Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Domestic Megalithic Architecture: An Analysis Of Status And Community At And Around The Ancient Maya Site Of Uci, Yucatan, Mexcio, Joseph S. Stair

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

Variation in domestic architecture results from the agency households exercise in their daily lives. This study defines the domestic expression of the megalithic architectural style, based on data collected in and around the ancient Maya site of Ucí, Yucatan, Mexico, by comparing it to its expression in monumental structures. It also shows how the analysis and documentation of architectural variability away from the monumental core can locate more than just commoners and elites within the social organization of the Ancient Maya. This analyzes provides evidence for higher social status for households that possess megalithic architecture since they also possess larger …

Mobile Delivery Of Treatment For Alcohol Use Disorders: A Review Of The Literature, Andrew Quanbeck, Ming-Yuan Chih, Andrew Isham, David H. Gustafson

Health and Clinical Sciences Faculty Publications

Several systems for treating alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) exist that operate on mobile phones. These systems are categorized into four groups: text-messaging monitoring and reminder systems, text-messaging intervention systems, comprehensive recovery management systems, and game-based systems. Text-messaging monitoring and reminder systems deliver reminders and prompt reporting of alcohol consumption, enabling continuous monitoring of alcohol use. Text-messaging intervention systems additionally deliver text messages designed to promote abstinence and recovery. Comprehensive recovery management systems use the capabilities of smart-phones to provide a variety of tools and services that can be tailored to individuals, including in-the-moment assessments and access to peer discussion groups. Game-based …

Referral Decisions Of Teachers And School Psychologists For Twice-Exceptional Students, Jennifer Marie Hoffman

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

The accurate and timely referral and identification of twice-exceptional students remains a challenge. In a statewide study, the referral decisions for both special education and gifted programming evaluations made by four participant groups (i.e., general education teachers, special education teachers, gifted education teachers, and school psychologists) were compared. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three identically described students in a vignette that differed only in the presence of a diagnostic label—autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disability (SLD), or no diagnostic label. In all, special education teachers made the most special education referrals, while gifted education teachers made …

Developing A Method For Measuring "Working Out Loud", Dennis E. Pearce

Theses and Dissertations--Finance and Quantitative Methods

Enterprise social network software platforms (ESNs) are increasingly being deployed in firms across almost every industry as a means of fostering employee collaboration. Although benefits in increased productivity, innovation, and employee engagement are highly touted, there is a high failure rate of these deployments. This often occurs because (1) there is a misapplied focus on technology adoption rather than adoption of the employee behaviors that are ultimately required to obtain those benefits, and (2) it is unclear what those behaviors are and how to measure them.

“Working Out Loud” is one possible framework for understanding and measuring the behaviors necessary …

Science And Public Policy Of Earthquake Hazard Mitigation In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Alice M. Orton

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

In the central United States, undefined earthquake sources, long earthquake recurrence intervals and uncertain ground motion attenuation models have contributed to an overstatement of regional seismic hazard for the New Madrid Seismic Zone on the National Seismic Hazard Maps. This study examined concerns regarding scientific uncertainties, overly stringent seismic mitigation policies and depressed local economy in western Kentucky through a series of informal interviews with local businessmen, public officials, and other professionals in occupations associated with seismic mitigation. Scientific and relative economic analyses were then performed using scenario earthquake models developed with FEMA’s Hazus-MH software. Effects of the 2008 Wenchuan …

A Life Span Approach To The Relationship Between Cholesterol, Late Onset Alzheimer’S Disease, And Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults, Brian Downer

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

There is evidence that cholesterol presents an important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the direction of this relationship is modified by age. High cholesterol during midlife and low cholesterol during late life are both associated with an increased risk for AD. This dissertation research engaged a life span approach to study the relationship between cholesterol, AD and cognitive functioning among older adults. The purpose of this research was to determine if trajectories of cholesterol from midlife through late life differ according to AD status and if these trajectories are associated with cognitive functioning during old age.

This research …

Life On The Big Slab: Identity And Mobility In The United States Trucking Industry, Valerie J. Keathley

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Many changes have occurred in the United States trucking industry over the last thirty years. This study examines the effects of these changes by looking at three related themes: life on the road and life at home, body image and bodily health, and the experiences of women and sexual minorities in the industry. This research is based on a discourse analysis of interviews conducted with truck drivers and trucking industry leaders.

Most truck drivers say that they value the independent nature of their workplace. Yet the independence that is a part of the trucker mystique is challenged by increased surveillance …

50 Economic Facts And Figures About Kentucky, 2014, Center For Business And Economic Research, Gatton College Of Business And Economics, University Of Kentucky

CBER Infographic Posters

No abstract provided.

The Development And Validation Of The Online Learning Climate Scale: A Three-Phase Study, Renee Monique Kaufmann

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

With the increasing popularity of and demand for online learning in higher education (Konetes, 2011) comes a need to examine students’ perceptions about classroom climate in these environments. Using the Instructional Beliefs Model (IBM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation proposes the online learning climate (OLCS) scale for doing so. Informed by both organizational and instructional communication, as well as education, the scale consists of several variables related to instructor role(s) and behaviors, student characteristics, and course-specific structural issues to explain how students perceive climate within a computer-mediated classroom. Ultimately, this three-phase study consisted of: (a) constructing the OLCS, (b) …

Effects Of Coaching In The Detection Of Malingered Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In A College Sample, Maryanne Edmundson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

College students may feign symptoms of ADHD to gain access to stimulant medications and academic accommodations. Research has shown that it can be difficult to discriminate malingered from genuine symptomatology, especially when evaluations are based only on self-report. The present study investigated whether the average student given no additional information could feign ADHD as successfully as those who were coached on symptoms. Similar to Jasinski, Harp, Berry, Shandera-Ochsner, Mason, & Ranseen (2011) and other research on feigned ADHD, an extensive battery of neuropsychological, symptom validity, and self-report tests was administered. Undergraduates with no history of ADHD or other psychiatric disorders …

Teens Texting, Archana Srinivas, Megan White, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

In this chapter we summarize the current literature on texting use amongst adolescents. A brief overview will be presented on the prevalence of texting among teenagers, the use of texting for sexting and cyberbullying as well as the dangers of texting while driving. This chapter will serve as a brief overview of these topics in order to bring to light the emerging challenges that texting presents to the mental and physical well-being of adolescents in an effort to evoke further discussion regarding the need for increasing awareness and education to parents, educators, law makers and health care providers concerning these …

Adolescent Violence Prevention, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Violence in adolescence has seen an increase since the 1990s with dramatic statistics on violent death and risk behaviors. School violence has been focused upon by a huge media coverage of especially violent cases that could have had some endemic consequences worldwide. We present a case of a 14 year old white male with change in school behavior, strategies for the case investigation, its results and long term prevention. Other research has shown that preventive measures during pregnancy, infancy and childhood can prevent adolescent and adult delinquency.

Farmers’ Market Shopping Behaviors And The Association Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Sarah G. Perkins

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Fruit and vegetable (FV) intake continues to decline among sub-population in the United States. Current policies and interventions have aimed to improve intake by improving access to fruits and vegetables. One Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested strategy is to improve access to farmers’ markets in rural areas. The aims of this study were to determine if the frequency of shopping at Farmers’ Markets is associated with fruit and vegetable intake, adjusted for age, income and education and to compare rural and non-rural areas frequency of Farmers’ Market attendance based on Kentucky farmers’ market interview participants (n = 102). …

Testing The Message: Making Sense Of Converging Multimodal Messages In A Foodborne Illness Outbreak, Bethney A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The goal of risk and crisis communication is to reduce and contain the harm inherent in a threat. In order to achieve this goal, risk and crisis scholars call for continued testing of messages surrounding these events; specifically, messages that address the needs of the at-risk message receiver. Previous scholarship suggests that these messages should include adapting and instructing information (Coombs, 2012), and should be designed using pedagogically sound instructional approaches (Frisby, Sellnow, Sellnow, Lane, & Veil, 2011; Sellnow & Sellnow, 2010). In order to meet this call, this dissertation tested an instructionally sound message that includes both adapting and …

Social Networks, Drug Use, And Drug Abuse Help-Seeking: A Test Of The Network Episode Model Among African American Women, Erin L. Pullen

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Untreated substance use disorders are a major public health concern that has costly consequences at both the societal and individual level. Identifying the characteristics and resources of those who seek help for substance abuse problems in order to inform more effective intervention and treatment techniques is therefore an important research objective. Using the Network Episode Model (NEM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation examines both substance abuse help-seeking (i.e. inpatient/outpatient treatment and 12-Step meeting attendance) and patterns of drug use over time among low-income African American women, with a special focus on the role of the social network system in …

The Health And Nutrition Effects Of Snap: Selection Into The Program And A Review Of The Literature On Its Effects, Marianne Bitler

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

The goal of this paper is to assess the existing state of knowledge about whether SNAP improves health and nutrition outcomes, and if so, which ones and by how much.

In an era of fiscal crisis, knowing whether SNAP has any significant causal effect on health and nutrition is crucial for informing policy decisions and policy makers. In this review, I pay particular attention to the challenges researchers face in overcoming selection bias and identifying causal effects of the program, and I will assess the literature through that lens. The fundamental challenge in program evaluation in general and in assessing …

Study Abroad Opportunities For Dietetics And Human Nutrition Students: Expectations, Benefits And Barriers, Kailey Marie Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

This study analyzed the perceptions of University of Kentucky Dietetic and Human Nutrition students as they relate to the benefits and barriers of study abroad educational opportunities. The final sample consisted of 164 participants, with 18.9% (n=31) in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP), 32.3% (n=53) in the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), 42.7% (n=70) in the Human Nutrition (HN) program and 5.5% (n=9) who identified their program as ‘other’. The primary barriers to participation in study abroad were cost and problems fitting education abroad into the current program of study. The primary benefits were identified as dietary and health …

Position Class Preclusion: A Computational Resolution Of Mutually Exclusive Affix Positions, Rebecca O. Hale

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

In Paradigm Function Morphology, it is usual to model affix position classes with an ordered sequence of inflectional rule blocks. Each rule block determines how (or whether) a particular affix position is filled. In this model, competition among inflectional rules is assumed to be limited to members of the same rule block; thus, the appearance of an affix in one position cannot be precluded by the appearance of an affix in another position. I present evidence that apparently disconfirms this restriction and suggests that a more general conception of rule competition is necessary. The data appear to imply that an …

Pronominal Complex Predicates In Colloquial Persian, Ghazaleh Kazeminejad

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Pronominal complex predicates in colloquial Persian are periphrastic constructions with an idiosyncratic syntactic pattern. They show a peculiar behavior compared to the regular agreement system in Persian, and they are the only construction in Persian which requires the obligatory presence of a pronominal enclitic. This work is an attempt to analyze this construction in order to find its function. For this purpose, a lexical semantic classification of them was proposed, which helped in presenting a new analysis. It was found out that this construction is used to express a particular diathesis in which the topic of the sentence (determined according …

Organic And Locally Grown Food Preferences Of Adults In Kentucky, Amanda Patton Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

This study investigates the determinants that influence adult Kentuckians’ preference to buy organic and/or locally grown food based on their age, gender, income, education level and metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan living status. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) provides the conceptual framework of the research and the appropriateness of the theory. Data for this analysis are from a 2009 Kentucky statewide survey. The analysis shows that: There is a significant difference in food purchasing habits of Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan adult Kentuckians; the factors associated with the purchase of organic and locally grown foods are different; and, those who purchased locally grown …

Drumming Away Drugs: An Innovative Alternative Towards Drug Rehabilitation, John C. Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Drug use poses a serious threat to the quality of life for many Kentuckians and their families. Recent statistics indicate drug offenders account for a significant portion (in one year, 52,597 arrests were made for drug violations statewide) of individuals within thecriminal justice system, directly affecting the economic vitality within our state (Bunn & Slavova, 2012; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012). These statistics signify an overwhelming need for effective prevention efforts and innovative treatment alternatives. This study provides an innovative alternative treatment for drug offenders that infuses social and emotional coping strategies using percussion as a context. During the innovative …

Letting Teams Walk: Exploring The Economic Impact Of Professional Sports Franchises Leaving Cities, Jesse Stephenson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Cities often use public funding to help construct and renovate the facilities of large, private sports franchises. As the major sports leagues grow in popularity and revenue, cities have had to offer increasingly competitive incentive packages to owners in order to keep their team from relocating to more profitable markets or cities willing to issue public funding for new facilities. Much literature has been conducted on the economic impact of sports teams with a general consensus that there is usually no positive economic effect for cities that serve as homes for these teams from the largest leagues (NFL, MLB, and …

Environmental Justice In Kentucky: A County-Level Study Of Enforcement Of The Clean Air Act, Katherine Meade

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Not available.

Assessment Of The Quality Of Public Data Reporting By Nonprofit Social Service Agencies Receiving Funding From The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government In Fy 2013, Yuanyuan Song

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2012 and 2013, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) Department of Social Service requested a “Social Service Needs Assessment Project” in Fayette County, Kentucky. In Aug, 31, 2012, Social Service Department established the “Needs Assessment Budget”. During Mar-Oct, 2013, two teams from The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (COSW) and the Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration worked together to accomplish this project.

One of the tasks of this project is to assess the quality of data reported by the social service partner agencies of Lexington. “Partner organization” is the name government officials give to …

Study On Private Health Insurance Coverage For Adults Under 65: 34 States From 2003 To 2010, Weisheng Gu

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Objectives: The analysis in this paper is designed to find out what factors contributed to the change of uninsured rate of people aged between 18 and 65 from 2003 to 2010.

Method: A fixed-effect analysis with panel data is conducted. The analysis unit is state. The main independent variable is the private health insurance cost per enrollee per year. The private insurance cost data covered 34 states sampled in Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2003 to 2010.

Key finding: The private insurance cost per enrolled adult below 65, private insurance cost per enrolled adult below 65 as a proportion of …

Contribution Of Nucleus Accumbens Core To Impulsive Choice: Role Of Dopamine And Glutamate Systems, Justin R. Yates

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Impulsive choice refers to the inability to delay gratification and is associated with increased drug abuse vulnerability. Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms linking impulsive choice and drug abuse can contribute to improved treatment options for individuals with substance use disorders. Evidence suggests a major role for nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) in impulsive choice and the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. The neurotransmitters glutamate (Glu) and dopamine (DA) are implicated in the neural adaptations observed in drug addiction; however, the role of intra-NAcc Glu and DA in impulsive choice is unclear. Rats were trained in a delay discounting task, in …

Study Of Thoroughbred Workers: Physical Health, Mental Health, And Income, Marina Byrd

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Horse racing is a well-known sport and the part of the horse industry best known to the public; however, there is little information on the health status and health needs of people who work in this business. Past research shows that the thoroughbred worker population faces a myriad of health challenges. Swanberg et al. (2013) studied demographics, working conditions, and health of Latinos who work on thoroughbred farms in the United States by analyzing phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, and injury logs. The majority of injuries in this study are general injuries such as getting kicked or injuring fingers.

This study …

Myscouting: An Assessment Of User Satisfaction And Suggestions For Improvement, Donald H. Combs Iii

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Boy Scouts of America was established as a non-profit organization in 1910 and now has over three million active volunteers in the United States. Since the organization was founded in America, the program has grown not only in membership, but also in complexity with many new awards, training requirements, and programs. Originally the organization tracked this information via paper submission. After the development of the disk operation system (DOS), the organization started tracking and storing information in this data system. Yet, while today the DOS-based databases are outdated, the Boy Scouts of America still continues to use this technology …

Do Municipal Stat Programs Improve Services And Reallocate Resources? Evidence From Louiestat, Jamie Giles

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Performance metrics and municipal stat programs are becoming increasingly popular to measure performance of city departments in order to improve services and save taxpayers’ dollars. The intent of this research is to give decision makers a better understanding to what extent municipal stat programs make an impact on the departments being measured, using an analysis of Metro Louisville’s LouieStat as evidence. Understanding the effect of PerfomanceStat tools will provide insight for the Louisville Administration and for other cities considering using a similar tool.

The literature finds performance management tools to be more widely used as a management tool to influence …

Academic Asset Or Instructor’S Indulgence? The Effect Of Arts & Cultural Institutions On Academic Achievement, Hank Harned

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Across the country arts and cultural institutions seek to preserve our past and use it to educate our future. As their exhibits expand these institutions have become treasures in their own rights; places like the Smithsonian Institute are landmarks that attract visitors from around the world. In addition to travelers they also attract school groups. For decades schools have been using “field trips” to museums as a way to supplement their curriculum. But do these trips actually benefit the students or are they a waste of resources? This project aims to evaluate whether these institutions are an asset to academics …