Digital Commons Network^™

Massachusetts V. Epa: A Pyrrhic Victory For Climate Change Litigation, Andrew J. Biggs

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Let’S Get Crafty: The Evolution And Challenges Of Beer In The Southeast, Kennedy Weathers

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

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

Kentucky River Watershed Watch

No abstract provided.

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

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

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

Exploring The Relationship Between Reported Instructional Leadership Behaviors And High-Quality Professional Development Factors, Shelby Lea Daeschner

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

With the reauthorization of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a focus has been placed on the principal as an instructional leader to improve school culture and student achievement. Professional Development (PD) can improve teacher capacity and student outcomes through long-term, job-embedded, coherent, collaborative, and focused activities. This correlational study explored the relationship between principals’ reported behaviors and rankings of the importance of high-quality PD factors. Through a self-reported survey, elementary school principals across the United States were asked to report the frequency of instructional leader behaviors as measured via the Principal Instructional Management Scale (PIMRS) and rank the …

Identifying And Evaluating The Perceptions Of Near-Miss Reporting Within The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Seth Atkins

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

In the field of construction, most safety data and practices focus on preventing and mitigating serious incidents resulting in injuries or fatalities. However, on construction sites, near-miss events occur more frequently than said serious incidents and, under marginally different conditions, could potentially lead to damages, injuries, or fatalities. Therefore, near-miss reporting can serve as a useful tool for managing safety as it allows for workers to identify and managers to address potential risk factors within construction sites. While most construction companies have implemented some method for reporting near-miss events, many organizations, such as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), struggle with …

Strain Energy Analysis Related To Strata Failure During Caving Operations, Caroline Gerwig

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

For stiff beams that can form over the gob of longwall panels, the potential seismic magnitude of the energy released upon strata caving is estimated. Analytical calculations are used to verify two-dimensional models of longwall roof beams to determine the strain energy and gravitational energy developed, that will then be released to surrounding mine workings. Models are developed using RS2 to model the stress, strain, and deflection along the bottom of the longwall roof beam to calculate gravitational and strain energies.

The total energy is then converted to seismic magnitude. Strain energy was consistently less than gravitational energy, except for …

Essays On Evaluating The Effects Of The Child Tax Credit, Hyein Kang

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays understanding how the Child Tax Credit (CTC) affects maternal labor supply, maternal health, and children’s outcomes. The CTC was implemented in 1998 tax year and has been expanded multiple times throughout the past 20 years. Chapter 1 examines the effect of the CTC on the labor supply of single and married mothers using the numerous policy reforms in the credit generosity and eligibility criteria since its inception in 1997. I use variation in the simulated benefits for a nationally representative sample to estimate the labor supply response at the extensive and intensive margins. Using …

Collision-System And Beam-Energy Dependence Of Anisotropic Flow Fluctuations, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Elliptic flow measurements from two-, four-, and six-particle correlations are used to investigate flow fluctuations in collisions of U+U at √𝑠NN=193  GeV, Cu+Au at √𝑠NN=200  GeV and Au+Au spanning the range √𝑠NN=11.5–200  GeV. The measurements show a strong dependence of the flow fluctuations on collision centrality, a modest dependence on system size, and very little if any, dependence on particle species and beam energy. The results, when compared to similar LHC measurements, viscous hydrodynamic calculations, and trento model eccentricities, indicate that initial-state-driven fluctuations predominate the flow fluctuations generated in the collisions studied.

Differential Measurements Of Jet Substructure And Partonic Energy Loss In Au + Au Collisions At √𝑠𝑁⁢𝑁=200 Gev, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The STAR collaboration presents jet substructure measurements related to both the momentum fraction and the opening angle within jets in 𝑝+𝑝 and Au+Au collisions at √𝑠𝑁⁢𝑁 =200GeV. The substructure observables include SoftDrop groomed momentum fraction (𝑧𝑔), groomed jet radius (𝑅𝑔), and subjet momentum fraction (𝑧SJ) and opening angle (𝜃SJ). The latter observable is introduced for the first time. Fully corrected subjet measurements are presented for 𝑝+𝑝 collisions and are compared to leading-order Monte Carlo models. The subjet 𝜃SJ distributions reflect the jets leading opening angle and are utilized as a proxy for the resolution scale of the medium in Au+Au …

Disappearance Of Partonic Collectivity In √Snn = 3 Gev Au+Au Collisions At Rhic, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report on the measurements of directed flow v1 and elliptic flow v2 for hadrons (π±, K ±, K 0 S , p, φ, Λ and Ξ−) from Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 3 GeV and v2 for (π±, K ±, p and p) at 27 and 54.4 GeV with the STAR experiment. While at the two higher energy midcentral collisions the number-of-constituent-quark (NCQ) scaling holds, at 3 GeV the v2 at midrapidity is negative for all hadrons and the NCQ scaling is absent. In addition, the v1 slopes at midrapidity for almost all observed hadrons are found to be …

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

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

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

Countercode: Bodies Un-Becoming, Aaron Reynolds

Graduate Thesis Exhibition Catalogue Gallery, 2022

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

Tangled Roots: Exploring Appalachian Feminisms, Magenta Palo

Graduate Thesis Exhibition Catalogue Gallery, 2022

Women have long been overlooked as key figures in the cultural history of Appalachia. The exhibition Tangled Roots: Exploring Appalachian Feminisms seeks to examine the ways in which women artists across the region have kept traditions alive while redefining creative practices that were once seen strictly as “women’s work.” In particular, the exhibition aims to explore how women have reimagined “craft” through skillful attention to materials, manual dexterity, and application of critical and conceptual rigor. The concept of craft is defined in this context to include all hand-made work that requires developed skills, whether they belong to traditional craft-based practices …

Evidence Of Coal Conversion In The Majuba Underground Coal Gasification Pilot Plant, South Africa, L.S. Mokhahlane, N.J. Wagner, D. Vermeulen

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a coal conversion method that permits coal resources to be exploited in situ using high-temperature conversion reactions. An understanding of the chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic properties of the coal, and resultant unburned carbon, degasified coal, and ash (minerals) in the UCG gasification zone, is fundamental to determining conversion rates, gas composition, and environmental and groundwater risk assessments. This study aims to provide a mineralogical and petrographic characterization of UCG residues obtained from the Eskom Majuba UCG pilot plant site in South Africa. Samples were selected from a verification borehole (VH3) drilled at the site following …

Low-Density And High-Strength Fracking Proppant Made By High Alumina Fly Ash, Shuqiang Ding, Jinder Jow

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

High-alumina fly ash is defined to have alumina (Al2O3) content of no less than 40%, according to the Chinese power industry standard DL/T 2297. Specification for resource utilization categorization of fly ash from coal-fired power plant (Standard No. DL/T 2297-2021), and is considered a valuable raw material to replace bauxite for making aluminum, refractory materials, and fracking proppants, etc. A low-density and high-strength proppant, conventionally made with bauxite, has been successfully made by high-alumina fly ash and commercially used in the market. This new high-alumina f ly-ash–derived proppant has some advantages compared with the bauxite-derived proppant: (1) lower raw material …

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

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

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

Decreasing Anxiety, Depression, And Suicidal Ideation Through The Implementation Of Education And Screening At Chandler Medical Center, Ashley Gillstrap

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: To provide education on high suicide rates within the healthcare community, screen providers for suicide risk factors, and disseminate mental health resources at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center (UKCMC). The goal of this intervention is to increase awareness and provide resources to providers to essentially decrease these suicide rates.

METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was used with a non-equivalent group pretest-posttest survey design to examine the effect of an education module about suicide risk factors. Along with a rating of how COVID-19 affected mental health, a Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was implemented, and mental health resources …

Surficial Geologic Map Of The Summit 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Antonia E. Bottoms, Ann Hislop, Matthew Massey, Maxwell L. Hammond Iii, Michele M. Mchugh, Emily Morris

Contract Reports--KGS

The Summit 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Louisville and west of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Grayson Counties and within the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by the low relief Pennyroyal region that sits at elevations between 560 to 650 ft above sea level, the low relief Mammoth Cave plateau at elevations between 750 to 900 ft, and the steep Dripping Springs escarpment that separates the two plains. Moore (1964) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Conley (2002). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout the quadrangle and is …

Leveraging Community Health Workers’ Expertise In The Community To Address Food Insecurity In Appalachia, Alexis Kimbro Scott

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Residents of the Appalachian region of Kentucky are disproportionately affected by poor social determinants of health that contribute to the persistence of food insecurity and diet related diseases in this region. Poverty levels persist in rural areas of the Appalachian region while they improve throughout the rest of the United States. As this further perpetuates food insecurity in rural Appalachia, it is critical to identify culturally sensitive solutions to food insecurity. Utilizing Community Health Workers (CHWs), lay members of the community who have deep understanding of the communities they live in and serve, may be the answer to this problem. …

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

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

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

Evaluating Providers’ Knowledge, Attitudes And Intentions Toward Assessing Pregnancy Desires In Women Of Childbearing Age, Sydney Hahn

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Unintended pregnancies account for over half of all pregnancies in the United States. Unintended pregnancies can lead to abortion, socioeconomic difficulties, medical complications, psychological issues, and political issues. Unintended pregnancies are potentially harmful to both the mother and the baby. Healthy People 2030 listed reducing the number of unintended pregnancies as one of their family planning objectives.

Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward assessing pregnancy desires in women of childbearing age. Methods: The study was a one-group pre/post intervention design. The data was gathered via a convivence sample …

Peer-Induced Cocaine Seeking In Rats: Comparison To Nonsocial Stimuli And Role Of Paraventricular Hypothalamic Oxytocin Neurons, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Bree A. Humburg, Samantha G. Malone, Joshua S. Beckmann, Kathryn E. Saatman, Valery Grinevich, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if social vs nonsocial cues (peer vs light/ tone) can serve as discriminative stimuli to reinstate cocaine seeking. In addition, to assess a potential mechanism, an oxytocin (OT) promoter-linked hM3Dq DREADD was infused into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus to determine whether peer-induced cocaine seeking is decreased by activation of OT neurons. Male rats underwent twice-daily self-administration sessions, once with cocaine in the presence of one peer (S+) and once with saline in the presence of a different peer (S-). Another experiment used similar procedures, except the discriminative stimuli were nonsocial …

The Toyota Production System (Tps) In A Non-Traditional Manufacturing Environment: The Role Of Standardization In The Fast-Food Industry, Kevin Mccracken

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The Toyota Production System (TPS), also known as Lean Manufacturing (LM), was founded in the automotive industry and has contributed to Toyota’s decades of success. This has brought much attention to TPS and how this system may be implemented in other industries. Focusing on the TPS foundational element of standardization, this study examines the impact of target cycle time (TCT) on process fluctuation in a fast-food environment. In order to observe the effects of TCT, team members within 3 production lines were timed. Times were measured before and after the addition of a TCT to the Standardized Work (STW) in …

Face Masks And Speech Perception: Emotions And Intelligibility Perceived By Monolingual And Bilingual Speakers, Monica Andrea Chulde Guayasamin

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Speech perception in unfavorable conditions reduces the intelligibility of the message. The use of face masks may be one factor that degrades the comprehension of target words in transcription tasks and the recognition of emotional prosodies. Different researchers have proposed the influence of visual stimuli in the comprehension of the linguistic message (e.g., Tuomainen et al., 2005; Schwartz et al., 2004; Llamas et al., 2008; McGowan, 2015). This study reports the results of an experiment that tests how intelligibility and emotional prosody are affected by surgical masks. The online experiment has been applied to two groups of speakers from the …

Ambiguous Appalachianness: A Linguistic And Perceptual Investigation Into Arc-Labeled Pennsylvania Counties, Crissandra J. George

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

The Appalachian Regional Commission (2022) designates 52 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties as Appalachia, excluding only the southeast portion of the state. Matthew Ferrence, in Appalachia North, states that his "home is sometimes called Appalachia, sometimes Rust Belt, other times Midwest, even though very few who live there would accept any of those labels as correct" (xi). This ambiguous and fluid identity is due to the shaping, forming, and changing of Pennsylvania’s role within society from a founding colony to a thriving state with industry, unselfishly spoiling others, to the grounds of converging identities (Ferrence xi). This ambiguous identity makes …

How To Sell Nfts Without Really Trying, Brian L. Frye

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Something is happening and we don’t know what it is. Suddenly last summer, the internet went nuts for “non-fungible tokens” or “NFTs.” In a matter of months, NFT sales swelled from a sleepy slough of the blockchain to a thundering cataract that shows no sign of slaking. Special NFTs sell for millions of dollars, and some are even securitized. It’s a big business that’s only getting bigger.

But no one seems to know why. Objectively, NFTs are useless, meaningless, and worthless. So why are people willing to pay millions of dollars for them, even begging for the opportunity? Maybe it …

Are Cryptopunks Copyrightable?, Brian L. Frye

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Larva Labs’s CryptoPunks NFTs are iconic. Created in 2017, they were among the first NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. Four years later, they are among the most valuable, selling for anywhere from $200,000 to millions of dollars.

The CryptoPunks collection consists of 10,000 NFTs, each of which is associated with a unique CryptoPunks image. Everyone knows who owns each CryptoPunks NFT. The Ethereum blockchain provides indelible proof. But people disagree about who owns - and who should own - the copyright in the CryptoPunks images. Most CryptoPunks NFT owners believe they should own the copyright in the image associated with …

The Costs Of The Punishment Clause, Cortney E. Lollar

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Criminal punishment pursuant to a facially valid conviction in a court of law is an uncontested exception to the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition on slavery and involuntary servitude. After all, the Constitutional text reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” And yet, beginning almost immediately after the Thirteenth Amendment was adopted, states regularly employed criminal statutes to limit the movement and behaviors of those previously enslaved and subject them to slavery-type labor camps in conditions that closely mirrored slavery. Because neither the …

State Constitutions And Youth Voting Rights, Joshua A. Douglas

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Young voters suffer the lowest turnout rates in American elections. One study shows that younger voters face numerous barriers when attempting to cast a ballot, such as work responsibilities, not receiving an absentee ballot in time, inability to find or access their polling place, voter ID problems, or other issues. Many state election laws are a labyrinth of rules and regulations that make it more difficult to vote, especially for younger people. As one report notes, “many young voters are new voters who need to register for the first time and who may be unfamiliar with the process. Young people …