Search results

Title: EXAMINING POLITICAL RADICALIZATION USING SIGNIFICANCE QUEST THEORY (TERRORISM JUSTIFYING IDEOLOGY FRAMEWORK)
Creator: Pezeshki Rad, Pardis
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTEXAMINING POLITICAL RADICALIZATION USING SIGNIFICANCE QUEST THEORY (TERRORISM JUSTIFYING IDEOLOGY FRAMEWORK)ByPardis Pezeshki RadOne framework of radicalization, called Significance Quest Theory (SQT), is based on assumptions that an individual’s quest for personal significance is the lead factor in promoting political radicalization. Under the framework of Significance Quest Theory (SQT), an individual is pushed towards political radicalization through three distinct means: needs,...
Show moreABSTRACTEXAMINING POLITICAL RADICALIZATION USING SIGNIFICANCE QUEST THEORY (TERRORISM JUSTIFYING IDEOLOGY FRAMEWORK)ByPardis Pezeshki RadOne framework of radicalization, called Significance Quest Theory (SQT), is based on assumptions that an individual’s quest for personal significance is the lead factor in promoting political radicalization. Under the framework of Significance Quest Theory (SQT), an individual is pushed towards political radicalization through three distinct means: needs, narratives, and networks. These factors have been found to increase terrorism involvement, yet quantitative studies are meager. This thesis represents needs, narratives and networks with locus of control, modernization, reliance on religious leaders, and religiosity to examine how these are related to political radicalization among a sample of youth. Using a secondary dataset of 928 youth from Egypt (Alexandria, El-Minya, Cairo) and 954 youth from Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam/Khobar), the present study assessed whether needs, narratives and networks as represented by locus of control, modernization, relying on religious leaders, and religiosity are relevant factors in explaining political radicalization (Moaddel, Karabenick, & Thornton, 2010).
Show less

Title: Adhesion mechanics and physical characteristics of Salmonella enteritidis in low moisture environments
Creator: Suehr, Quincy Jerome
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Controlling foodborne pathogens in low-moisture environments requires an understanding of how contamination is introduced and spread through a system. Compared with numerous data and studies regarding wet environments, limited information exists concerning the adhesion mechanics of pathogens in low-moisture environments. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (1) Develop a framework for adhesion of bacteria in a low moisture environment, (2) perform direct measurements of adhesion...
Show moreControlling foodborne pathogens in low-moisture environments requires an understanding of how contamination is introduced and spread through a system. Compared with numerous data and studies regarding wet environments, limited information exists concerning the adhesion mechanics of pathogens in low-moisture environments. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (1) Develop a framework for adhesion of bacteria in a low moisture environment, (2) perform direct measurements of adhesion mechanics, (3) implement measurements into a model, and (4) validate the model. Physical properties and adhesion characteristics of Salmonella Enteritidis PT30 (SE PT30) attached on stainless steel 304 were assessed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and used to develop a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model as a first principle based approach. This model allowed the estimation of force of reversible adhesion for Salmonella Enteritidis PT30 to be measured as Fad = 3.3459 ± 0.0283 nN. For model validation, a large-scale bacterial detachment experiment utilizing Salmonella was conducted. The modeling results for adhesion was able to elucidate bacterial adhesion mechanics, and the cross-contamination phenomena in low-moisture environment.
Show less

Title: The congruent effects of co-branding green, ecologically-friendly ads
Creator: Jamar, Patrick John
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Many researchers have explored environmentally-friendly advertising; observing its effects on purchasing behaviors and intentions (Davis, 1993; Tucker, Rifon, Lee, & Reece, 2012; Xue & Muralidharan, 2015; Marie-Cecile Cervellon, 2012) as well as co-branding as a tactic for encouraging consumers to purchase products as well (Park, Jun, & Shocker, 1996; Helmig et al., 2008; Norris, 1992; Charry & Demoulin, 2014; Khun et al., 2008). Furthermore, co-branding is an increasingly popular tactic, yet...
Show moreMany researchers have explored environmentally-friendly advertising; observing its effects on purchasing behaviors and intentions (Davis, 1993; Tucker, Rifon, Lee, & Reece, 2012; Xue & Muralidharan, 2015; Marie-Cecile Cervellon, 2012) as well as co-branding as a tactic for encouraging consumers to purchase products as well (Park, Jun, & Shocker, 1996; Helmig et al., 2008; Norris, 1992; Charry & Demoulin, 2014; Khun et al., 2008). Furthermore, co-branding is an increasingly popular tactic, yet little research has been conducted in relation to how co-branding and green marketing can work in tandem. As a result, this study merges these two advertising tactics by exploring key concepts such as product/brand fit. This is done so by investigating the level of congruence between a fictitious, environmentally-friendly host brand and several differentiating, high equity partner brands. The study employs an experiment to investigate the effects of co-branding (present vs. absent) and the level of congruence (high vs. medium vs. low) on purchase intentions (PI), attitudes toward the ad (Aad), and attitudes toward the brand (AB); building on the Theory of Congruence. The results indicate that, with co-branding, when comparing a co-branded ad to a single-branded ad, there are no significant differences between the participants' attitudes towards the ad or brand, their intent to purchase the host brand's product, or their attitudes towards any given, presented ad. Similarly, when addressing congruence, the level of congruous match has no significant difference on participants' attitudes towards the host brand or their intentions to purchase it. Limitations and areas for future research are also provided.
Show less

Title: Adsorption media for the removal of phosphorus in subsurface drainage for Michigan corn fields
Creator: Hauda, Jessica Kathleen
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Phosphorus is a valuable, non-renewable resource in agriculture promoting crop growth. and is used in the global food chain, mainly as fertilizer. Soluble phosphorus plays a part in the eutrophication in freshwater environments, which impacts tourism, human health, environmental safety, and property values. Phosphorus loss from agricultural land is also a loss of investment that went into keeping it on the soil, and its addition into water bodies can increase costs to manage the affected area...
Show morePhosphorus is a valuable, non-renewable resource in agriculture promoting crop growth. and is used in the global food chain, mainly as fertilizer. Soluble phosphorus plays a part in the eutrophication in freshwater environments, which impacts tourism, human health, environmental safety, and property values. Phosphorus loss from agricultural land is also a loss of investment that went into keeping it on the soil, and its addition into water bodies can increase costs to manage the affected area(s). This research entails selecting the phosphorus adsorption media best suited for removing phosphorus from subsurface drainage in Michigan farms. Selected adsorption media from the literature includes engineered nanomaterials, biochar, and natural materials. These media were evaluated with typical subsurface drainage phosphorus concentrations using batch adsorption and column experiments to verify if the media worked in this application. Both the steel furnace slag (SFS) and PO4Sponge removed soluble reactive phosphorus from 0.500 to below 0.05 mg/L in column experiments at an empty bed contact time of 5-minutes The SFS was the most cost-effective option based on a case-study and generalized analysis. The most expensive option was the use of PO4Sponge media to remove phosphorus, then regenerating it at the manufacturer.
Show less

Title: Maternal circulating immune factors and fetal growth : c-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor - α, interleukin - 6, in mid-pregnancy and birthweight for gestational age
Creator: Glazier-Essalmi, Alicynne N.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Inflammation pathways may contribute to fetal growth restriction. Observations of immune molecules such as the acute phase reactant, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fetal growth have produced mixed results, therefore further investigation is warranted. We analyzed data from 1,308 sub-cohort women enrolled at 16 -27 weeks completed gestation in the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) Study from 52 prenatal clinics in 5 Michigan communities. Using a US population reference of...
Show moreInflammation pathways may contribute to fetal growth restriction. Observations of immune molecules such as the acute phase reactant, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fetal growth have produced mixed results, therefore further investigation is warranted. We analyzed data from 1,308 sub-cohort women enrolled at 16 -27 weeks completed gestation in the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) Study from 52 prenatal clinics in 5 Michigan communities. Using a US population reference of birthweights for gestational age, POUCH infants were grouped as small for gestational age (SGA) (≤10th percentile), large for gestational age (LGA) (≥ 90th percentile), or appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Levels of inflammatory signaling molecules Tumor Necrosis Factor -  (TNF-), Interleukin – 6 (IL-6), and CRP were measured in maternal blood collected at enrollment and compared across groups who delivered either SGA, LGA, or AGA infants. Maternal TNF- α and IL-6 levels did not differ across the three groups. Unadjusted Mean CRP level of the SGA, 3.76 μg/L, was significantly lower than that of the AGA (5.43 μg/L, p=0.002) or LGA (6.36 μg/L) in linear regression models. Following adjustment for maternal age, race/ethnicity, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational age at enrollment, Mean CRP values were 3.89 μg/L for SGA 5.41 μg/L for LGA 5.1, and μg/L for AGA (p=0.008 for SGA vs AGA). In sensitivity analyses, differences remained after excluding women with a pre-pregnancy BMI <18.5, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, extreme CRP values, or antibiotic prescription < 2 weeks before blood draw. Further analysis should assess characteristics of the maternal-fetal interface for clues to relationships between maternal inflammatory status at 16 – 27 weeks gestation and birthweight outcomes.
Show less

Title: Research gaps and opportunities for climate change adaptation in network analysis
Creator: Chau, Sophia Nguyen
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Mitigating the negative impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, drought, and species extinction requires effectively mobilizing social and ecological resources across geographic distances. Climate change adaptation practitioners need to understand climate change from a systems perspective, whereby the ecological and social components involved are viewed as interacting and interrelated components of a system that together yield consequences for both human and non-human life. Network...
Show moreMitigating the negative impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, drought, and species extinction requires effectively mobilizing social and ecological resources across geographic distances. Climate change adaptation practitioners need to understand climate change from a systems perspective, whereby the ecological and social components involved are viewed as interacting and interrelated components of a system that together yield consequences for both human and non-human life. Network analysis, a set of techniques that allows for quantitative and qualitative depiction of the relationships between system components and how they give rise to emergent phenomena, has the potential to help address contemporary sustainability challenges such as climate change adaptation. Adaptation practitioners have already begun using network analysis with the goal of improving their adaptation efforts, but the literature to guide their practice is young. The first chapter of my thesis addresses this problem by reviewing network analysis studies about climate change adaptation. I identified research gaps and opportunities related to the type of network analysis, adaptation sectors, geographic scale, number of systems, study objectives, and proposed network interventions. In the second chapter, I developed a framework called the metacoupled network approach that can help network analysis studies address these research gaps. Such a framework will not only guide network analysis studies in climate change adaptation but also provide a useful framework for understanding other complex social-ecological challenges.
Show less

Title: Epidemiology of coca leaf chewing in the 21st century peru
Creator: Cruz, Victor Orlando
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Despite thousands of years of coca leaf chewing by rural inhabitants of the Andes Mountains, there is much to explore in the epidemiological research on this ancient habit. This is the first study about the epidemiology of coca leaf chewing and its health consequences that uses both a large representative random sample of the Andean rural highlanders of Peru, and the new ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for dependence syndrome. This secondary data analysis study has three specific aims: (1) to...
Show moreDespite thousands of years of coca leaf chewing by rural inhabitants of the Andes Mountains, there is much to explore in the epidemiological research on this ancient habit. This is the first study about the epidemiology of coca leaf chewing and its health consequences that uses both a large representative random sample of the Andean rural highlanders of Peru, and the new ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for dependence syndrome. This secondary data analysis study has three specific aims: (1) to estimate basic epidemiologic parameters of the quantity of coca leaf chewing. (2) To estimate subgroup variations of the epidemiological parameters of the quantity of coca leaf chewing according to characteristics of person and place. (3) To estimate the degree to which coca leaf chewing might cause ICD-10 dependence syndrome and impairment in the quality of life.The results show that coca leaf chewing is common and not evenly distributed among the Andean highlanders. Males, elders, and Ayacuchans are the most active coca leaf chewers. Furthermore, 2.3 percent of ever coca leaf chewers have ICD-10 dependence syndrome, and this dependence syndrome has compromised their quality of life. It is still premature to conclude that coca leaf chewing produces addiction. These initial findings should be followed by rigorous causal studies to assess the clinical features of coca leaf chewing dependence syndrome and its potential harmful physical consequences for the users.
Show less

Title: A critical disability studies critique of rhetorical normalcy in writing center theory, history, and practice
Creator: Appleton Pine, Andrew
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis broadly theorizes how to make writing centers more accessible for disabled writers. Specifically, it applies a critical disability studies methodology both to writing center history and research practices. Importantly, this thesis resists impairment-specific approaches to accessibility, and instead seeks to develop the theoretical framework necessary to create lasting reforms in writing center theory and practice so that disabled people are included in both. Central to this thesis...
Show moreThis thesis broadly theorizes how to make writing centers more accessible for disabled writers. Specifically, it applies a critical disability studies methodology both to writing center history and research practices. Importantly, this thesis resists impairment-specific approaches to accessibility, and instead seeks to develop the theoretical framework necessary to create lasting reforms in writing center theory and practice so that disabled people are included in both. Central to this thesis is the idea of "rhetorical normalcy," which is a set of social, behavioral, and rhetorical codes that constitute the deleterious norms that both writing center studies and the larger field of rhetoric and composition have relied on throughout their history. A major claim throughout this thesis is that writing center history, theory, and practice all rely on this conception of rhetorical normalcy, often at the cost of writers with disabilities. Ultimately, this thesis argues that in order for writing centers to become radically accessible for writers with disabilities, writing center administrators and practitioners must first become aware of the role of rhetorical normalcy has always played in writing center practice, and they must look for ways to incorporate disabled writers into their theorizing and research about writing.
Show less

Title: The rising risk of rising water : examining risk perception and other predictors of flood mitigation behavior
Creator: Rappolee, Eleanor
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: As a result of heat-trapping pollution from human activities, rising sea levels and increasing precipitation could within three decades push chronic floods on land currently home to more than 300 million people. Water levels in the Great Lakes, heavy rainfall, and flooding have all substantially increased in Michigan, causing erosion, water quality decline, and negative impacts on society. Taking action to mitigate flooding at all scales is essential to ensure social and economic...
Show moreAs a result of heat-trapping pollution from human activities, rising sea levels and increasing precipitation could within three decades push chronic floods on land currently home to more than 300 million people. Water levels in the Great Lakes, heavy rainfall, and flooding have all substantially increased in Michigan, causing erosion, water quality decline, and negative impacts on society. Taking action to mitigate flooding at all scales is essential to ensure social and economic sustainability. This study explores predictor variables of flood mitigation behaviors among Michigan residents in a proposed theoretical framework that synthesizes three behavioral theories: Theory of Planned Behavior, Values-Beliefs-Norms, and Protection Motivation Theory. This study also includes empirically measured actual flood risk in the theoretical framework, which is often left out in behavioral studies. Actual flood risk alone was found to weakly align with perceived flood risk and was a significant predictor of flood mitigation behavior during regression. However, when other variables were included, actual flood risk became an insignificant part of the model. Instead, subjective norms, perceived flood risk, self-efficacy, education level, having a flood-related home inspection, and having a basement emerged as significant predictors of flood mitigation behaviors. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and have implications for planning around flood mitigation and policy within and beyond the Midwest region.
Show less

Title: Relationships between academic network and student engagement for construction education
Creator: Chen, Zhiting
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Student engagement is a significant predictor of student's academic performance that has shown essential benefits for collaborative learning in higher education. Activities of social networking are common practices for college students to pursue a higher academic achievement by taking advantages on collaborative learning. Nevertheless, there is a gap in understanding the relationship between student engagement and academic networking patterns. By involving Social Network Analysis (SNA) based...
Show moreStudent engagement is a significant predictor of student's academic performance that has shown essential benefits for collaborative learning in higher education. Activities of social networking are common practices for college students to pursue a higher academic achievement by taking advantages on collaborative learning. Nevertheless, there is a gap in understanding the relationship between student engagement and academic networking patterns. By involving Social Network Analysis (SNA) based research methods, this quantitative study explored the relationships between these two antecedents of academic performance at the individual level as well as the subgroup level in the construction domain. The self-reported interaction and engagement data used in regression analysis was collected from two construction-related undergraduate classes in the United States. The analysis results revealed positive relationship between student engagement and individual direct social connections with classmates. The subgroup-level correlations indicate that a small-sized low eccentricity network with efficient information exchanges is preferred by students to highly engaged in collaborative learning. These prominent findings suggest student leadership as a core motivator to facilitate all favorable engagement predictors uncovered in this study. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted to validate the student engagement framework. The author discussed implications for construction educators to focus on network-based interventions to advance understandings of student's needs and recommended effective instructional strategies for construction educators regarding student leadership development to optimize the outcomes of advanced course designs.
Show less

Title: A systematic evaluation of computational models of phonotactics
Creator: Sarver, Isaac
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In this thesis, recent computational models of phonotactics are discussed and evaluated and two new models are implemented. Prior phonotactic modeling, motivated by gradient acceptability judgments in nonce word judgment tasks (Albright 2009), claim that phonotactic grammaticality is gradient, and these models are evaluated by their ability to judge nonce words with scores that correlate with human acceptability judgments. Gorman (2013) argues that these gradient models do not account for the...
Show moreIn this thesis, recent computational models of phonotactics are discussed and evaluated and two new models are implemented. Prior phonotactic modeling, motivated by gradient acceptability judgments in nonce word judgment tasks (Albright 2009), claim that phonotactic grammaticality is gradient, and these models are evaluated by their ability to judge nonce words with scores that correlate with human acceptability judgments. Gorman (2013) argues that these gradient models do not account for the facts sufficiently and claims phonotactic grammaticality is categorical. In this thesis, the account of Gorman (2013) is implemented as well as a prominent gradient model from Hayes and Wilson (2008) and compared with the performance of two machine learning models (a support vector machine and a recurrent neural network), with all models trained on a corpus of English onsets. Results in this thesis show that the computational models are unable to correlate with human judgment data from Scholes (1966) as well as a categorical prediction of acceptability based on whether a sequence is attested in the lexicon or not, and that these models rely on assumptions which when challenged show that the models do not convincingly capture the gradience of the human judgment data used for evaluation.
Show less

Title: Write before you speak : the impact of writing on L2 oral narratives
Creator: Bulow, Alyssa
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Current literature suggests that writing may better facilitate language learning than speaking practice alone, but direct empirical research demonstrating this is limited. Evidence is also limited as to whether grammar and vocabulary learned while writing can transfer to speaking. This study investigates the prediction that written planning, even more so than oral planning, leads to improved oral narratives. Thirty-four Spanish-speaking learners of English were randomly assigned to one of two...
Show moreCurrent literature suggests that writing may better facilitate language learning than speaking practice alone, but direct empirical research demonstrating this is limited. Evidence is also limited as to whether grammar and vocabulary learned while writing can transfer to speaking. This study investigates the prediction that written planning, even more so than oral planning, leads to improved oral narratives. Thirty-four Spanish-speaking learners of English were randomly assigned to one of two groups: writing rehearsal or oral rehearsal; rehearsal being individual practice before the final task. The writing group composed a story ending in the written modality while the oral group rehearsed by narrating theirs out loud. Both groups recorded their oral story continuation task as the final product. In order to compare the impact of writing versus oral rehearsal on learners' subsequent oral performance, final narratives were examined using complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. Results showed that the writing group produced more fluent and lexically diverse narratives than the speaking group but there was no effect on accuracy, and limited effects on grammatical complexity. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for using writing tasks to prepare students for oral tasks.Keywords: L2 writing, complexity, fluency, story continuation task (SCT), EFL, benefits of writing for speaking, pre-task planning, rehearsal.
Show less

Title: Fairness in AI-based recruitment and career pathway optimization
Creator: Mujtaba, Dena Freshta
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Work has long been a source of human livelihood, financial security, mental and physical well-being, dignity, and meaning. However, advances in computing, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and related technologies are expected to usher in unprecedented and widespread changes in the economy and society. It is estimated that by 2030 up to 14% of the global workforce may need to change occupational categories as the world of work is disrupted by technological advances. Many...
Show moreWork has long been a source of human livelihood, financial security, mental and physical well-being, dignity, and meaning. However, advances in computing, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and related technologies are expected to usher in unprecedented and widespread changes in the economy and society. It is estimated that by 2030 up to 14% of the global workforce may need to change occupational categories as the world of work is disrupted by technological advances. Many current and future workers that will enter the workforce lack skills that in-demand and future jobs require. In short, the landscape of work is poised for a major and unprecedentedly rapid transformation and this calls for a variety of strategies to meet the needs of workers, employers, the economy, and broader society.Motivated by these concerns, we investigate two key problems faced by organizations and workers in the future of work. As AI has expanded into human resource applications, organizations are increasingly using AI-based recruitment for sourcing, screening, and selecting talent. We explain how this can lead to biases in decisions and how this bias can be measured, review tools available for bias mitigation, and discuss future challenges for fairness in machine learning specific to recruitment applications. Alongside this, workers are affected not only by biased recruitment, but by the growing automation of tasks in occupations, which will increasingly require job and task transitions. To help workers navigate these transitions effectively, we propose a genetic-algorithm-based optimization engine to search for a worker's optimal career pathway in a network of occupations, given their current knowledge, skills, abilities, and other work-related characteristics. Overall, this thesis presents strategies for organizations to mitigate bias in AI-based recruitment and for workers to plan their career pathway in the face of unprecedented changes in the world of work.
Show less

Title: Assessment of drinking water quality and related husbandry practices in North American zoos
Creator: Bohne, Christine E.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Water is essential for life of all animals. However, drinking water might be of poor quality if it contains excess chemicals, nutrients or contaminants. Based on review of the scientific literature, the quality of drinking water in zoos has not been investigated.Therefore, objectives were to: 1) assess general quality of water in Association of Zoo and Aquarium zoos; 2) examine possible relationships among husbandry practices and water quality; and, 3) analyze iron concentrations in drinking...
Show moreWater is essential for life of all animals. However, drinking water might be of poor quality if it contains excess chemicals, nutrients or contaminants. Based on review of the scientific literature, the quality of drinking water in zoos has not been investigated.Therefore, objectives were to: 1) assess general quality of water in Association of Zoo and Aquarium zoos; 2) examine possible relationships among husbandry practices and water quality; and, 3) analyze iron concentrations in drinking water of zoos with black rhino. Forty zoos without and 10 with black rhino agreed to participate when randomly invited from a pool of 174 eligible zoos (29% response rate). Water samples were analyzed for pH, hardness, total dissolved solids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, total coliform, and Escherichia coli. A water quality index was used to rank overall quality among zoos. A questionnaire about husbandry practices and drinking water also was completed by a subsample of zoos (n = 39). Over 85% of zoos used municipal water primarily. Three of 50 zoos (above the 90th percentile) had poor quality water. Majority (59%) of zoos responded that drinking water quality was considered in nutritional management. However, only 18% routinely analyzed drinking water. Zoos with Black Rhino were aware of the recommendation to formulate for low dietary iron to reduce Iron Overload Disorder. However, only 2 of 8 zoos with Black Rhino routinely analyzed drinking water for iron.
Show less

Title: To translate a life : understanding the holocaust through autobiographical stories
Creator: Stieren, Amelia Naomi
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis seeks to understand some of the aspects and events of the Holocaust through autobiographical stories, with a particular focus on what it means to translate one's life. As there are many different ways one can learn about the Holocaust, this thesis takes a comparative approach of the works of two authors with very different life circumstances: Ruth Kluger's autobiographical works weiter leben: Eine Jugend, and Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered, and Nora Krug's graphic...
Show moreThis thesis seeks to understand some of the aspects and events of the Holocaust through autobiographical stories, with a particular focus on what it means to translate one's life. As there are many different ways one can learn about the Holocaust, this thesis takes a comparative approach of the works of two authors with very different life circumstances: Ruth Kluger's autobiographical works weiter leben: Eine Jugend, and Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered, and Nora Krug's graphic memoirs Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home, and Heimat: Ein deutsches Familienalbum. While both authors have in common that they have written their works in both English and German, the lives of these authors are remarkably different: Ruth Kluger is a Jewish survivor of the genocide from Austria, living in the United States, and Nora Krug is neither a survivor nor Jewish, but rather, a German living in the United States with familial ties to Nazi Germany. Nevertheless, in the translation of their lives into their works, both authors raise many questions and concerns about their identity, displacement (forced for Kluger, chosen for Krug), their sense or lack of belonging, and how different aesthetic forms are necessary for them in the constructing of their life narratives, and in tandem with each other, they offer a way to further understand the events of the Holocaust.
Show less

Title: Influences of vegetated buffers on fish habitat in agricultural streams in michigan : implications for conservation
Creator: Ortiz-Gonzalez, Linda I.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Agriculture provides food for humans and animals around the globe, however, it is also a stressor to ecosystems, including streams and the organisms they support. To reduce negative effects of agriculture on streams and ensure that it is practiced sustainably, conservation practices can help to address environmental concerns from agriculture. The goal of this research is to evaluate the utility of one conservation practice, vegetated stream buffers, in reducing effects of agriculture on...
Show moreAgriculture provides food for humans and animals around the globe, however, it is also a stressor to ecosystems, including streams and the organisms they support. To reduce negative effects of agriculture on streams and ensure that it is practiced sustainably, conservation practices can help to address environmental concerns from agriculture. The goal of this research is to evaluate the utility of one conservation practice, vegetated stream buffers, in reducing effects of agriculture on stream fish habitats. In Chapter 1, we test for influences of forested buffers on fish habitat 30 streams draining heavily agricultural land in the Grand and Saginaw River basins, Michigan. Forested buffers have historically been promoted to reduce nutrient and sediment loading to streams, but they also contribute woody debris, maintain geomorphic units, and improve channel stability by preventing bank erosion, and our results showed that more forest in buffers was associated with decreased sedimentation and less channel erosion. Additionally, we also found that wetlands in buffers were associated with reduced streambed sediment. For Chapter 2, we extrapolated results from Chapter 1 to streams in the Grand, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph River basins in Michigan to identify where implementation of vegetated buffers may improve fish habitat. This resulted in a series of maps showing locations of streams with limited fish habitat based on a lack of vegetation in their buffers along with maps showing locations of currently protected lands to identify areas that could benefit from additional conservation practices. Results from both studies will aid stakeholders by proving information to help them protect or implement vegetated buffers in heavily agricultural watersheds to improve fish habitat.
Show less

Title: Determinants of water source choice in the slums of Kampala : a spatial and institutional analysis
Creator: Nanteza, Rachel
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Water is a non-substitutable human need. However, water scarcity is prevalent among 60% of the urban population living in the slums of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), partly due to ineffective resource distribution and governance. Globally, access to improved water sources is used as an indicator for water access; hence different stakeholders have invested in providing improved water sources. Utilities and NGOs have deemed pre-paid meter public standpoints (PPMs) the most successful available...
Show moreWater is a non-substitutable human need. However, water scarcity is prevalent among 60% of the urban population living in the slums of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), partly due to ineffective resource distribution and governance. Globally, access to improved water sources is used as an indicator for water access; hence different stakeholders have invested in providing improved water sources. Utilities and NGOs have deemed pre-paid meter public standpoints (PPMs) the most successful available technology to extend pro-poor water services to the urban poor across SSA. In Kampala, Uganda, the national utility company (NWSC) adopted PPMs, not every water user in the slums chooses to use PPMs as their source for water. This research investigates the determinants of water source choice in Bwaise II, a slum in Kampala. I employed a mixed methods approach. First, I utilized GIS methods to present the spatial arrangement of the water system in the slum. Secondly, I utilized qualitative methods, namely interviews and focus group discussions with different water users, to answer questions investigating how, why, and when water users decide which sources to use. Results from this study present the changes in the water provision and access patterns in Bwaise II since the adoption of PPMs. They also present the perceptions different users have of different sources to specifically uncover the challenges users face when trying to access some of the components of the PPMs such as acquiring or recharging tokens. Findings from this study provide recommendations to improve the provision of the PPMs in slums to make them more accessible to the users.
Show less

Title: Empowher : how a woman's presence in the boxing ring is rhetorical
Creator: Melendez, Jessica
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis consists of two parts: a written analysis and a documentary, both of which explore women's experiences with boxing through storytelling. The activity of boxing has historically been male dominated, rendering women's voices and bodies invisible. This thesis analyses the ways in which women come together and engage in rhetorical action sharing their individual and community experiences at a particular boxing gym, Empower Lansing. Utilizing storytelling as my methodology and...
Show moreThis thesis consists of two parts: a written analysis and a documentary, both of which explore women's experiences with boxing through storytelling. The activity of boxing has historically been male dominated, rendering women's voices and bodies invisible. This thesis analyses the ways in which women come together and engage in rhetorical action sharing their individual and community experiences at a particular boxing gym, Empower Lansing. Utilizing storytelling as my methodology and documentary making as my medium, this thesis offers women's lived experiences in real time as they reflect on their relationships with boxing, while creating new meaning to what a boxing community can look and feel like. This thesis explores stories through lived experiences that have shaped my own understanding about what it means to rhetorically and materially feminize the boxing ring. The written portion of the thesis concludes with a call for rhetoric and writing studies to pay attention to women in the boxing ring, and includes directions for the next phases of my research.
Show less

Title: Exploring the effects of technology use and overuse on well-being among emerging adult college students : a qualitative approach
Creator: McCarroll, Alexis
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Digital technology use, including smartphone and social media use, is increasingly necessary in the daily lives of emerging adult college students. The number of hours emerging adult college students spend online is increasing as they balance the multiple demands of their lives, including school and social activities. Additionally, concerns about mental and emotional well-being are growing among college students, who have an increased likelihood of experiencing problems such as anxiety,...
Show moreDigital technology use, including smartphone and social media use, is increasingly necessary in the daily lives of emerging adult college students. The number of hours emerging adult college students spend online is increasing as they balance the multiple demands of their lives, including school and social activities. Additionally, concerns about mental and emotional well-being are growing among college students, who have an increased likelihood of experiencing problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress compared to other adults. This thesis explores how both technology use and overuse impacts well-being and daily life among emerging adult college students. This thesis uses data from a series of in-depth, qualitative interviews from a sample of 19 college students aged 18-24 who self-identified as overusers of technology. Following an analysis of these interviews, it was found that technology overuse impacts the daily lives of college students who identify as overusers by making them feel anxious, creating pressure to respond to their social ties, making it difficult to focus on their education and social lives, and making it difficult to fall asleep at night. Positive aspects of overuse include feeling connected to others, improved mood, and personal development. Negative aspects of use include loneliness, feeling overwhelmed, and depressive symptoms. Based on these findings, implications for future studies are discussed.
Show less

Title: Water content effect on nutrient removal in stormwater bioretention systems
Creator: Bender, Rebecca Marian
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Bioretention cells and constructed wetlands are both established best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater quality improvement. These systems vary in terms of hydraulic loading where processes such as retention, sedimentation, absorption, infiltration, filtration, phytoremediation, nitrification and denitrification remove waterborne pollutants. However, the boundary between bioretention and wetlands can be blurred when it comes to design and operational parameters, and it is therefore...
Show more"Bioretention cells and constructed wetlands are both established best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater quality improvement. These systems vary in terms of hydraulic loading where processes such as retention, sedimentation, absorption, infiltration, filtration, phytoremediation, nitrification and denitrification remove waterborne pollutants. However, the boundary between bioretention and wetlands can be blurred when it comes to design and operational parameters, and it is therefore important to explore the causes and consequences of performance variability in these systems. In an experiment to observe optimum water content for treatment pathways for ecological pollutants, five bioretention bays (2-22% water content) and fifteen bioretention columns (7-47% water content, as much as complete pore space saturation) were used to run parallel tests. Pollutant concentrations were reduced in field bays for COD, TN, and total solids (TS), although there was no difference between treatment groups in terms of any pollutant concentrations. Asclepias incarnata, Carex vulpinoidea, Scirpus validus, and Juncus effusus grew slightly taller in wetter bays, although survival of Sagittaria latifolia was uniformly poor in all treatment groups. No net pollutant removal occurred in columns, although effluent concentrations and mass export were significantly lower for near-saturation treatment groups for chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate, and total nitrogen (TN). There was no soil moisture level in which COD, nitrate, TN, phosphate, and TS were simultaneously improved."--Page ii.
Show less

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

Enabled Filters

Pages

Pages

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

You are here

Search results

Pages

Pages