Fayette County Research Articles

Extreme Weather Disruptions and Emergency Preparedness Among Older Adults in Ohio: An Eight-County Assessment

The disproportionate risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather on older adults are increasingly evident. While especially true in disaster-prone areas, human-caused climate change introduces an element of uncertainty even in previously identified “safe” regions such as the Midwestern United States. Using a cumulative disadvantage and vulnerability-informed framework and descriptive statistics from multiple data sources, this article provides an overview of climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and county-level characteristics, focusing on older adults living in Central Ohio. A comparative multiple-case study methodology was used to triangulate regionally representative primary and secondary data sources to examine state and county-level measures of vulnerability, emergency preparedness, and disruptions caused by extreme weather among older adults across eight counties in Central Ohio. Seventy-eight percent of older adults in the sample reported being prepared for emergencies per Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines. Older adults in Union County reported the highest rates of preparedness, while those in Fayette County reported the lowest. County-level rates of disruption of life activities by extreme weather ranged widely. Among the most rural in the region, Fayette County emerged as uniquely disadvantaged, with the lowest median income, the most vulnerable across multiple social vulnerability dimensions, and the most reported disruptions to life activities from extreme weather. County profiles offer a snapshot of existing vulnerabilities, socioeconomic conditions, special needs, preparedness, and current disruptions among older adults in the region and can inform resource mobilization across community and policy contexts.

Stigma as a local process: Stigma associated with opioid dependency in a rural-mixed Indiana county

BackgroundBecause the nature and magnitude of stigmatizing views associated with opioid dependency vary by social, cultural, and structural factors, strategies to reduce public stigma towards opioid dependency should vary by context. We leverage a unique dataset with evidence of multiple stigmatizing views to understand how to target interventions to reduce stigma in a state disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic, with a specific focus on a rural-mixed county. MethodsData come from the representative Person-to-Person Health Study (2018–2020) of 2,050 Indiana residents, 224 from the rural-mixed Fayette County. Bivariate statistics and multivariate regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between Fayette County and measures of stigma (e.g., desire for social distance, prejudice, causal attributions) relative to the rest of Indiana. ResultsFayette County statistically differed from the rest of Indiana on most demographic characteristics and measures of stigmatizing views. Multivariate regressions revealed that compared to the rest of Indiana, residence in Fayette County was associated with a higher desire for social distance, perceptions of unpredictability, and attributing opioid dependency to genetics and the way the person was raised. ConclusionOur results contribute to growing evidence supporting the need for local approaches to address stigma. Stigma in Fayette County primarily reflects concerns about how people manage their opioid dependency. Strategies focusing on treatment and recovery potential, accompanied by extending the influence of supportive stakeholders and policies, will become important to address this stigma.

Georgia Library Spotlight: Fayette County Public Library’s Partnerships for Health and Wellness

Georgia Library Spotlight: Fayette County Public Library’s Partnerships for Health and Wellness

Too late to buy a home? School redistricting and the timing and extent of capitalization

AbstractIn the past 50 years, a voluminous literature estimating the value of schools through capitalization in home prices has emerged. Prior research has identified capitalization using a variety of approaches including discontinuities caused by boundaries. Here, we use changes in school boundaries and the opening of a new school in Fayette County (Lexington), Kentucky to identify this capitalization. Critical to properly estimating the effect of redistricting is to account for when information on redistricting is available. We treat the information about the effects of zoning as occurring in three stages: announcement of the intent to open the new high school and redistricting, approval of the specific redistricting plan (map), and implementation (opening of the new high school and actual changes in boundaries). We find significant changes in values for homes redistricted from lower‐performing schools and we find that this capitalization occurs well before implementation of the redistricting. As we show, failure to account for capitalization occurring before implementation will attenuate and even change the sign of capitalization.

Combining Intergroup Dialogue and Sociotechnical Infrastructure Design: Addressing Social and Technical Determinants of Health Information Disparities with the Latinx Community

This transdisciplinary research project employed a multi-method approach to address health information inequities in Kentucky’s Fayette County during the COVID-19 pandemic. We drew from the study of Sociotechnical Infrastructures, Health Inequities, and Community-Based and Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) to co-create an Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructure to facilitate information sharing among three stakeholder groups: (1) Latinx community members, (2) civil society organizations, and (3) government officials. Our research design included a combination of methodologies that addressed the technical and, more importantly, the underlying social causes of information access disparities. Focus groups helped identify Information Communication Technology (ICT) use, preferences, barriers, and information-sharing strategies. Community dialogues highlighted information barriers, existing resources, and proposed community-based solutions. The findings informed development of a web-based platform prototype that will facilitate information sharing during a crisis among all stakeholders. The methodology used also allowed the emergence of community champions among Latinx people who need to be invited to the table for these initiatives. We found that combining participatory action research (PAR) principles with critical dialogic methods fosters an environment of trust that enhances collaboration among stakeholders and consequently makes the design of information infrastructures more equitable and sustainable. As Information Communication Technologies embody social relations, we recommend emphasizing dialogic competencies and knowledge around racism/difference while valuing differences, collaboration, equality, and inclusions.

Dendroecological Potential of Appalachian Riverscour Woodland Trees

Appalachian riverscour woodlands are intermittently flooded areas along high-energy rivers characterized by exposed bedrock and poorly developed sandy soils, high plant diversity, and scattered and stunted trees. These sites can be negatively impacted by dam construction and alterations to river hydrology, trampling associated with riverside recreation activities, and non-native species. In West Virginia, little is known about the development of riverscour woodlands or the growth and hydroclimate sensitivity of associated tree species. In this exploratory study, our objectives were to evaluate our ability to crossdate riverscour woodland trees (i.e., assign accurate calendar years to annual growth rings) as well as determine stand structure and tree establishment patterns at one site along the New River in Fayette County, West Virginia. In addition, for two species, Ulmus americana and Diospyros virginiana, we examined annual growth trends and relationships between tree growth and monthly hydroclimate, including streamflow, precipitation, and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Seventy-three percent of all ring-width measurement series were crossdated, but results were mixed across species. Most trees were less than 50 years old and no trees established before the late 1940s. Both U. americana and D. virginiana were highly sensitive to April–August hydroclimate, but differed in response to previous year moisture availability. These findings provide new direction for the use of riverscour woodland trees in future dendroecological studies.

The Primms of Fayette County: A Biracial Family in Nineteenth-Century Texas

The Primms of Fayette County: A Biracial Family in Nineteenth-Century Texas Randolph B. Campbell (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Randolph B. Campbell is pictured here with his friend and colleague Richard Lowe, c. 1977, in the North Texas Daily, the student newspaper of North Texas State University (now University of North Texas). Photo courtesy of the Campbell family. [End Page 294] William Primm migrated to Texas at the age of fifty-seven in 1835 and within a year established a cotton plantation near the Colorado River to the northwest of La Grange in Fayette County. At a glance, Primm’s story does not appear to have been notably different from those of many other Texas immigrant planters at the time, but it contrasted dramatically in one way: Primm’s wife Celia was an African American woman whom he owned as a slave prior to emancipating and marrying in Ohio in 1817. They lived as a married couple in Louisiana before migrating to Texas and continued to live in the Lone Star state as man and wife until his death in May 1865. Celia died three years later in January 1868. The Primms had five mixed-race children who lived to maturity, four born before the family came to Texas and one after they reached Fayette County. Adding to their special situation as a biracial family, William Primm owned enslaved persons—twenty-one in 1850 and thirty-three in 1860, ranking his family in the Old South’s planter class.1 [End Page 295] From the time of their arrival in Texas until 1865, the Primm family lived first in a slaveholding republic and then in a slave state that both had extensive legal codes dedicated to upholding the Peculiar Institution. Laws dictated the conduct not only of slaves, but of free Blacks as well. For example, the Congress of the Republic of Texas in 1837 outlawed the marriage of any person of “European blood” with “Africans, or the descendants of Africans.” Any couple who broke that law would have their marriage nullified and be “deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor and punished as such.”2 When the Civil War ended slavery in the state in 1865, it certainly did not usher in an era of racial equality in any aspect of life. Thus, the central question raised by the story of the Primm family is how a White father, a Black mother, and their biracial children endured the complications of living as a biracial family in Texas during the years from the 1830s until the twentieth century. The answers show a notable range of individual variation. No person considered “Black” escaped the briar patch of race relations unscathed, but as the story of the Primm family shows, some found their way through with fewer injuries than others. Fayette County local histories that deal with the Primms usually describe the family as coming from colonial Virginia aristocracy. Unlike most of the Old Dominion’s leaders, however, the family’s founder in America, John De La Pryme (1725–80), was of French rather than English ancestry. A descendant of French Huguenots who moved to England in the late seventeenth century to escape religious persecution, he migrated from England’s Isle of Man to Stafford County, Virginia, in 1735. Eventually, probably to escape anti-French animus during the French and Indian War, the Prymes changed their family name to Primm.3 John Primm’s third son, also named John and usually called John Primm II, was born in 1750. John II served in a Virginia unit during the American Revolution and participated in the siege of Yorktown. Belying the claim that the Primms belonged to the Virginia “aristocracy,” John Primm II owned no slaves. In fact, soon after the Revolution, he began to migrate in a direction that took him away from the Old Dominion and any possibility of slave ownership. He moved west to Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), by 1797 and then in 1803 continued on to St. Clair County, Illinois, where he remained until his death in 1837.4 The eldest of John Primm II’s eighteen children, William Primm, was born...

First report of black root rot (Berkeleyomyces rouxiae) on greenhouse hemp (Cannabis sativa) in Kentucky.

Hemp, Cannabis sativa, was reintroduced to the US in 2014 after 50 years of prohibition. Since then, growers have focused primarily on cannabinoid production using female plants. Thus, most modern hemp has been asexually propagated in greenhouses and transplanted into fields. In December 2019, a commercial transplant producer in Fayette County, Kentucky reported 30% dieback on 'Seagull' hemp. Plants were potted into artificial media (unknown origin) immediately upon removal from the mist bench, and symptoms developed approximately two weeks afterward. Scattered plants developed stunting, yellowing, and wilting symptoms and then died within one week of symptom development. Roots had brown to black lesions distributed along roots that progressed into necrosis. Aleuriospores (chlamydospores) were visible under the dissecting microscope. Root pieces were surface sterilized with 10% household bleach for 2 min and then plated onto cut centers of ~1 cm thick sterilized carrot cross section (Williamson 2014). Resulting colonies were single-spored and maintained on PDA plates on laboratory benchtops (23°C, fluorescent lights). Three isolates were selected for pathogenicity testing and identification. Resulting colonies initially appeared white but darkened to black within two days following the development of aleuriospores (chlamydospores). Aleuriospores were dark brown, formed in chains of 4 to 5, and measured 10.00 to 14.27 × 5.62 to 11.23 μm (n=50). Endoconidia were hyaline, cylindrical, and measured 11.63 to 34.10 × 3.95 to 5.58 μm (n=50). To confirm pathogenicity, soil was washed from three 4-week-old hemp plants (proprietary cultivar) and roots were soaked in a 1x106 spore/mL conidial suspension for 5 minutes. In addition, the roots of three control plants were mock inoculated using sterile water. Inoculated and control plants were transplanted into sterile potting media and maintained in separate trays. Inoculated plants developed leaf yellowing and wilting symptoms 14 dai. Roots examined 21 dai had scattered brown lesions throughout and were colonized by the fungus. Aleuriospores and endoconidia isolated from the symptomatic roots were identical to the inoculum. Control plants did not develop symptoms after 21 dai. For molecular analyses, DNA was extracted from an actively growing (5 d) representative isolate (19FY005) on PDA using Quick-DNA™ Fungal/Bacterial Miniprep Kit (Zymo Research, Irvine, CA). Fragments of commonly used diagnostic loci ITS, ACT, RPBII and Mcm7 were amplified as described by de Beer et al (2014), Fourie et al (2015) and Duong et al (2012). Amplicons were sequenced by Sanger sequencing and the consensus sequences were compared with the NCBI GenBank database by BLASTn. ACT amplicon (OK135163) top hit was B. rouxiae (MF967149.1) with 100% similarity, Mcm7 (OK135165) top hit was B. rouxiae (MF967103.1) with 100% similarity, RPBII (OK135166) top hit was B. rouxiae (MF967194.1) with 99.80% similarity, and ITS (OK135164) top hit was B. rouxiae (MF952402.1) with 99.82% similarity. Berkeleyomyces spp (syn Thielaviopsis sp.) is the causal agent of black root rot in field crops such as cotton and tobacco and in ornamentals such as holly and pansy; it is also a common disease in greenhouse production systems. Introduction of a cryptic sister species in 2017 may suggest that reports of black root rot in many crops may be either B. basicola or B. rouxiae, both species are indistinguishable by morphology (Nel et al. 2017). Although both species have wide host ranges with no host specificity, speciation may be important in terms of pathogenicity, host susceptibility, and other cultural factors. As hemp acreage increases across the US, black root rot may become a more prominent disease in greenhouse transplant production systems and in fields.

First Report of Spot Blotch Caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana on Winter Rye in Kentucky.

The Kentucky distilling industry ranks as one of the state's largest industries and continues to expand. In 2017, the Kentucky distilling industry was responsible for approximately $235 million in state and local tax revenues (Coomes and Kornstein, 2019). Rye (Secale cereale L.) grains are a vital component for production of some distilled spirits. Although winter rye is produced on relatively few hectares in Kentucky currently, a recent initiative has supported expanding production to help meet the growing demand of local distilleries. University of Kentucky winter rye research field trials were visited in Caldwell and Logan Counties, KY in May 2018, and in Fayette County, KY in May 2019. Leaves were collected that had dark brown, oval to irregular-shaped lesions with definite margins and yellow halos. Symptoms were present on approximately 50% to 80% of the flag leaves, with severity ranging from 5% to 30% of the flag leaf area affected. Leaves were surface-disinfested by soaking in a 2% NaOCl solution for 1 min and rinsed twice in sterilized water and then placed in a humidity chamber (plastic bag with moist paper towels) at room temperature (approximately 24°C) to induce fungal sporulation. Seventeen single-spore isolates were obtained and stored at -80°C in 15% glycerol solution. Isolates were grown on potato dextrose agar under 12 h cycles of white light/darkness for 5 days. Colonies were gray to black. Conidia that formed were mostly straight or slightly curved, dark olivaceous brown, 3-7 septate, and 41.0-90.4 × 15.2-29.3 µm. Based on the symptoms observed on the collected leaves and these morphological characteristics similar to those described by Chang and Hwang (2000) and Manamgoda et al. (2014), the fungus was tentatively identified as Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sorokin) Shoemaker. The sequence of internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were used to identify three isolates (18Bs004, 18Bs111 and 19Bs064) using primer ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990) and GPD1/GPD2 (Berbee et al. 1999), respectively. The sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers MT457817, MT457818 and MZ066635 for ITS sequences and MZ073644 to MZ073646 for GAPDH sequences. BLAST searches with ITS and GAPDH sequences matched 100% identity (344/344 bp and 515/515 bp for ITS and GAPDH sequences, respectively) to B. sorokiniana (GenBank accession No. MT254731 and MH844813, respectively). To prove pathogenicity, a conidial suspension (1 × 105 conidia/ml) was used to inoculate 15-day-old cultivar 'Serafino' winter rye plants in the greenhouse. Leaves of 8 plants were inoculated with 50 ml of the conidial suspension using a spray bottle. Plants were covered with a transparent plastic bag for 48 h, and symptoms were observed 10 days after inoculation. Leaf lesions, similar to those described above, were present on all inoculated plants, but no symptoms were observed on non-inoculated control plants. Bipolaris sorokiniana was reisolated from symptomatic leaves and the identity of the pathogen was confirmed based on the morphology previously described. To our knowledge, this is the first report of spot blotch caused by B. sorokiniana on winter rye in Kentucky, but B. sorokiniana has been reported on rye in the neighboring state of Virginia (Roane 2009). Kentucky produces approximately 150,000 and 4,000 ha of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare) annually, respectively, which are both known hosts of B. sorokiniana (Kumar et al. 2002). An isolate of B. sorokiniana from rye was reported by Ghazvini and Tekauz (2007) to be less virulent on barley differential lines. Further research is needed to better understand spot blotch distribution, susceptibility in winter rye cultivars, and potential yield and quality loss implications in winter rye production and end use. It is unknown how susceptible various winter rye cultivars grown in Kentucky are to spot blotch.

STEM Through Authentic Research and Training Program (START) for Underrepresented Communities: Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) Program is a new program integrating academic, social, and professional experiences, in the theme of exomedicine, to build a pipeline into college for first generation and traditionally underrepresented students by providing year-round authentic opportunities and professional development for high school students and teachers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the START Program has worked with the local Fayette County public school and community partners to provide content to over 300 students through: virtual laboratory tours with community partner Space Tango, "meet a scientist" discussions, and online near-peer student demonstrations aimed at making the practice of STEM disciplines approachable. Furthermore, the START Program has partnered with Higher Orbits to provide at-home, space-themed learning kits for students to develop teamwork, communication, and STEM principles while engaging in online content with teachers, professionals, and astronauts. Finally, the START Program has moved its training platforms online, including receiving College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Peer Educator accreditation for our near-peer mentoring and coaching training. As a result, the START Program is better positioned to address this critical need in STEM education, while reaching more students in the community than possible with face-to-face interactions alone.

Ruby’s Oyster Dressing, or Edible Nostalgia

Ruby’s Oyster Dressing, or Edible Nostalgia

Remnant American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) Near the Historical Western Range Limit in Southwestern Tennessee

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once widespread in eastern North America and an ecologically important hardwood tree of deciduous forest communities prior to its near-eradication by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). Remnant populations occur across much of its historical range, especially in older forests of the Appalachians and northeastern U.S. However, broad swaths of the southwestern portion of the species' historical range remain poorly documented, potentially limiting the representation of genetic variation important for local adaptation in restoration efforts. Ongoing discovery and life-history characterization efforts for remnant C. dentata remains a priority to better understand the distribution and ecological status of this once important species, while identifying potential genetic sources of locally adapted or blight resistant trees. Here, we report the discovery of 22 C. dentata at four sites in southwestern Tennessee, adding novel observations that extend the range of known extant occurrences to the extreme western edge of the historical distribution in Fayette County. These observations include potentially reproductive individuals that should be revisited to assess reproductive and blight status, and that should be evaluated for current germplasm collection and restoration efforts.

Schistidium agassizii Confirmed in Pennsylvania

Schistidium agassizii is confirmed for Pennsylvania, after an earlier report of the species from the commonwealth was found to be misdetermined. The new collection was made from rocks within and along a stream in Fayette County, southwestern Pennsylvania.

Mapping Urban Impervious Surfaces by Using Spectral Mixture Analysis and Spectral Indices

Impervious surface is the major component of urban areas, and it has been widely considered as the key for assessing the degree of urban sprawl. While the effectiveness of applying spectral mixture analysis (SMA) and spectral indices in mapping urban impervious surface has been proved, most studies have relied either on SMA or spectral indices without considering both. In this study, the SMA and spectral indices were integrated together to map impervious surfaces distributions in both Milwaukee County in the Wisconsin State and Fayette County in the Kentucky State. Specifically, spectral indices were used for identifying major land covers. Two-dimensional feature space plots were generated by calculated spectral indices images for endmember selection and extraction. Linear constrained SMA was finally applied to quantify the fractional impervious surfaces. Research results indicate that the proposed method has achieved a promising accuracy, and better performance was achieved in less developed areas than the developed areas. Moreover, a comparative analysis shows that the proposed method performs better than the conventional method in both the whole study area and the developed areas, and a comparable performance has been achieved in the less developed areas.

Georgia Library Spotlight - Fayette County Public Library

Georgia Library Spotlight - Fayette County Public Library

An Engaging Community Experience: Fayette County Public Library

An Engaging Community Experience: Fayette County Public Library

News - Fayette County Public Library

News - Fayette County Public Library

Changes of Covey Affiliation by Bobwhite Quail in Tennessee

This study was conducted on a 214-acre area of the Ames Plantation, Fayette County, Tennessee. Information on behavior of bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) during winter was obtained through flushing, trapping, color-marking, and telemetering quail during January-March, 1970. Interchange of quail between coveys was common; at least 20 incidences of change in covey affiliation were recorded. An average covey lost and gained a member every 3 days. Rapid replacement of birds lost from covey ranges was attributed to communication between coveys.

Habitat Utilization by Bobwhite Quail During Winter

This study was conducted on a 214-acre area of the Ames Plantation, Fayette County, Tennessee. Information on habitat utilization by bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) during winter was obtained by telemetering quail during January - March, 1970. The ranges of five coveys averaged 16.7 acres. Coveys spent little time in cultivated fields although this type of cover constituted much of the home ranges of 4 coveys. Cedar woods, hardwood forests, and old fields were used in proportion to their abundance for diurnal protective cover by the quail population, but presence of honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) or other dense understory cover generally increased the attractiveness of a wooded area for quail. Honeysuckle was also the preferred ground cover for roosts.

Anticipated Property Tax Increases and the Timing of Home Sales: Evidence from Administrative Data

Restrictions imposed on property assessment practices by state legislation such as Proposition 13 in California and Proposition 2½ in Massachusetts can lead to significant divergences between the assessed and market values of property, particularly for households with long tenures. As properties are assessed at their market value when sold, this can lead to a significant divergence in the property tax payment for a current homeowner and a prospective purchaser of the property. This may lead to “lock-in”, decreased mobility, of homeowners reluctant to lose their tax advantage. Here using data on single family dwellings in Lexington, KY (Fayette County) we examine another practice leading to a systematic difference between assessed and market value of properties, the practice of assessing properties in individual neighborhoods on a four-year basis. In times of high housing appreciation, the difference in tax payments for houses last assessed two or three years earlier and their market values, the tax base for a new purchaser, can be significant and lead to a lock-in effect. Using administrative data from the Fayette County PVA we find evidence that housing sales are higher in the year before a neighborhood assessment suggesting that households adjust their mobility to capture the tax advantage associated with limited assessment.