Digital Commons Network^™

Allocation And Governance Of Opioid Response Funding In Rural Kentucky: A Case Study Of The Big Sandy Area Development District, Hayley M. Mccarty

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The opioid epidemic continues to present significant public health, economic, and administrative challenges throughout the United States, with rural Kentucky experiencing some of the nation's highest rates of opioid-related morbidity and mortality.

Effectively responding to this crisis requires not only adequate financial resources but also transparent governance, coordinated implementation, and accountability for how public funds are distributed.

This study examines the allocation, governance, and implementation of opioid response funding within the Big Sandy Area Development District (BSADD), a rural multi-county region in eastern Kentucky. Using a qualitative case study and policy analysis approach, the research evaluates four primary funding sources: …

Best Practices For Budgeting In Small Non-Profit Organizations: The Arts Commission Of Danville/Boyle County, Esther Rugerio

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Nonprofit arts organizations face unique financial management challenges due to limited staffing, restricted funding sources, and fluctuating revenue streams. This thesis examines the Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County located in Danville, KY. It identifies opportunities to strengthen financial oversight, accountability, and long-term sustainability. Using a qualitative research approach and document-based analysis, the study evaluated organizational budgets, governance documents, and nonprofit financial management best practices.

The findings revealed several areas for improvement, including reliance on line-item budgeting, recurring use of carry-forward funds, limited board financial oversight, fiscal sponsorship complexities, and a lack of formal financial policies. Recommendations include adopting a program-informed …

Should Kentucky Adopt A Formal Statewide Framework To Address The Local Fiscal Effects Of Tax-Exempt Public Universities On Host Communities?, Trina Shields, Catie Baumstark

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky’s public universities provide significant educational, economic, and workforce development benefits to the Commonwealth. However, because these institutions are exempt from local property taxes, questions arise about the fiscal effects on the communities that host them. While the benefits generated by universities extend beyond municipal boundaries, the fiscal effects of tax-exempt property are often concentrated within host communities. As universities expand their campuses and acquire additional property, local governments may face increased demands for public services without a corresponding increase in property tax revenue.

This study examines whether Kentucky should adopt a formal statewide framework to address the local fiscal …

Sustainable Safety Planning On Two-Lane Highways: A Random Forest Approach For Crash Prediction And Resource Allocation, Fahmida Rahman, Cidambi Srinivasan, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

During the safety planning stage, accurate crash prediction tools are critical for prioritizing countermeasures and allocating resources effectively. Traditional statistical approaches, while long applied in this field, often depend on distributional assumptions that may introduce bias and limit model accuracy. To address these issues, studies have started exploring Machine Learning (ML)-based techniques for crash prediction, particularly for higher functional class roads. However, the application of ML models on two-lane highways remains relatively limited. This study aims to develop an approach to integrate traffic, geometric, and critically, speed-based factors in crash prediction using Random Forest (RF) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) …

Neighborhood Deprivation Associated With Impaired Sit-To-Stand Performance In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis With Clinical Implications, Kenneth Harrison, Silvia Campos-Vargas, Brandon M. Peoples, Keven G. Santamaria-Guzman, David T. Redden, Michael A. Samaan, Jaimie A. Roper

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

Background: Socioeconomic factors significantly influence health outcomes in older adults, yet their impact on specific aspects of mobility remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and mobility health in older adults.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 110 community-dwelling older adults recruited and collected using voluntary response sampling at eight health fairs across rural Southeast Alabama in 2022–2024 (60 ± 16 years, 80% female). Area-level socioeconomic status was measured using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a validated composite measure of neighborhood disadvantage. Mobility was assessed using the Instrumented Timed Up and Go (iTUG) test and …

Academic Departments As Microfoundations Of Institutional Governance, Karley A. Riffe, Meghan J. Pifer

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

Considerations of governance in US higher education do not typically include the academic department. This results in a knowledge gap about the role of these central organizing units of academic work in the governance of colleges and universities. Through the concept of microfoundations, we explore concrete ways in which departmental governance matters, how it may be challenging, and strategies for fostering effective governance within academic departments.

A Course Correction? The Correlation Between Gfsi-Recognized Certifications And Salmonella In Raw Chicken Products, Kar Ho Lim, Lijiao Hu, Yuqing Zheng, Michael Ollinger

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a widely recognized entity. Many third-party certifications, such as Safe Quality Food (SQF), Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS), and Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC), benchmarked against GFSI standards. This study compares the Salmonella detection rates in raw chicken products from SQF, BRCGS, FSSC-certified establishments to those from uncertified ones. We performed a probit regression and calculated average marginal effects using testing data from the Food Safety Inspection Service. Overall, products from certified establishments are associated with 3.2 % lower positive rate of Salmonella detection. Certification is associated with a greater …

Brief Report: Naloxone Decline Among African American Kentuckians, Rayven Peterson, Mona Goggins, Destin L. Mizelle, Brittany Miller-Roenigk, Candice Hargons, Danelle Stevens-Watkins

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Opioid-involved overdose fatalities among African Americans continue to rise. The current study examines African Americans who reported use of opioids in the past 6 months and declined overdose education and free naloxone.   Method: Eligible participants included African American Kentuckians who used opioids in the past 6 months and consented to a larger study examining their opioid use. This paper qualitatively explored their reasons for declining overdose education and naloxone using an adjusted and inductive application of structural tabular thematic analysis.   Results: Out of 588 participants, 70 (12%) declined naloxone: the most cited reason for declining naloxone was already possessing …

Effect Of Clinical Expertise On Efficacy Of Vocal Function Exercises In Individuals With Typical Voice, Maria H. Bane, Vrushali Angadi, Richard D. Andreatta, Joseph C. Stemple

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine the effect of clinical expertise on efficacy of Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) as measured by change in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained. The hypothesis was that clinical expertise would result in greater increases in percent of maximum phonation time goal attained.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Methods: A convenience sample of 19 individuals with typical voice was recruited in a university academic clinic setting. All participants completed baseline assessment and 17 completed all study procedures. Participants were randomized to receive VFEs from an expert voice clinician with more than 40 years’ experience (expert group (EG)) …

Effects Of Metal-Modified Catalysts On The Desorption Performance Of Mixed Amine Solutions And Machine Learning Prediction, Xunxuan Heng, Zhenzhen Zhang, Longhua Zhu, Li Yang, Shugang Xie, Zeyu Wang, Dongtai Han, Fang Liu, Kunlei Liu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The high energy penalty associated with solvent regeneration is still a major bottleneck in amine-based CO₂ capture. In this work, the effects of five solid acid catalysts on the desorption performance of a mixed-amine solvent were compared, and the HY catalyst with superior desorption behavior was selected and further modified with four transition metals (Co, Mn, Gr and Ce) to enhance its catalytic activity. The findings indicate that the CO₂ desorption capacity and maximum desorption rate of the Co-modified HY catalyst reach 48.96 mmol and 0.02211 mmol/s, corresponding to increases of 36.80% and 35.39% relative to the blank …

Anuran Occupancy Of Created Wetlands Within Reforested Legacy Surface Mines In Kentucky And West Virginia, Jillian C. Newman, Steve Price, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Joshua Castle, John J. Cox, Jeffery L. Larkin, Christopher D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Restoration of habitat is an important component of wildlife management. Surface coal mining has altered forest cover in the Central Appalachians, and most reclamation activities on previously mined lands result in non-native grasslands or shrub lands. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), which emphasizes non-native vegetation removal, soil decompaction, planting of native trees and shrubs, and, in some cases, wetland creation represents an alternative to grassland-based reclamation that may promote forest-associated wildlife on legacy surface mines. We used automated recording units to evaluate the response of anurans to created wetlands and the FRA in Kentucky and West Virginia, USA. We used …

Exploring Pathways To Persistence And Self-Efficacy Among Historically Underrepresented Community College Students: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study, Sharmy Rene Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Research indicates that postsecondary institutions have struggled to retain historically underrepresented college students. These students continue to experience lower levels of persistence and college self-efficacy compared to their peers (Monjaras-Gaytan & Sánchez, 2023).

This dissertation is a mixed methods action research study that identified the academic challenges historically underrepresented college students face. This study focused on diagnosing the problem, engaging in multiple Reconnaissance phases, and using those findings to plan a contextually responsive intervention.

Findings indicate that historically underrepresented college students may benefit from enhanced academic support, stronger advising relationships, and greater opportunities to build peer connections. The findings of …

Deep Crustal Boundaries As Fluid Conduits: A Geochemical Investigation Of Mvt Mineralization In Kentucky And Beyond, Dairian Boddy M. Boddy

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Critical minerals are vital to the United States economy and national security, yet their supply chains are at risk. Common minerals in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, such as sphalerite, galena, fluorite, and barite, host critical metals such as barium, gallium, germanium, and zinc, which are essential for energy technologies. An investigation of three MVT mineral districts in Kentucky elucidated previously unrecognized systematics, genetic relationships, and sources of ore components using stable and radiogenic isotope geochemistry, particularly from galena, sphalerite, barite, and gangue minerals (e.g., carbonates). The localization and dominant type of mineralization in each district are potentially influenced by deep …

College Of Law Commencement Program, 2026, University Of Kentucky

Graduation Programs

Commencement program for the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law Class of 2026.

Microglial Apoe Across Alzheimer’S Disease-Relevant Pathologies, Georgia Nolt

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

APOE exists as three common alleles (APOE2, APOE3, APOE4) that encode their corresponding protein isoforms (apoE2, apoE3, apoE4). Despite differing by only one or two single-amino acid substitutions, each APOE allele confers a distinct AD risk profile with APOE4 increasing risk by 28% and APOE2 decreasing risk by 14% compared to the most commonly expressed APOE3 allele. While traditionally considered “neutral,” APOE3 still accounts for ~36% of AD cases while APOE4 contributes ~57%, indicating that the majority of AD cases would not occur in the absence of the APOE3 and APOE4 alleles. Microglia, the resident phagocytic immune cells …

The Relationship Between Participants In The Certificate Of Educational Technology And Information Literacy (Coetail) Program And Professional Capital, Benjamin J. Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This study aimed to explore how educators involved in the Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy (COETAIL) program perceived the development of their professional capital within an online, cohort-based professional learning community. Based on Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) concept of professional capital, which includes human, social, and decisional capital, and guided by social learning theories, the study examined participants’ perceptions of professional capital development, the program features related to that development, and how participation influenced their professional paths. The research focused on international school settings, where educators often rely on networked professional learning because of geographic mobility and limited …

Hallucinogen Use Among Parents Of Children In The United States: Associations With Mental Health And Substance Use, Maggie K. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Hallucinogen use has reemerged in the United States amid expanding clinical research and shifting social and policy contexts. However, population-based evidence remains limited regarding hallucinogen use among adults living with children and its relationship with mental health impairment severity in caregiving environments. Therefore, this study’s objective was to examine associations between past-year hallucinogen use and past-year mental health impairment among U.S. adults, and to test whether associations differ by parental status and number of children in the household. A secondary aim examined correlates of co-occurring substance use among those reporting hallucinogen use.

Data were drawn from the 2023 National Survey …

Bridging The Intention–Behavior Gap In Mental Health Help-Seeking, Wenqi Weng

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Objective: To examine whether modifiable factors shape the extent to which help-seeking intention is translated into formal mental health service initiation among distressed adults. Method: Participants were U.S. adults (N = 777; M age = 47.21 years, SD = 16.70; 73.23% women; 77.74% White) who reported at least moderate psychological distress and were not currently receiving formal mental health treatment. At baseline, participants completed measures of help-seeking intention, focal moderators (action planning, psychological distress, and mental health steward self-identity), coping planning, cues to action, and emotion regulation as exploratory candidate moderators. At three-month follow-up, participants reported whether …

Electromyography Of The Coracobrachialis—Construct Validity And Implications For Rehabilitation Of Anterior Shoulder Dislocation, Alon Rabin, Timothy L. Uhl, Ido Druckmann, Zvi Kozol, Yossi Ruah, Dani Rotman, Dan Stein

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: The coracobrachialis (CB) is an important anterior shoulder stabilizer, yet no study has previously reported its electromyography (EMG). The purpose of this study was to validate a novel technique for surface EMG (sEMG) of the CB.   Methods: Thirty-two (21 females) healthy individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. A surface landmark for recording the CB was identified within the medial aspect of the proximal arm using real-time ultrasound imaging and cadaver dissection. The EMG from this landmark as well as from the biceps brachii (BB) were simultaneously recorded during shoulder horizontal adduction (SHAd) (a CB-dominant test), and during elbow flexion …

Developing A Multidisciplinary Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Service At A Mid-Sized Children’S Hospital, Amanda M. Harrington, John August D'Orazio

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Roughly one in ten children and young adults diagnosed with cancer has an underlying genetic variant that may explain his/her malignancy. It is critical to identify patients with cancer predisposition syndromes (CPSs) to provide personalized cancer treatment, surveillance, counseling, psychosocial support, and in some cases, risk-reducing interventions to maximize long-term outcomes. Over the past five years, we developed a comprehensive pediatric CPS program at our institution. We engaged our institutional adult cancer center for clinical cancer genetic counseling services and needed research shared resource facilities. We also initiated a clinical study called “Project Inherited Cancer Risk” (PICR) to identify pediatric …

Bureaucratic Responsiveness In Times Of Crisis, Anna Gunderson, Maggie Macdonald

Political Science Faculty Publications

In 2020, American cities experienced mass protest after fatal police violence against Black Americans. Did police address these protests differently after the murder of George Floyd or the protests in their communities? Did that response vary depending on the racial or ideological makeup of their constituents? We link policing protests and Facebook posts from about 4,000 American police departments to investigate differences in agency responses to protest. Departments posted more about protest after Floyd's death, especially in those communities that also had a policing protest. Republican cities were less likely to post about protests, but racial demographics are not associated …

Sharp Dual-Regime Thermal Transition Driven By Bead Morphology In Metal Fused Filament Fabrication, Martin Gamesu, Nelson K. Akafuah

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This work develops a GPU-accelerated, bead-resolved digital twin for FFF that reconstructs super-elliptic filament geometries from G-code and simulates transient heat transfer via voxel-level activation synchronised to deposition order. Applied to a parametric study of two metal–polymer composites (Cu–PLA and IN718–PLA) across five super-ellipse exponents (n = 2.0, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0), the framework reveals a sharp thermal regime transition: a 43% increase in interlayer contact width (n = 2.0 → 2.7) and 53% (n = 2.0 → 2.9) produce negligible thermal change (|Cohen’s d| < 0.02 for IN718-PLA and < 0.2 for Cu-PLA), while n = 3.0 triggers +150–178% increases in bonding windows, −55 to −60% reductions in cooling rate, and a 27–45-fold increase in thermal reactivation. The transition amplifies across temperature thresholds (2× at 170 °C, 15.8× at the glass transition), reverses the deposition-order thermal gradient (r = −0.83 to +0.64 for IN718-PLA and −0.55 to +0.81 for Cu-PLA), and causes surrogate model failure (cross-regime R² = −4.6). These findings establish bead morphology as a sharp morphology-driven threshold requiring regime-aware, material-specific digital twin. At the transition, weld-strength increases while cooling-rate decreases, indicating improved bonding uniformity and reduced residual-stress heterogeneity.

Stochastic Mechanical Mesoscale Modeling Of Cylindrical Cavities In Metallic Foams, Mujan N. Seif, Alexandre Martin, Matthew J. Beck

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Aluminum foam is a critical component of state-of-the-art micrometeoroid and orbital debris shielding. However, its randomly oriented constituent ligaments create significant variability in properties at different length scales. Previous efforts have thoroughly characterized the statistical implications of micro- to macro-scale-length transitions on the homogenized elastic behavior of damage-free, pre–micrometeroid and orbital debris (MMOD) strike structures. In this work, the properties of the residual material post MMOD impact are assessed by introducing cylindrical cavities representing the damage track. It was observed that configuring the cavity parallel to the through-the-thickness direction transformed a nominally isotropic foam into an anisotropic (transverse isotropic) material, …

Insights From And Future Directions For A Nationwide Science And Engineering Education Collaboration In Stratospheric Ballooning, Beth A. Covitt, Angela C. Des Jardins, Erick P. Agrimson, Jason T. Ash, Sean C.C. Bailey, Katelyn A. Barber, Mike J. Bastidas, Edgar A. Bering, Matthew T. Bernards, Anthony Choi, Nicholas B. Conklin, Jacqueline K.Q. Do, Montana Etten-Bohm, William F. Finney, James A. Flaten, Jeffrey M. Freedman, Rachel H. Humphrey, Eric P. Kelsey, Hunmin Kim, Christopher L. Lee, Wookwon Lee, Jared W. Marquis, Justin R. Minder, Jani M. Pallis, David J. Pawlowski, Chong Qiu, Joanna H. Rivers, Jason A. Ruszkowski, Jillian B. Schmidt, Thomas G. Sharp, Paul E. Slaboch, Suzanne W. Smith

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) engaged 53 teams of students from across the United States to fly experiments on high-altitude balloons for the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. By many measures, NEBP was a successful project. However, the teams did encounter challenges. To better understand what could be improved for similar future projects, this study engaged project partners in examining strengths, challenges, and recommendations across four topics: project structure, education and research approach, broadening participation, and funding. Analysis of the topics was completed through written comments followed by remote focus group discussions. The project director and evaluator …

The Impact Of A Kentucky Nutrition Education Program Social Marketing Campaign On Resident Health, Trinity Elizabeth Foster

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Poor diet quality and physical inactivity are common health issues in the United States. To remedy these issues among low-income households, the United States Department of Agriculture created the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Program (SNAP-Ed), which promoted healthy eating and physically active lifestyles through multiple avenues. The social marketing approach of SNAP-Ed uses marketing strategies to relay information to the public. In Kentucky, a statewide billboard campaign was launched in 2018 encouraging residents to focus on nutrition and physical activity. This study investigates the impact of that campaign on health outcomes in counties throughout the state. Using billboard location …

Contractual Democracy From Statehouse To School Board: Shifts In Legislation And School Board Authority In Kentucky, Hannah M. Edelen

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

School boards have long been regarded as a cornerstone of American democracy, providing local governance over public education. While considerable scholarship highlights the increasing involvement of state and federal governments in education, relatively few studies examine with specificity how legislatures shape the local authority of these governance structures. This study investigates how the Kentucky State Legislature has influenced the authority of local school boards over three legislative sessions (2020–2022) and how board members perceive their evolving role. Using a multi-method approach and conceptualized in principal-agent theory, this research contributes to understanding how legislatures shape the governing responsibilities of school boards …

How Does Residing In A Battleground State Explain Republican Elites Election-Denial Rhetoric On Social Media?, Caedmon P. Brewer

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

After the 2020 election the U.S. democratic process was challenged by Republican challengers many of which were office holders including the president. Many of these criticisms were shared and perpetuated in online spaces What encourages elites to post on social media about election denialism? This paper attempts to partially answer the question by performing an analysis on Facebook posts made by 1,154 congressional candidates between 2023 and 2024 using a dictionary search method to flag posts for election denialism. I propose a theory that suggests the combination of political, financial, and media attention given to battleground states encourages candidates in …

Field-Scale Evaluation Of Satellite- Derived Vegetation Indices And Image Timing For In-Season Nitrogen Management In Corn, Ana Morales-Ona, Katsutoshi Mizuta, James J. Camberato, Robert Nielsen, Yuxin Miao, Davide Cammarano, German Mandrini, Daniel Quinn

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: Traditional methods to determine the agronomic optimum nitrogen rate (AONR) for corn (Zea mays L.) rely on grain yield data, limiting in-season decision-making for nitrogen (N) management. Vegetation indices (VIs) derived from satellite imagery can serve as proxies for grain yield and help estimate in-season AONR, enabling timely sidedress applications. This study aimed to (1) quantify how VI–yield relationships vary during the vegetative period across fields with different tillage systems and crop residue; (2) determine whether VI–N response curves can be used to estimate AONR (AONRvi); and (3) assess the accuracy of AONRvi relative to yield-based AONR (AONRy). …

Resilience Shields And Grit Intensifies Subjective Cognitive Decline In Middle‐To‐Older Aged Black Americans, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Maria Clark, Obinna Odo, Yolanda L. Jackson, Candidus C. Nwakasi, Darlingtina K. Esiaka

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: There is growing interest on the relationship between psychosocial factors and cognitive health trajectories in adulthood. While grit and resilience have been shown to influence health outcomes, their differential effects on subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in Black American adults remain understudied. The purpose of this study is to help fill this gap.

Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional research design. Black American participants (N = 242; Mean age = 44.32) responded to a survey assessing SCD, grit, resilience, and sociodemographic factors. Linear regression analysis was performed to test the associations between grit and resilience and SCD, and to …

Evidence Of Heterogeneity In The Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Spontaneous And Precipitated Withdrawal, Suky Martinez, Jermaine D. Jones, Kelly E. Dunn, Andrew Huhn, Joshua A. Lile, Thomas P. Shellenberg, Laura Brandt

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Aims: This study characterized the heterogeneity of opioid withdrawal by comparing naturally occurring withdrawal during opioid abstinence (spontaneous withdrawal) with abrupt, pharmacologically induced naloxone-precipitated withdrawal in adults with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).   Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on de-identified data from 86 adults meeting DSM-5 criteria for moderate-to-severe OUD. Participants either presented in spontaneous withdrawal (n = 28) or underwent naloxone challenge to precipitate withdrawal (n = 58). Withdrawal symptoms were rated using the Wang procedure. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of binary symptom data was performed to identify dominant patterns of symptom co-occurrence. Separate PCAs were then …