Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Won’T Grandma Cross The Road? Neighborhood Perceptions And Walking Behavior Among Older Adults In Lexington, Kentucky, Sadie Middleton

Theses and Dissertations--Urban and Environmental Design

Many urban places contain subtle details that can unintentionally deter pedestrian activity. These details can be assessed through six themes: safety, comfort, pedestrian infrastructure, aesthetics, proximity, and ease of navigation. Adults over age 65 may have more concerns about walking in urban settings than people in other age groups. This study identifies urban design elements that encourage and discourage walking among older adults and makes recommendations for design improvements. Study participants (n= 67) completed an online survey about walking behaviors, perceptions of health and community, and perceptions of seven unidentified scenes of pedestrian environments in Lexington, Kentucky. Findings suggest that …

The Impact Of A Change In Leadership, Taylor Collins

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Unmitigated stress in nursing results in moral distress, burnout, turnover and poor patient outcomes. Authentic leaders can improve the nurses’ work environment and satisfaction by improving communication and implementing supportive measures.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a change in executive leadership at BSW Grapevine Medical Center reduced nursing job stress as evidenced by improved nurse satisfaction, nurse retention, nurse engagement, patient satisfaction and care outcomes.

Conceptual Framework: Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

Design: This study is a quantitative, descriptive retrospective measurement of two points in time, before and after …

Coaching Caregivers In Rural Communities On Naturalistic Strategies Via Telehealth, Stevie L. Ogburn

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Naturalistic strategies have been shown in research to promote expressive language in children by embedding opportunities for learning trials during routines and activities. Efforts to promote expressive language development are often focused on training caregivers in implementing naturalistic strategies in their child’s typical daily routine. Coaching is a consistently effective training practice to prepare family members to implement the naturalistic strategies. While coaching has been shown to be effective, the recommended time requirement could be a barrier for most caregivers. Caregivers living in geographically remote areas also face additional barriers, such as higher rates of poverty and less access to …

The Influence Of Socioindexical Information On The Speech Perception-Production Link: Evidence From A Shadowing Task, Kyler B. Laycock

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

The body of work on speech perception demonstrates the ability of listeners to utilize both visual and acoustic information in their processing of a given speech signal. More recent studies have established that listeners are sensitive to cues in both these modalities which inform their perception of a speaker's identity in parallel with the linguistic message, but the relationship between social information in perception and production together is unclear. This study reports the results of an experiment designed to test the hypothesis that expectations about a speakers identity is able to influence a listener's perception and production of speech in …

A Fat Imposter: The Embodied Intersection Between Race, Body Type And Fatness In Margaret Cho’S Comedy, Julia Cox

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Margaret Cho is a comedic goddess who, in her mockery, serves flaming hot social commentary about race, body image, and fatness. Within this thesis, I used critical discourse analysis to understand how Margaret Cho embodies Asianness, whiteness, and the body types and images prescribed respectively. While working on data analysis, I came across a common media trope of fat women: the use of indexically Southern (United States), Appalachian, and Working class indexicals in speech and lexical items. I connected the ideologies surrounding Southern and Appalachian language to the inequalities that fat women face. This voicing had not previously been written …

Comparison Of Differential Effects Of Interpolated And Intermittent Reinforcement On Extinction Resistance: A Simulated Study, Cara D. Baxter

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Schedules of reinforcement explain when a reinforcer may be delivered. Among the different schedules exists continuous (CRF), intermittent (INT), and extinction (EXT). When employing a CRF, reinforcement is delivered following every occurrence of the target response. An INT schedule includes varying the delivery of reinforcement. While both of these schedules include the delivery of reinforcement, EXT means that reinforcement is no longer delivered for the target response (Lee & Belfiore, 1997). Studies have shown that behaviors may be less resistant to extinction if moved from an INT schedule to a CRF schedule than if EXT followed the INT schedule alone. …

Stress, Burnout, And Well-Being In New Veterinary Graduates: Evaluating A Pilot Online Professional Development Program, Addie Rose Reinhard

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Suicide, stress, and burnout are occurring at high rates among veterinary professionals, and the transition from student to practicing veterinarian has been shown to be a particularly stressful time. The aim of this study was to evaluate an online professional development program for new veterinary graduates incorporating peer social support and training in professional skills important for success in the transition to practice. In this mixed methods study, the program was evaluated qualitatively with focus group data and quantitatively by assessing knowledge gained and levels of stress, burnout, social support, and well-being. Seven new veterinary graduates participated in the program, …

Understanding Perspectives Of Clinical And Non-Clinical Healthcare Administrators On Culture And Diversity In The Healthcare Workplace, Katherine Counts

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population is becoming increasingly more diverse. The 2010 U.S. Census reported a 29% increase in minority groups other than non-Hispanic Whites. In response to these changing demographics, healthcare organizations have struggled to keep pace with these trends in their hiring of a diverse staff. Healthcare leaders appear to be lagging in their efforts to make adequate changes to increase diversity in their organizations. What factors may be contributing to this inequity? One possible explanation is a limited knowledge of healthcare leaders regarding culture and diversity within the workplace. To this end, this …

The Impact Of Personal Income Tax On State Government Revenues, Christianah Odubena

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

There are competing theories on the impact of tax policy on the economy. Many policymakers believe that cutting income taxes stimulates the economy, while others believe that tax cuts adversely affect the economy. Income taxes face the most opposition from governors and legislators, despite generating huge amounts of revenue. However, whether policymakers decide on cutting or raising personal income taxes, this can significantly affect state government revenues—either negatively or positively, most especially states whose primary source of revenue is personal income tax. Recently, Tennessee and Kentucky passed major tax reforms in 2017 and 2018 respectively, with broadly different policy goals. …

The Impact Of Automatic Voter Registration On Voter Registration And Voter Turnout Rates: Comparing Oregon And Washington Congressional Elections, 2010-2018, Jacob Toney

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Automatic Voter Registration is a recently introduced policy that simplifies the process of registering to vote in order to increase voter turnout rates. This capstone estimates how successful this policy has been. To that end, I used a difference-in-differences research design to consider voter registration and turnout rates seen in the Congressional general elections over the period from 2010 to 2018 in Oregon and Washington. I found that the implementation of Automatic Voter Registration led to a small but statistically significant increase in voter registration and voter turnout rates in Oregon relative to both the prior trend seen in that …

The Evaluation Of The Role Of Research Administrators In The Biomedical Research Grant Lifecycle And How Public Universities’ Policies Are Designed To Protect Funding, Megan Eder

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

There was a time in the not-so-distant past, where a simple infection had the opportunity to send an individual to an early grave. With advancements in biomedical research, medical professionals can treat simple infections as well as more complicated illnesses. Medical research has come a long way, but there is still a need for research in order to find, treat, and advance cures for illness and disease. Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world was waiting for researchers to create a vaccine to help slow the spread and get the world back to operating at a normal capacity. …

Pharmacy Student Opinions Related To Question, Persuade, And Refer (Qpr) Suicide Prevention Training, Alexandra Sutphin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased concerns related to suicide, with additional attention placed on the potential long-term negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Pharmacists are healthcare providers who are readily accessible and underutilized in suicide prevention efforts. This study uses survey methodology and comparative analyses to develop recommendations for the timing and administration of Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum at the University of Kentucky College …

Mandated Reporting And Its Effects On The Rate Of Reported And Substantiated Child Abuse, Taylor Johnston

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

State-level data on the rate of reported abuse per 1,000 children, as published in the Children’s Bureau’s Annual Child Maltreatment Report, has been used as a metric to rank and compare states’ performance in child welfare. States wish to understand what the rate of reported abuse per 1,000 children means, what state-specific policies and issues can affect this number, and how to interpret the data to make effective policy decisions. This paper studies the effects of having mandated reporting laws that require all citizens to report reasonable suspicion of abuse to Child Protective Services on a state’s rate of reported …

Maternal Proximity To Mountaintop Removal Mining And Birth Defects In Appalachian Kentucky, 1997-2003, Daniel B. Cooper

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

Background: Extraction of coal through mountaintop removal mining (MTR) alters many dimensions of the landscape, and explosive blasts, exposed rock, and coal washing have the potential to pollute air and water with substances known to increase risk of developmental and birth anomalies. Previous research suggests that infants born to mothers living in MTR coal mining counties have higher prevalence of most types of birth defects.

Objectives: This study seeks to examine further the relationship between MTR activity and birth defects by employing individual level exposure estimation through precise satellite data of MTR activity in the Appalachian region and maternal residence …

Essays On Evasion And Enforcement In Value Added Tax (Vat), Syed Jawad Ali Shah

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Value added tax (VAT) based on credit invoice system is the most common consumption tax in the world. Despite its self-regulating nature, VAT faces challenges in developing countries who have limited state capacity to check evasion and enforce tax on informal sectors of the economy. The tax authorities introduce policy interventions that can target the evasive behavior of firms interacting with informal sectors. My dissertation seeks to provide insight into three such policy reforms in Pakistan’s VAT regime. Therefore, this dissertation is composed of three essays.

In first essay of my dissertation, titled “Using Computerization to enforce VAT: Evidence from …

The Effects Of Escalated Cocaine Intake On Decision-Making Dynamics, Mcallister Stephens

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) is characterized partly by the use of cocaine at the expense of other alternatives, in other words, it is a decision-making pathology (Kalivas & Volkow, 2005). Concurrent choice tasks assess decision-making in a dynamic scenario that more closely resembles real life. Value-based decision-making is an important facet of understanding the addictive properties of drugs of abuse. In order to compare two value-based theories of addiction (habit theory and relative value theory), a concurrent choice task was run in tandem with an escalation procedure. First, animals were trained on a choice task until stable, then trained on …

The Utility Of The Unified Protocol In Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, Martina Fruhbauerova

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by maladaptive levels across three personality domains: Neuroticism, (low) Agreeableness, and (low) Conscientiousness. The Unified Protocol (UP) is a transdiagnostic treatment that targets neuroticism and has demonstrated promising effects with BPD. However, not all individuals with BPD respond to UP treatment. The aim of the current study was to explore the extent to which the UP is an efficacious treatment for BPD symptoms. This study represents a secondary analysis of a clinical trial in which the UP was the study treatment; data from the full sample and a subset of nine participants who likely …

The Interactive Effects Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf) Polymorphisms And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder On Neurocognitive Functioning In U.S. Military Veterans, Colton Shafer Rippey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with mild-to-moderate deficits in neurocognitive functioning. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, namely, the Met allele, may also be associated with mild deficits in neurocognitive functioning. However, findings are inconsistent and may be sensitive to environmental epigenetic moderators such as psychopathology.

The current study analyzed data from European-American U.S. military veterans (n = 1,244) who participated in the 2011 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS). Multivariate analyses of covariances were conducted to evaluate the unique and interactive effects of the Met allele and probable PTSD on …

Examining The Impact Of Performance-Based Funding Equity Premiums On Public Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Adam Blevins

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Performance-based funding (PBF) policies in the United States have grown both in complexity and popularity over the last two decades. While states seek to utilize these models to enforce accountability at institutions of postsecondary education, the rise of such funding policies has not come without scrutiny. Researchers have found evidence of adverse consequences resulting from these policies, many of which disproportionately impact underrepresented groups of students, smaller schools, and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). While opponents of the policies have, in some cases, called for the abandonment of PBF models altogether, proponents have sought …

Analysis Of Tax Increment Financing (Tif) Usage And State Requirements, Joseph Black

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Tax Increment Financing(TIF)is one of the most popular economic development tools in use, as well as one of the few economic development tools available to municipal governments. Although it was slow to be adopted by many states, currently every state, as well as the District of Colombia, has active TIF districts to back over $35 billion in bonds across the country. Despite its popularity, there is no consensus on the ability of TIF to create a planned and measurable outcome. Because of this ambiguity, TIF usage is clustered across the country as state legislatures have put in varying requirements to …

The State Of Woodford County’S Assistance Network, Katherine Connair

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study seeks to determine what the overall picture of assistance network serving the Woodford County region is. The goal was to determine if there are any observable gaps in the network and to have a clear understanding of what the assistance network is. Gaps were identified by studying the existing network, surveying network members, and examining publicly available resources. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted to analysis the whole network. Assistance for this study refers to programs/organizations that provide cash or in-kind benefits/services to people (U.S. Census Bureau). The assistance network is all of the …

Disparities In Race, Gender, And Disability Status In Kentucky’S Alternative School Population, Austin Sprinkles

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

A 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office found that certain groups of students, namely, Black male and female students, Hispanic male and female students and male students with disabilities were overrepresented in Alternative Schools nationwide. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2017-18 survey, this project aimed to examine Alternative Schools in Kentucky to understand whether trends that existed at the national level also exist in Kentucky. Additionally, this study examined disproportionality in four subtypes of alternative schools across Kentucky: Academic Alternative, Disciplinary Alternative, Both (Academic & Disciplinary), and Juvenile Justice Facilities. Last, …

The Effects Of Npo’S Revenue Diversification On Financial Vulnerability, Junoh Jeon

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This capstone project investigates whether revenue diversification leads to reduce financial vulnerability of nonprofit organizations. The findings of this study suggest that organizations with more diversified revenue portfolios have lower levels of financial vulnerability over time, which means that revenue diversification is a reasonable strategy for organizational stability. This study has also examined the effects of relying on specific restricted and non-restricted revenue sources on financial vulnerabilities of organizations. Although hypothesis was that the nonprofit organizations relying on restricted with instable revenue sources would have a relatively higher financial vulnerability compared to other organizations, the findings suggest different results. The …

Health Impact Of Mountaintop Removal And Federal Air Quality-Related Policies: A Study On Respiratory Disease And Lung Cancer Mortality Rates In Ky, Hannah Harrison

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Coal mining has been a major industry in Central Appalachia for over a century, and in the 1970s, it went through a major transition. In an effort to access coal seams previously inaccessible to traditional underground mining methods, coal companies began to adopt a new extraction method known as mountaintop removal (MTR). This new approach to surface mining involved deforesting a mountaintop and then removing the remaining rock and vegetation that is sitting atop a coal seam via explosives and heaving machinery. Compared to underground mining, MTR released more air pollution than underground mining in the form of particulate matter …

Financial Trends In Kentucky’S Full Service Jails Fy07 To Fy19, Kayla Carter

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Research on jail finances in the United States, in general, and Kentucky, specifically, has been lacking. This capstone describes trends in jail finances in Kentucky. It also examines the legal requirement to house certain state inmates in county jails and the financial burden of this requirement on counties. Uniform Financial Information Reports (UFIRs) data from 58 counties in Kentucky was used to descriptively analyze financial trends in full service jails from fiscal years 2007 to 2019. This data was combined with Kentucky Department of Corrections jail population data from fiscal years 2012 to 2019 to compare financial trends with the …

The Effect Of Veteran Status On Economic Reintegration, Amanda Buck

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Veteran unemployment rates are often understated in reports due to the generalization of the individuals that make up the veteran population. While veterans overall suffer a larger penalty than non-veterans in the civilian labor market, different demographics of veterans deal with diverse consequences of service. Specifically looking at Gulf War Era-II veterans compared with their similarly aged civilian peers, two linear regressions are used with main effects and differential effects to show the different probabilities of unemployment for distinct groups. Veterans’ probability of unemployment is 0.66 percent higher than their non-veteran peers. However, I find that Black veterans have a …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Sports Program Offerings At Ncaa Division I Institutions, Jason Schlafer

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

COVID-19 on Sports Program Offerings at NCAA Division I Institutions 2 Executive Summary In the past 40 years, the cost of operating a competitive college athletics department that competes for an institution within a Power Five conference the highest level of intercollegiate competition- has risen drastically. Concurrently, opportunities to compete at the highest level have expanded, especially for women who now outnumber men in Division I athletics competition. As COVID-19 constrained revenue, five institutions from Power Five conferences have discontinued 23 sports programs to date. This paper addresses how decision makers determine which sports programs to eliminate and offers recommendations …

Developing Best Practices For Successful Public-Private Partnerships, Farishta Mccourt

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Many states and cities find themselves facing several serious long‐term public infrastructure challenges due to rising maintenance costs. Infrastructure funding gaps arose from an inefficient approach to public infrastructure development and operation. States and local governments were faced with unfunded pension obligations and as a solution, they diverted tax revenues away from the maintenance and growth of infrastructure. The 2008 economic recession occurred and compounded these problems. Budget studies indicated that states needed new policies and strategies to slow down the pace of spending on infrastructure maintenance as the recession started to subside, further exacerbating the infrastructure funding gap.1 This …

Child Welfare Spending And Rates Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Wesley Scott

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

State and federal child welfare represents a major spending category in budgets across the United States. While new and revised legislation is proposed and enacted, sweeping reforms of the child welfare system is uncommon. Changes to child welfare are implemented through budget line items, whether that comes from Congressional funding or state initiatives. Increased funding allows for more direct contact and interaction with children, prompting safer environments and potentially stronger academic and social-emotional outcomes for youth. This paper looks at the relationship between the per capita funding of child welfare services per state and the rate of adverse childhood experiences …

Funding For Postsecondary Education Impacts Kentucky’S Undergraduate Enrollment Trends, Michaela Mineer

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, public universities have consistently seen their state funding decrease over the past several years. Using data from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and Kentucky Office of State Budget Director, this paper analyzes the relationship among postsecondary education state and federal funding and full-time undergraduate student enrollment in Kentucky’s 4-year public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. According to the Courier Journal, in 2019 “Kentucky was 1 of only 5 states to cut money for higher education” (Watkins). With the fluctuation of higher education funding in Kentucky, the concern is how universities …