Digital Commons Network^™

Street Musicians, Soundscapes And Hearing The State In Urban Public Spaces Of Istanbul, Lacin Tutalar

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This study explores street musicians’ routines and associations with public space in Istanbul, Turkey between 2014 and 2016, a period which corresponds to a new, more conservative routine in the aftermath of a time of political contention in 2013. The study overall takes up a rhythmanalytical perspective, following the cultural geography’s interest based on Henri Lefebvre’s use of the term. I contribute to that interest by paying attention to changes in the composition of an urban public in Istanbul through a mix of institutional (e.g. bureaucratic, capitalist and religious) and corporeal (e.g. tourists, musicians, young people, audience, street maintenance, refugees, …

Freakish Taxonomies: How The American Freak Show And Its Literature Redefine The Archive, Megan E. Pillow

Theses and Dissertations--English

The American freak show, which dominated the entertainment landscape from 1840 to 1940, is considered by some disability studies scholars to be off limits for critical engagement. In Freakish Taxonomies: How the American Freak Show and its Literature Redefine the Archive, I argue that by casting the freak show solely as an exploitative institution, we overlook its capacity to serve as a model for reinterpreting the relationship between literary studies and the archive. By recognizing the freak show not just as an exploitative institution but also as a dynamic archive of marginalized lives—one that utilizes an imperfect, often deceptive …

Relevant Angry Affect Slows Response Time To Commands, Aleah Combs

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Previous research has found that emotional prosody can interact with speech perception and listeners’ processing of the meaning of particular word/emotion pairings(Kim and Sumner, 2017). What remains unclear is how this interactive processing can affect behavioral responses such as responses to imperatives. To answer this question,71 participants were presented with a series of commands given in a relevant affect.Commands were read either with angry prosody, happy prosody, or neutral prosody (control) and the participants were instructed to press the requested button on a response box as quickly and accurately as possible. All emotional states were simulated and normed for perceived …

An Intonational Description Of African American Language In Princeville, Nc, Christopher M. Dale

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This thesis uses data from the Princeville, NC section of the Corpus of Regional African American Language (CORAAL) in order to address two topics concerning language: first, what the intonation of the Princeville participants of the CORAAL looks like acoustically; and second, if intonation is the salient feature that categorizes a speaker as Black or non-Black. The acoustic analysis software, Praat (Boersma & Weenink 2019), is used to take average, minimum, and maximum f0 measurements for 16 participants (9 women and 7 men) across three age groups. From these measurements, the rate of change is calculated in Hz/second to determine …

“Home Is More Than Just A Place”: Oral Personal Narrative Storytelling In Central Appalachia, Brandon Jent

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This project seeks a linguistic understanding of oral personal narrative storytelling in Central Appalachia, particularly as it manifests in Eastern Kentucky, with aims of providing insight into the Appalachian storyteller trope (e.g., Montgomery 1998). Structural and discursive elements of oral personal narrative were identified and positioned within their sociocultural context through discourse analysis and narrative studies. Data were collected from story circles, a methodology first implemented in cultural and community organizing spaces in the South and throughout Appalachia (Roadside Theater 2014, Junebug Productions n.d.). The collected stories were transcribed and analyzed through a discourse analysis framework that combines discourse pragmatics, …

The Coulter Principle: For The Good Of Humankind, Marshall Graham

Theses and Dissertations--History

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 made Wallace H. Coulter abruptly comprehend the critical need for rapid and accurate blood-cell counts in providing care for victims of radiation exposure. This thesis documents the unwritten story of his journey from that comprehension through his invention and implementation of the Coulter Principle, its commercialization in the first widely available automated blood-cell counter, and elaboration of that ground-breaking counter into increasingly sophisticated instrumentation for analysis not only of blood cells, but of particles involved in many other scientific disciplines. International cold-war politics and the burgeoning of increasingly powerful nuclear …

Voices “Herd”: A Social And Sentiment Analysis Of Consumers Perceptions Of Fair Oaks Farms, Jacelyn De'nae Nesmith

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Americans are searching for more information than just cost and quality of their food. Today, consumers are searching for information regarding the production practices and how animals are treated during the process. As consumers do not always have a first-hand source for this information, they are often referring to social media to have their questions answered. Social media has the reputation to negatively influence public perceptions of the agricultural industry. An example of an organization experiencing the consequences of social media influencing public opinion is Fair Oaks Farms. In 2019, an undercover animal rights activist group made accusations of poor …

An Examination Of Single-Sex Secondary Agricultural Education Classrooms: The Effects Of Teacher Expectancy, Brett Morris Wasden

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The effectiveness of single-sex classrooms in the United States remains unclear. To address this issue, the purpose of this quasi-experiment was to examine single-sex classrooms in secondary agricultural education classrooms in Kentucky. Data were collected through quantitative pretests and posttests from student participants (n = 168) and teacher participants (n = 8). The findings indicated that student participants in single-sex classrooms had higher academic performance, better attendance, and an increased gain in interest in the agriculture, food, and natural resources career pathway. Students participants in coeducational classrooms had less discipline referrals. Teacher participants’ expectation were related to student …

Measuring The Effects Of Lobinaline-N-Bioxide (419) On Alcohol Consumption, Nicotine Locomotor Sensitization, And Conditioned Place Preference In Mice And Rats, Cocanut M. Suhail

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

Objective: Novel drug 419 was examined to see the effect it has in vivo mice and rats on alcohol consumption, nicotine locomotor sensitization, and conditioned place preference (CPP) models regarding behavioral tests on dopamine transporter activity.

Methods: Mice and rats were used to see how they react to the drug 419 and control vehicle, in each of the models. The animals were assessed to pre- and post- drug administration of novel drug 419. We examined each model to see the association between how drug 419 will help with treating drug abuse.

Results: We found that in alcohol consumption model the …

Involvement Of The Sigma-1 Receptor In Methamphetamine-Mediated Changes To Astrocyte Structure And Function, Richik Neogi

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug. There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction. Pharmacologically, (+)-methamphetamine is a dopamine releasing agent and dopamine transporter substrate that redistributes dopamine from intracellular vesicles via the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and reverses the direction of dopamine transport in the dopamine transporter. Methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse are also sigma-1 receptor ligands, and previous studies have demonstrated the role of the sigma-1 receptor in modulating the behavioral and cellular effects of these drugs. However, almost all these studies were conducted in cell culture systems or with emphasis on …

Elucidating The Complex Signaling Events Driving Intestinal Stem Cell Plasticity Following Injury, Evan Lynch

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Signaling events governing intestinal stem cell (ISC) homeostasis maintain the delicate balance of active self-renewal and passive differentiation to replenish intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) every 3-5 days. However, under certain contexts, ISC function is irreversibly compromised—requiring committed IEC lineages to dedifferentiate and regain “stemness”. In the current studies, we examine the signaling events driving epithelial cell responses to injury to expose pathologic failures in the healing response. Our specific goal is to tease out the cellular contexts that promote dedifferentiation to design effective therapeutics for disease conditions compromising ISC function.

First, we generated a novel transgenic animal using the epithelial-specific …

Residential Radon Exposure, Its Contribution To Lung Cancer, And Social Determinants Of Radon Testing, Stacy Stanifer

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Lung cancer is a highly preventable form of cancer. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer followed by radon gas exposure and exposure to secondhand smoke. Kentucky leads the nation in both incidence and mortality from lung cancer. Tobacco use in Kentucky continues to be a major public health concern as nearly one-quarter of adults report current tobacco use and just over one-third of Kentucky homes with children lack rules which prohibit smoking in the home. Radon, a colorless, odorless radioactive gas, occurs naturally from the decay of uranium found in rocks and soil and is harmful when …

Tobacco Use And Nicotine Withdrawal Among Patients With Mental Illness, Yazan Daher Al-Mrayat

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

People with mental illness (MI) are disproportionately affected by tobacco use compared to the general population. In fact, it is estimated that people with MI consume approximately 44% of cigarettes smoked in the United States. Moreover, the MI population is at greater risk for the negative social, economic, and health consequences associated with tobacco use and are reported to have 25-year shorter life expectancies than the general population. The impact of tobacco use is further noticeable among patients with MI who require psychiatric hospitalization. Quitting smoking in this population has been linked to fewer discharges against medical advice, better quality …

Relationship Between Initial Prescription Opioid Exposure Length And Future Opioid Use Disorder Diagnosis In Opioid Naive Adolescents, Eric Lindahl

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Objectives: The long-term risks associated with the use of short-term prescription opioids in opioid naïve adolescents in not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential association between the days’ supply of the initial prescription opioid exposure and the rates of diagnosed OUD in the subsequent 3-year period. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide database of commercially-insured adolescents aged 12-17 at the time of the index opioid fill. A multivariable Cox Proportional Hazard regression model was developed to analyze the association of interest while accounting for known risk factors for the development …

The Impact Of Bone Marrow Transplantion On Patients With Psychiatric Diagnoses: Medication Adherence Assessment, Brittany Galop

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Objectives: We investigated whether there is a measurable difference in medication utilization for psychiatric conditions before and after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Previous studies have identified a potential association between psychiatric conditions and immune function. We hypothesized that medication utilization for psychiatric diagnoses would be impacted by BMT.

Methods: This study was a retrospective, quasi-experimental cohort design. De-identified data was compiled from the Truven database for patients ranging from January 2009 through December 2016. Two measurements of medication utilization, proportion of days covered (PDC) and medication possession ratio (MPR) were calculated for each included Medispan-defined class of medications before analyzing …

Antiresorptive Bone Therapy Use In Advanced Lung Cancer And Associated Outcomes, Noor Naffakh

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Background/Rationale: Studies have shown antiresorptive agents decrease skeletal related events in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. However, two prevalence studies have found low utilization rates of antiresorptive therapy in advanced lung cancer. The first study reported a rate of 14.8% during the 1995-2009 time period, while the second study reported a 33% usage rate during the time frame of 2002-2011. We believe these low utilization rates are associated with the poor prognosis of these patients. The prognosis of advanced lung cancer has improved significantly since these trials were conducted, and the utilization of denosumab has not been evaluated. We hypothesize …

Combination Of Investigational Cell-Based Therapy And Deep Brain Stimulation To Alter The Progression Of Parkinson’S Disease, Nader El Seblani

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and the motor symptoms are caused by progressive loss of midbrain dopamine neurons. There is no current treatment that can slow or reverse PD. Our current “DBS-Plus” clinical trial (NCT02369003) features the implantation in vivo of autologous Schwann cells (SCs) derived from a patient’s sural nerve into the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) in combination with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy for treating patients with advanced PD.

The central hypothesis of our research is that transdifferentiated SCs within conditioned nerve tissue will deliver pro-regenerative factors to enhance the survival of …

Elucidating Molecular Function Of Mithramycin And Analogues For The Treatment Of Ews-Ets Expressing Cancers, Reiya Hayden

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Introduction: Chromosomal translocations are common in cancer. In many cancers such as prostate cancer, leukemia and Ewing sarcoma, chromosomal translocations are the main driver of malignancy. Ewing sarcoma is a cancer diagnosed mostly in children and adolescents that has very grim outcomes for patients with metastasis and recurrent disease. Malignancy in Ewing sarcoma is due to EWS-FLI1, an aberrant transcription factor that is the result of a chromosomal translocation. EWS-FLI1 is the main driver of oncogenesis in Ewing sarcoma and has been the target of many drugs developed to treat the disease. Mithramycin (MTM) was identified as a potent inhibitor …

Safety Concepts For Every Ride: A Statistical Ensemble Simulation To Mitigate Rotational Falls In Eventing Cross Country, Shannon Wood

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Rotational falls are the leading cause of death and serious injury in the equestrian sport of eventing. Previous studies to develop safety devices used physical models representing one or at most several physical situations leading to different designs and no common understanding. In this thesis, a statistical ensemble model is developed and applied to generate and evaluate 10,000 different situations that might potentially lead to rotational falls. For accurate statistical representation of the horse and rider inertia distributions, measurements of over 400 training or competing horses and riders were recorded and incorporated. Video was recorded of 218 total competitors approaching …

Bacterial Cell Wall Characterization Via Atomic Force And Confocal Microscopy, Joree Sandin

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Poor oral hygiene is a severe global health issue, with about 44% of the Earth’s population suffering from untreated tooth decay, accounting for over $100 billion dollars spent on dental services per year in the United States, alone. Manual treatments, such as brushing, flossing, or swishing with antiseptic rinse are the main ways to alleviate harmful bacteria that cause these oral health problems. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is a group of highly antibiotic, Gram-positive bacteria that heavily contribute to oral cavities, plaque build-up, and potential loosening or loss of dental implants if a biofilm develops. Currently, the mechanism …

Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Molecular Features, Epidemiological Risk Factors, And Evidence-Based Clinical Recommendations, Ryan Decoster

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is an emerging cancer of the immune system that can form around textured-surface breast implants. In this dissertation, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of BIA-ALCL are reviewed with a focus on the role of oncogenic JAK-STAT3 signaling in BIA-ALCL tumorigenesis and progression. Herein, the epidemiology of BIA-ALCL is systematically studied to better define the risk of BIA-ALCL and to determine the oncologic safety of smooth surface devices relative to BIA-ALCL formation. Next, a systematic review is conducted which critically appraises current clinical guidelines in order to establish an evidence base to better inform …

The Effect Of Haptoglobin Phenotypes On Markers Of Neuroinflammation In Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Kevin Hatton

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe form of hemorrhagic stroke resulting from the spontaneous rupture of an intracranial aneurysm and release of oxygenated blood into the subarachnoid space. In the United States alone, aSAH occurs in approximately 30,000 patients each year and occurs, primarily, in otherwise healthy adults, frequently without warning. Sadly, approximately 40% of patients with aSAH will die in the first 30 days. Of those who survive, only about 75% will be able to live semi-independently again and only about 60% will be able to return to work.

Delayed brain injuries (DBI), which may affect up to …

Legibility Of Communicative Writing And Drawing In Aphasia: Does The Orthographic Medium Matter?, Nicole Waugaman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Expressive language difficulties are commonplace in aphasia and are often further complicated by co-occurring motor speech disoders. Therefore, many people with aphasia (PWA) are unable to meet all their communication needs by speaking, and they may compensate with the use of communicative writing and drawing. Communicative writing and drawing can be defined as preserved, but imperfect, orthographic skills that PWA use to compensate for expressive language deficits resulting from aphasic and/or motor speech difficulties. The purpose of this study was to determine if the orthographic medium used by a PWA to write and draw influenced the legibility of their writing …

Transcriptomic And Cellular Response To Mechanical Overload And The Underlying Role Of Macrophages In Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, Bailey D. Peck

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The extracellular matrix (ECM) in skeletal muscle plays an integral role in tissue development, structural support, and force transmission. Upon mechanical loading, including resistance exercise, which alter muscle fiber contractile activity, size, orientation and connectivity, remodeling processes must occur that involve both ECM deposition and degradation. ECM remodeling involves many cell types in muscle, but the focus of our research was directed towards macrophages, which participate in the early immune response to damage and loading. We have consistently demonstrated a significant increase in skeletal muscle macrophage abundance using pan macrophage markers (CD11b/CD68) and anti-inflammatory markers (CD206/CD163) following exercise training in …

The Effects Of Dietary Nitrate And Vitamin C On Endothelial Function And Oxidative Stress Biomarkers, Reem Basaqr

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is associated with a decline in the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) and presents alongside other cardiovascular risk factors in the early stages of atherosclerosis. Independently, inorganic nitrate and vitamin C supplementation have shown promise in providing some restoration of NO bioavailability, reduced oxidative stress, and improvements in endothelial function. Some preliminary evidence has suggested that vitamin C may augment the reduction of nitrite to further liberate NO and improve cardiovascular health. However, co-supplementation has not been adequately studied. Our objective was to compare the effect of inorganic nitrate in the form of concentrated beetroot juice (CBJ) with …

Functional Impact Of Angiotensinogen Specific Domains On Angiotensin Ii-Mediated Functions, Chia-Hua Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Angiotensinogen (AGT) is the only substrate for all angiotensin peptides in the renin angiotensin system (RAS). Cleavage of AGT by renin is a rate-limiting step of angiotensin peptides productions in the RAS and regulates angiotensin peptides-associated pathophysiological functions. Only ten N-terminal residues are cleaved by renin and the functions of remaining part of AGT protein, which is called des(angiotensin I)AGT, remain unclear. Despite of pivotal roles of AGT in the RAS, studies related to how AGT is metabolized and how des(angiotensin I)AGT regulates AGT functions or AngII-mediated functions are limited.

Renin cleavage of AGT shows species specificity. It has been …

Divergence In Neuronal Calcium Dysregulation In Brain Aging And Animal Models Of Ad, Adam Ghoweri

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Neuronal calcium dysregulation first garnered attention during the mid-1980’s as a key factor in brain aging, which led to the formulation of the Ca²⁺ hypothesis of brain aging and dementia. Indeed, many Ca²⁺-dependent cellular processes that change with age, including an increase in the afterhyperpolarization, a decrease in long-term potentiation, an increased susceptibility to long-term depression, and a reduction in short-term synaptic plasticity, have been identified. It was later determined that increased intracellular Ca²⁺ with age was due to increased Ca²⁺ channel density, elevated release from intracellular Ca²⁺ stores, and decreased Ca²⁺ buffering …

Role Of Pancreatic Amylin In Alzheimer’S And Brain Microvascular Pathologies, Han Gia Ly

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebral vascular disease (CVD) are common causes of impaired cognition and behavior in humans. Epidemiological studies have shown that AD and CVD development and progression associated with metabolic risk factors including type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive, which hampers the development of treatment and prevention strategies. Research results from our laboratory and others have shown that amylin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas and involved in glucose homeostasis, induces small-vessel-type pathologies and modulates amyloid composition in both familial (genetically predisposed) and sporadic forms of AD. The results indicate amylin as a …

Apoe As A Metabolic Regulator In Humans, Mice, And Astrocytes, Brandon C. Farmer

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Altered metabolic pathways appear to play central roles in the pathophysiology of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Carrier status of the E4 allele of the APOE gene is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD, and increasing evidence suggests that E4 carriers may be at an increased risk for neurodegeneration based on inherent metabolic impairments. A new appreciation is forming for the role of APOE in cerebral metabolism, and how nutritional factors may impact this role. In chapter 1, the literature on nutritional interventions in E4 carriers aimed at mitigating disease risk is reviewed. Studies investigating the mechanism by which …

Striated Muscle Specific Ribosomal Protein L3-Like: Effect Of Knockout On Cardiac Function And Protein Translation, Laura P. Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Ribosomes are the molecular machinery of the cell that catalyzes synthesis of peptides from amino acids. The eukaryotic ribosome is made up of four strands of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ~80 ribosomal proteins. While many tissues routinely exhibit variations of ribosomal protein stoichiometry, tissue specific ribosomal proteins are rare. The ribosomal protein with the highest tissue specificity of any ribosomal protein is found in striated muscle, ribosomal protein L3-like (RPL3L). Other than its tissue specificity, association with atrial fibrillation, and chromosomal location, there is little known about the function of RPL3L. However, its ubiquitously expressed paralog, RPL3, has been well …