Uterine cancer is the nation’s most common gynecologic malignancy but is understudied in the geographically and socioeconomically diverse state of Kentucky (KY). This study assessed the frequency, distribution, and survival of uterine corpus malignancies in KY, and specifically the differences between Appalachia (AP) and non-Appalachia (NAP). This study utilizes SEER and Kentucky Cancer Registries to study uterine corpus malignancy between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2014. The analysis looks at incidence between diagnoses in AP and NAP. Evaluation criteria includes: tumor histology (Type I, Type II, sarcoma, and mixed uterine malignancy), age, race, smoking status, stage at diagnosis, insurance status, and county of residence at diagnosis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

The geography of food has been a popular subject for researchers and scholars who have explored the representative foods of a given region in reference to the area’s cultural identity. Food plays an important role in the development of individual cultures and civilization. Food consumption and dining habits usually reflect individuals’ location, cultural and individual identity, accessibility to food and heritage. United States is a country often called a “melting pot society.” Immigrants in the United States comprise over eight percent of the population, and various ethnic groups have reshaped American society with their unique cultures and foodways. Driven in part by globalization, food has been commercialized in an effort to increase profit and broaden the diversity of foods available for consumption. By studying ethnic restaurants and the food they offer, one can gain a basic understanding of other information related to ethnic groups. The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in ethnic restaurant numbers, types, and locations from 1940 to 2005, as well as changing demographic patterns in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I hypothesize that a relationship exists between the numbers, locations and diversity of ethnic restaurants and ethnic populations in Bowling Green. Globalization and the influx of ethnic groups will reshape the diversity of ethnic cuisines between 1940 to 2005. In addition, changes in Bowling Green income, education level and ethnic structure are associated with increasing diversity of ethnic restaurants. Relationships between the locations of ethnic neighborhoods and ethnic restaurants are also examined. The methods of investigation in this thesis include assembling a database of historic restaurant information and using GIS technology to map locations of ethnic restaurants and analyze spatial patterns and ethnic diversity of restaurant types. In order to investigate the association between ethnic structure, income and education level of Bowling Green’s population and the diversity of ethnic restaurant over time, data was collected from the decennial Census of Population and Housing. To research current consumer preferences, a survey was conducted to discover the most influential factors impacting residents’ choice of cuisines and the variation in restaurant preferences among age groups. Interviews with owners of ethnic restaurant shed light on locational choices.

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2009. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1469964. ProQuest document ID: 1913184311. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-36)

After nearly a century of absence, the black bear (Ursus americanus) reappeared in Kentucky during the late 20th century and has since increased in number. Recolonization of bears in the southeastern portion of the state was thought to have been caused by emigration of bears from adjacent states into the Commonwealth, while in the south-central area, bears originated, or natural recolonization may have been supplemented by the translocation of 14 individuals into the Big South Fork National River Recreation Area. To investigate the recolonization patterns of bears in Kentucky, I used 20 microsatellite loci to determine the genetic diversity and subpopulation structure of bears in the state, and quantified the relative influence of source populations of bears from neighboring states. Two genetically distinct populations of black bears were identified; Big South Fork and Cumberland Plateau. These populations were moderately diverged from each other and had levels of heterozygosity similar to other stable bear populations in North America. The Cumberland Plateau bear population originated from a combination of bears from both West Virginia and Virginia. In contrast, the Big South Fork population appeared to be almost entirely comprised of individuals from the translocated founders from Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Many factors influence the reproductive efficiency of thoroughbred mares. This thesisestimated two separate models for 13 farms in the 2004 breeding season. One model isestimated for pregnancy outcomes, the other is estimated for breeding intervals.Statistically significant variables include age of the mare, number of breedings, certainmedications, farm size, last date of breeding for the first model. Statistically significantvariables for the second model include age, status of mare, number of breedings, certainmedication, and farm size. The model has implication to achieve an optimal breedingschedule and associated management decisions

This thesis is a case study analyzing how the Latino immigrant community in Lexington, Kentucky is responding to the national push for restrictive legislation. Based on interviews conducted throughout the summer and fall of 2012, I examine the relationship between federal policies and young undocumented immigrants in Lexington, Kentucky, a southern locale with a relatively small but growing foreign-born Latino community. Employing the notion of the included exclusion, I look at the newly implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy highlights an opening present in immigration law in which young immigrants are simultaneously included and excluded. Utilizing this lens to look at the response of Latino immigrants in Lexington allowed me to explore Latino immigrants’ engagement in mundane acts of “making do.”

The purpose of this study was to establish a deeper understanding of the educational needs of rural-based learners within the context of online learning opportunities. I hoped to ascertain whether rural learners' needs differ in terms of learning choices from that of their urban counterparts. This study was particularly focused on establishing a baseline for understanding community online readiness and identifying factors for how rural adults decide whether to participate in online-based learning.The participants in this study were selected from adults in established adult education courses, local churches, rural development clubs, and miscellaneous other civic organizations. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire that was a modified McVay Online Readiness Questionnaire (McVay, 2000). In addition, 4 local community leaders were selected for interviews. The selected interviewees were the County Judge-Executive, the mayor of the county seat, the Superintendent of Schools, and the director of adult and community education for the county. These leaders were asked questions designed to assess their understanding of current technological infrastructure to support broadband Internet, as well as, their willingness to encourage the support required for community transformation. Interview questions focused on how well leaders understand both the technological and the sociocultural dimensions of their community.The results were the identification of 7 interrelated themes that help explain the online readiness behaviors of rural adults in the selected county. The themes are: the Importance of Broadband Internet, the Attraction of Professionals to the Area, the "Missing Generation," Common Solutions and Working Together, Lack of Vision for Online Learning, Changing Cultures and Demographics, State and Local Government's Role and Regulatory Policy. Questionnaire responses are presented in this study as descriptive statistics and are representative of the county studied. The data collected from these questionnaires were used in collaboration with interview findings to arrive at conclusions. Key recommendations include: provisions for tax credits and other financial incentives to encourage Internet providers to increase coverage into rural areas; and improved collaboration between public and private stakeholders in an effort to address the digital divide. / Department of Educational Studies

Various theorists have treated the problem of sound and sense in poetry. The influence of sound in poetry can be found both in the overall musical structure of a poem and in the internal sounds of rhythm and diction. Plato suggests that rhythm and harmony have a direct effect on man, and can establish either balance or disproportion within the soul. The debate whether sound determines sense or sense determines sound is rejected in favor of a third possibility: an interdependent relationship between sound and sense, an intrinsic formal structure, as the ideal governing the creation of poetry. Further, Aristotle proves to be quite close to Plato in suggesting a moral character to certain sounds. Poe, in emphasizing the distinction between poetry and prose, points to sound as the distinguishing characteristic of verse. Yeats stresses the rhythm of poetry in linking man with an ancient past. Eliot uses care in describing the function of music in poetry, but reaffirms its significance as interdependent with the meaning of the words. Stevens explores the relationship of music and poetry, and offers a rich theory that poetry is the embodiment in sound of a bridge between spirit and reality. The influence of free verse on Eliot and Stevens appears in their conversational tone, yet the sound of their poetry determines its value to a significant extent. This tracking of the ideas about sound and sense from Plato and Aristotle to Poe, Yeats, Eliot, and Stevens helps to clarify the nature and range of the problem.

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2007. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1447083. ProQuest document ID: 1436380211. Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-26)