliest life stages are essential to our ecological understanding of avian demography; however, monitoring technologies that allow tracking of small birds are still limited in a variety of ways. One critical limitation, until recently, has been the development of methods for attaching transmitters to young birds with precocial development (e.g., Galliformes, Charadriiformes, etc.). The modified suture technique offers a means to attach transmitters to precocial chicks while accommodating rapid growth characterized by birds with precocial young. Although the sutured transmitter method was developed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks, there remain key unknowns regarding best …

Aggregation Bias In Multi-Industry Economic Contribution Analysis: The Case Of Kentucky Forest Sector, Domena A. Agyeman, Thomas Ochuodho, Omkar Joshi

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Closely related industries are often aggregated in US forest sector economic contribution analysis, yet the choice of aggregation scheme can influence results. The Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) system is the most widely applied input–output model for forest economic contribution analysis in the US. In IMPLAN, the level of industry aggregation determines which inter-industry transactions are restricted, thereby influencing the magnitude of estimated indirect and induced effects. Although IMPLAN practitioners can model individual industries to avoid aggregation bias, they must still decide whether to analyze forest industries as a single group, as traditional subsectors, or individually. This decision can alter …

Effects Of Headwater Wetland Restoration On The Demography, Fecundity And Ecology Of The U.S. Federally Threatened White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera Integrilabia) In The Cumberland Plateau Of Kentucky, Tara R. Littlefield, Catherine Hoy, Christopher Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Wetland habitats represent a critical component of biodiversity hotspots that support numerous rare species, including terrestrial orchids. In North America, over half of all terrestrial orchids are found in wetlands, more than a quarter of which are now threatened with extinction (G1–G3). This concerning trend is exacerbated by a lack of information on effective restoration strategies aimed at orchids and other species that inhabit these areas. The white fringeless orchid, Platanthera integrilabia (Correll) Luer, the subject of this study, is restricted to mostly shaded wetland habitats along the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains and has suffered widespread declines due …

Balancing Face-To-Face And Digital Communication: The Role Of Relationship Maintenance In Dual-Earning Families, Tamara D. Afifi, America L. Edwards

Information Science Faculty Publications

This study examines how face-to-face (FtF) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) contribute to relationship maintenance and resilience in dual-earning families, a largely overlooked area in family communication research. Guided by the theory of resilience and relational load (TRRL), we test how ongoing FtF and CMC maintenance behaviors predicted well-being across a week among 62 families (i.e., two parents and one adolescent). Using a week-long daily diary and physiological measures (cortisol and IL-6 assays), we assess perceived stress, mental health, and loneliness. Findings suggest that both FtF and CMC maintenance are associated with lower stress and better well-being, with FtF showing somewhat …

Buprenorphine Utilization Following Removal Of Prior Authorization Requirements In The Kentucky Medicaid Population, Dustin K. Miracle, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Svetla Slavova, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Jeffery Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Purpose: To evaluate changes in buprenorphine dispensing for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) among Kentucky Medicaid enrollees following the removal of prior authorization (PA) requirements for the transmucosal buprenorphine combination product.

Methods: We analyzed Kentucky Medicaid claims from 1/1/2016 through 6/30/2023 to identify enrollees with OUD during each quarter (Q1/2017–Q2/2023), using a 12-month lookback window. Segmented regression analysis was used for statistical modeling of an interrupted time series (ITS) design to assess changes in the quarterly proportion of enrollees with OUD receiving buprenorphine for OUD treatment, focusing on the effect of PA removal. The effective date of the PA …