Digital Commons Network^™

A Multilevel Jurisdictional Analysis Of The Impact Of Walmart On Host Communities, Matt Young

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This research takes a holistic approach to answer the empirical question about what impacts Walmart has on host jurisdictions. This consists of a thorough review of the extant literature; a formalization of Walmart’s potential impact into a theoretical framework; a consideration of endogeneity within Walmart’s operations from multiple angles; a nationwide analysis of impacts on labor and retail markets at both the county and municipal level; a nationwide analysis of the impacts on housing prices and property tax revenue post Walmart; a multistate analysis of host jurisdictions’ reactions to these changes through the lens of local sales taxes; finally, a …

Three Essays On Consumption Taxation In Indonesia, Partomuan Transparenter Juniult

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Consumption taxes play a major role in revenue generation for many developing countries. They are also used to encourage or discourage certain consumption behaviors. However, the administrative aspects of implementing these taxes can create challenges for the tax authorities, and lead to distortions in taxpayer behavior. To overcome these challenges, efforts have been made to simplify policies and utilize technology to improve administration and compliance. My dissertation aims to provide empirical evidence on the effects of three consumption or commodity tax policy reforms in Indonesia. The dissertation consists of three essays as follows.

In my first essay, titled “The effect …

Giving Retakes Their Best Chance To Improve Learning., Thomas Data Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Assessment retakes can improve student learning if educators clear up a few misconceptions and avoid common missteps.

College Athletes As Defendants In Rape Trials: The Impact On Legal Decision-Making, Sophia Salyers

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

The issue of rape continues to be of concern in the United States. Rape is defined as any unwanted or forcible penetration without consent (United States Department of Justice, 2017). More specifically, rape can include sexual violence tactics such as force, threats, manipulation, or coercion (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2022). The magnitude of the issue of rape has been demonstrated, with adult rape data showing that on average, 319,950 people over the age of 12 were raped or sexually assaulted in the United States annually in 2020 (Morgan, 2021). Furthermore, every sixty-eight seconds an American is raped (Morgan). Finally, …

Politics And The Criminal Enforcement Of Superfund, Joshua Ozymy, Melissa Jarrell Ozymy

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Jockeying For The Labor-Dispute Exemption: How The First Circuit Wrongly Exempted Independent Contractors From Antitrust Law, But Why Congress Should Expand The Exemption, Dylan Keefe

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Retention Strategies Among Those On Community Supervision In The South: Lessons Learned During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Breana J. Uhrig Castonguay, Katherine Lemasters, Chris Corsi, Evan J. Batty, Taylor J. Krajewski, Madelene Travis, Craig Waleed, Carrie B. Oser, Kathryn M. Nowotny, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein

Sociology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Cohort studies must implement effective retention strategies to produce internally valid and generalizable results. Ensuring all study participants are retained, particularly those involved in the criminal legal system, ensures study findings and future interventions will be relevant to this group, who are often lost to follow-up: critical to achieving health equity. Our objective was to characterize retention strategies and describe overall retention among an 18-month longitudinal cohort study of persons on community supervision prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: We implemented various retention strategy best-practices (e.g., multiple forms of locator information, training study staff on rapport building, …

Statistical Analyses To Identify Genetic Variants Associated With Neuropathological And Mri-Based Endophenotypes Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Lincoln M. P. Shade

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Aged individuals often accumulate multiple brain pathologies that contribute individually and synergistically to cognitive decline and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most commonly diagnosed form of dementia, constituting over 50% of dementia diagnoses, and poses an enormous burden on human health and well-being. In the United States alone, over six million individuals are living with AD, and the disease imposes financial costs of treatment and care of over $300 billion annually. The most common form of AD, late-onset AD (LOAD), presents in individuals aged 65 years and older and is highly heritable, with twin and family studies estimating its …

Understanding The Role Of Peroxiredoxin Iv In Colorectal Cancer Development, Pratik Thapa

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are oxygen-containing free radicals and/or molecules that are more reactive than O₂. ROS such as hydroxyl radical (•OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) are produced naturally in the body as a result of reactions such as aerobic respiration and oxidative protein folding. ROS undergo reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions and mediate cell signaling. Accumulation of excessive ROS can damage DNA, RNA, protein and lipids. Antioxidants are enzymes and small molecules that react with ROS to modulate redox signaling and to prevent and repair oxidative damage. Examples of antioxidants include glutathione, thioredoxin, superoxide dismutase, …

Understanding And Targeting The Tph1-Serotonin-Htr3a Axis In Small Cell Lung Cancer, Yanning Hao

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which accounts for 10-15% of all lung cancer, is the most malignant type that tends to grow fast and spread in its early stages. The 5-year survival rate remains low at 6% overall. Thus, new therapeutic methods and pharmacological targets for SCLC patients are urgently needed. We present novel data indicating that the synthesis of serotonin is upregulated in SCLC compared to normal bronchial epithelial cells and non-small cell lung cancer. Serotonin signaling plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes. However, its contribution to SCLC development has not been well understood. The …

Targeting Ezh2 To Improve Outcomes Of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tanner Ducote

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Only 20% of patients diagnosed with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) respond to immunotherapy. Anti-PD1 immunotherapy is most commonly prescribed to these patients; however, most will become refractory. It is important to understand the mechanisms underlying this problem to increase durability and survival. Building upon the work of other groups, our lab has demonstrated that the inhibition of the histone methyltransferase, EZH2, is crucial to maintaining an immunologically responsive microenvironment. Based on our data, we hypothesize that combining EZH2 inhibitors with anti-PD1 therapy will increase response and durability. To study non-small cell lung cancers (NSLC) our lab uses a variety …

Migrant-Activist Evidentiary Practices In The Aegean Sea, Beatrice A. Abbott

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This project examines digital maps and images made by migrants and activists traversing or helping others to traverse the Greek-Turkish maritime border in 2015 and early 2016, when over a million people arrived to European shores, mostly by way of the Aegean Sea. These maps were made using applications such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, Maps.me, and WhatsApp and circulated on public Facebook groups and pages. Through a visual analysis of these digital artifacts, I look at how they can be read to witness and contest deadly border geographies produced through migratory policies and practices of deterrence. Further, I argue …

Hoarding Lifesaving Knowledge While Millions Die: The Political Economy Of Global Covid-19 Vaccine Apartheid, Kenneth Stancil

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Coronavirus vaccines saved millions of lives, but experts estimate that the suboptimal production and inequitable distribution of shots resulted in nearly 3 million preventable Covid-19 deaths in 2021 and 2022 as well as millions of indirect deaths during the pandemic. These avoidable fatalities are inseparable from the grotesquely unequal vaccination rates between rich and poor nations. Dose hoarding by high-income countries contributed to vaccine inequality, but the “vaccine apartheid” inflicted on low-income countries reflects an even more fundamental injustice: knowledge hoarding by profit-maximizing pharmaceutical corporations—aided and abetted by wealthy governments—which deprived generic manufacturers of the right to produce additional lifesaving …

Discussions And Creations: Experiences Of Black Music Therapy Graduate Students Building Community And Belonging, Rebekah Irene Spann

Theses and Dissertations--Music

There is currently a lack of racial diversity within the music therapy field and a lack of research on the experiences of Black music therapy graduate students wanting to build community and belonging. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of three Black graduate music therapy students at the University of Kentucky seeking to build community and belonging with their Black peers. To further understand the experiences of these Black graduate music therapy students, this study followed participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Throughout the research process, I worked with participants to shape the project in a way …

A History Of Educational Concerts Of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sean Radermacher

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This project illuminates the history of educational concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and reveals a legacy of performances for young audiences, today’s educational innovations, and the orchestra’s evolving mission to serve young people. Concerts for young people are an important facet of the history of American orchestras. Today, these concerts and other educational programs are essential to increase the accessibility of orchestral music.

The PSO’s history highlights the close relationship of American orchestras with an educational mission from their early years to the present. After an overview of the origins of permanent orchestras and the national context of …

Foraging Behavior In The Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Anugerah Fajar

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Foraging is essential for survival, but it can be unpredictably dangerous due to organismal interactions like competition and predation to various environmental factors. Animals have come up with strategies to safeguard foraging. Social insects, with their elaborate division of labor, have developed sophisticated systems of foraging task allocation that allow them to capitalize resources beyond their competitors. In this thesis, I delve into the subjects of foraging behavior, allocation strategies, and the genetic basis of foraging in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, the most widely distributed termite species in North America and one of the most economically important …

Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist, Beth S. Rous

Educational Leadership Studies Faculty Publications

The Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist is a practice-oriented tool designed to support early childhood transition planning by helping families, teachers, and program staff identify skills that may assist children as they enter or move across early childhood classroom settings. The checklist organizes entry-level skills across five domains: classroom rules, work skills, communication skills, social/behavioral skills, and self-management skills. The tool allows users to document whether a child demonstrates selected skills, identify target skills for instruction or support, and add comments across multiple dates. This fourth edition updates and preserves a resource originally developed through Project STEPS and subsequent outreach …

An Exploration And Performance Of Underrepresented Composers For Cello, Anna M. Watrous

Libraries Award for Undergraduate Scholarship

As I was preparing for my senior degree cello recital (the performance component of this thesis) last summer, I realized that all the composers I planned on programming were famous composers that were white men. As a woman cellist, teacher, and arts advocate, I knew this was not the story that I wanted to tell through my recital. I realized that there was no reason to wait until after graduation when I was “finished learning” to be an advocate for those underrepresented in the arts, I could start with this recital. Through the process of programming, preparing, and performing this …

A Peculiar Institution: White Supremacy And The Black Guides Of Mammoth Cave, Seth Garcia

Libraries Award for Undergraduate Scholarship

Intensive tourist operations at Mammoth Cave began in 1838 when Frank Gorin purchased the cave property. He brought with him Stephen Bishop, an enslaved person who would become famous across the Western world for his explorations of the cave and his knowledge of its geology. Gorin would also lease Nicholas and Matterson Bransford, and these three men would begin a 100-year history of black guides at Mammoth Cave. This essay utilizes source material written by white visitors in diaries, guidebooks, and travelers’ accounts to better understand white supremacy during the mid to late 19th century. The guides were in a …

Appalachian Adolsescence: A Creative Exploration Of Home, Nature, And Social Progress, Eleni Karelis

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

The Central Appalachian coalfields provide a rich culture to the American landscape, often shielded from outsiders to the region. While prevailing stereotypes of the region describe those living there as two-dimensional, the identity of Appalachia has always been complex— whether through the rich history with labor struggles, gender equality, or social progress. Finding one’s identity in a place that has been so strictly held to its stereotypical perceptions can be difficult. This creative project draws inspiration from my own experiences in Southeastern Kentucky as well as a myriad of stories collected through archival research in the Special Collections Research Center …

Anti-Inflammatory And Analgesic Effects Of Highly Selective Microsomal Prostaglandin E2 Synthase-1 (Mpges-1) Inhibitors, Madeline Stewart

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Lipid messenger prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂) is a prostanoid that plays a key role in the generation of the inflammatory response. Currently available non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and/or COX-2, all with significant cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and gastrointestinal risks that have limited their utilization. Microsomal PGE₂ synthase 1 (mPGES-1), an inducible enzyme responsible for overproduction of PGE₂, may be a more promising target for a new type of anti-inflammatory drug without the adverse effects associated with the COX-1/2 inhibition. There have been extensive efforts to design and discover inhibitors targeting mPGES-1. Unfortunately, within the previously …

Prevalence Of Multimorbidity In The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study At Baseline, Katie Highfill

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

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of multimorbidity among middle-aged adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study at baseline by examining the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the participants.

Methods

I included 15,698 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) baseline visit. Participants were randomly selected from 4 different locations in the United States. Multimorbidity was defined as the prevalence of 2 or more chronic conditions in an individual. Three different multimorbidity definitions (MM1, MM2, and MM3) were created with different inclusion criterion. Prevalence of each multimorbidity definition was analyzed among participants using …

Real-Time Surveillance Of The Drug Epidemic: An Assessment And Comparative Visualization Of Substance Abuse In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Julia Van Hosen

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

The purpose of this study was to implement and examine a new surveillance system for Kentucky State Police’s forensics unit to track trends of illicit drugs and drug trafficking, and to see if the implementation of this new system was associated with a decrease in overall drug counts over a period of five months. An extensive review of the literature showed that the drug epidemic in the United States continues to worsen, with public health and law enforcement institutions leading the fight in attempting to end the epidemic, but little evidence showing these two joining forces to work together.

Results …

"Disparities In Suicide Mortality Among Healthcare Support Workers In The United States, 2003-2019", Sol Ngam

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

Objectives: To identify differences in demographic and contextual characteristics of suicide mortality among healthcare support workers (HCSWs) and to estimate annual suicide rates among HCSW in the United States from 2003-2019 using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Methods: Demographic variables of healthcare support worker suicide decedents were collected using the NVDRS. Odds ratios for circumstantial risk factors by sex were calculated. Crude rates for healthcare support worker suicide decedents were calculated and compared to the U.S. general population suicide crude rates.

Results: Male HCSW were more likely to have …

Gender Differences In Barriers To Entering Substance Use Treatment, Casey A. Baker

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

Background

Nationally representative data have indicated that less than one in ten individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) have received recent treatment, suggesting a need for research to examine potential barriers to SUD services. Although research has been conducted to identify some barriers to treatment, there is little research focused on gender differences. To address this gap in research, the present study aimed to examine gender differences in barriers to entering SUD treatment, as well as differences in factors that may impact decisions to enter treatment.

Methods

Participants (N = 62) were recruited from the community as part of …

Moving Toward And Accessing Adult-Oriented Rehabilitation Therapy Services For Adults With Lifelong Disabilities: A Tale Of Three Studies, Catherine Gohrband

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The aim of this dissertation was to explore how adults with a Lifelong Disability (LLD) access and experience rehabilitation therapy services across their lives. Many LLD diagnoses such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida are considered non-progressive; however, there are common challenges that occur as people with LLD become adults, including increased pain, fatigue, and functional loss. Literature addressing the needs of people with LLD to access adult-oriented medical providers has focused primarily on medical transitions, which have described the processes for pediatric patients moving to adult-oriented settings from pediatric settings. Few studies have addressed the rehabilitation therapy needs of …

Blood Flow Restrictive Training Following Medial Patellofemoral Ligament And Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation, Richard Watson

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Both patellofemoral dislocation and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures have a significant impact on an athlete’s ability to regain function and return to play. Surgical repair of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) and ACL ligament reconstructions result in a sequala of quadriceps weakness. Persistent quadriceps weakness following reconstruction can create a cascade effect of muscular atrophy and weakness resulting in significant knee and leg impairments. An abundance of research has shown that blood flow restrictive training (BFRT) has demonstrated significant results in post-surgical rehabilitation by increasing muscular strength and improving function. What is unclear is the effect of deflating or …

Developing Ecologically Valid Clinical Tools For Persons With Tbi: Understanding The Role And Impact Of Distractions, Deanna Pinnow

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

There is a critical need for the development of ecologically valid clinical tools to assess real-life cognitive functioning in persons impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI). Chronic cognitive impairments that are exacerbated by distractions are one of the core factors contributing to poor home and community re-integration post injury. Simulation-based digital platforms (i.e., virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality) have become potential solutions for eliciting real-world cognitive performance in clinical settings. Yet, there is a paucity of research investigating the role and impact of distractions on cognition. As a result, there is no clear framework of measuring distractions to …

Consequences Of Shift Work And Job-Related Exposure On Sleep And Musculoskeletal Outcomes In Structural Firefighters, Jacob Dennis Jelmini

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Firefighting is considered one of the most dangerous occupations in the workforce. Musculoskeletal injuries are consistently the most frequent, and most costly, documented non-fatal injuries in the firefighting setting. An increase in job stress, job exposure, and deprived sleep secondary to job-related duties are plausible explanations for the frequency in musculoskeletal injury. The aims of this dissertation were to ascertain not only how occupational exposure via firefighter emergency call volume may influence outcomes contributing to job stress and objective and subjective sleep metrics, but also its influence on the incidences of musculoskeletal pain.

The results showed that emergency call volume …

A Jwst/Nirspec Exploration Of The Connection Between Ionization Parameter, Electron Density, And Star-Formation-Rate Surface Density In Z = 2.7–6.3 Galaxies, Naveen Reddy, Michael W. Topping, Ryan L. Sanders, Alice E. Shapley, Gabriel B. Brammer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We examine the factors responsible for the variation in the ionization parameter (U) of high-redshift star-forming galaxies based on medium-resolution JWST/NIRSpec observations obtained by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science survey. The sample consists of 48 galaxies with redshifts zspec = 2.7−6.3, which are largely representative of typical galaxies at these redshifts. The [S II] λλ6718, 6733 doublet is used to estimate electron densities (n e), and dust-corrected Hα luminosities are used to compute ionizing photon rates (Q). Using composite spectra of galaxies in bins of [O III] λλ4960, 5008/[O II] λλ3727, 3730 (O32) as a proxy for U, we …