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Title: Localized Habitat Use by Humboldt’s Flying Squirrels and Dusky-Footed Woodrats in Northern California
Creator: Quiles Delgado, Tessaliz
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Primary prey for the protected subspecies California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) include dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) (DFW) and Humboldt’s flying squirrels (Glaucomys oregonensis) (HFSQ). The goal of my thesis is to describe fine-scale habitat use of DFW and HFSQ in industrially-managed timberlands in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. From 2018 to 2019, I live trapped and tagged 12 HFSQ and 31 DFW. From this sample, I fit five DFW and two HFSQ with...
Show morePrimary prey for the protected subspecies California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) include dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) (DFW) and Humboldt’s flying squirrels (Glaucomys oregonensis) (HFSQ). The goal of my thesis is to describe fine-scale habitat use of DFW and HFSQ in industrially-managed timberlands in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. From 2018 to 2019, I live trapped and tagged 12 HFSQ and 31 DFW. From this sample, I fit five DFW and two HFSQ with radio transmitters (VHF) to assess fine-scale habitat use. I focused trapping on forest patches with mature and decadent trees, which are common habitat features associated with HFSQ and DFW occurrence. In Chapter One, I describe factors affecting trapping success of DFW and HFSQ. I used trapping success as an index of habitat use by prey, where higher trapping success equated to greater localized use by target species. I found a positive correlation between trap nights and capture probability for HFSQ. For DFW, I found capture probability positively correlated with trap nights and precipitation. In Chapter Two, I describe localized habitat features associated with HFSQ and DFW radio telemetry locations. I compared forest vegetation structure and composition in the immediate vicinity (within 5 m) of daytime locations used by HFSQ and DFW to more distal (>35m) vegetation conditions to determine if micro-forest structures corresponded to HFSQ and DFW use. I found species – level differences in percent ground and basal area where dusky-footed woodrats used areas with significantly more forest litter and shrub cover while Humboldt’s flying squirrels used sites with larger diameter trees.
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Title: Phylogeny of Astylopsis Casey (Coleoptera : Cerambycidae) species and patterns of host use
Creator: Camerato, Ellen M.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Cerambycid (longhorn) beetles are diverse in their morphology and life history traits, but all share the common trait of being larval plant-borers. The larvae bore into and develop inside various plant tissues thus they can potentially cause significant economic and ecological damage, especially when transported to non-native localities. There is little empirical data on cerambycid life history traits that are essential in understanding their ecological and economic effects. Astylopsis Casey ...
Show moreCerambycid (longhorn) beetles are diverse in their morphology and life history traits, but all share the common trait of being larval plant-borers. The larvae bore into and develop inside various plant tissues thus they can potentially cause significant economic and ecological damage, especially when transported to non-native localities. There is little empirical data on cerambycid life history traits that are essential in understanding their ecological and economic effects. Astylopsis Casey (Lamiinae: Acanthocinini) is an eastern North American genus of six species. Host preference varies greatly among the species, including both angiosperms and gymnosperms. I used morphological characters and molecular data to reconstruct phylogenies of Astylopsis to test the hypothesis that host plant use among Astylopsis species is conserved. I constructed phylogenies using partial COI and CAD DNA sequences from Astylopsis species and outgroups using parsimony methods. Astylopsis collaris, A. macula, A. sexguttata, and A. arcuata were monophyletic in both COI and combined gene phylogenies, with the genus also exhibiting monophyly in the combined gene tree. Evidence of host shift from angiosperms to gymnosperms in some species was also observed. These results confirm current taxonomic separations among the four species and their outgroups and provide important host use information. No conclusions could be drawn regarding DNA variation in association with geographic locality. These findings will inform future studies expanding the molecular dataset for Astylopsis with additional genes (arginine kinase, 28S, and EF1-α) and species (Astylopsis perplexa and A. fascipennis).
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Title: Simultaneous system identification and disturbance estimation for linear time varying system with application to active suspension system
Creator: Ghiya, Dhruv Pramod
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Various control techniques have been developed in order to improve the suspension performance since late 20th century. Controllers have been developed to reject the road disturbance in case of time invariant suspension systems. Although some of these researches give good results for non-linear suspension systems with parameter uncertainties, there is not much research done which treats a time varying system. I propose here an approach based on output tracking state feedback controller with...
Show more"Various control techniques have been developed in order to improve the suspension performance since late 20th century. Controllers have been developed to reject the road disturbance in case of time invariant suspension systems. Although some of these researches give good results for non-linear suspension systems with parameter uncertainties, there is not much research done which treats a time varying system. I propose here an approach based on output tracking state feedback controller with disturbance rejection for linear time varying system to tackle this problem in case of a quarter car suspension model. The proposed controller works even in case of completely unknown plants. This algorithm, combined with a pole placement controller, can be used to ensure ride comfort and to avoid damage to vehicle components. If a nominal model is known, it can also estimate time varying road disturbances which can be written as a summation of sinusoids and this estimate can be used as a preview to enhance the control performance of other vehicles. We compare the proposed algorithm with LQR tracking algorithm in simulation and superior performance is demonstrated. Bounds on the time varying parameters are derived in terms of norm of the states, within which the proposed algorithm is guaranteed to work."--Page ii.
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Title: Importance of nutritional status of passerines to immunity and disease dynamics
Creator: Fake, Kimberly R.
Date: 2018
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Host nutritional status has been long established as a mediator of host-pathogen interactions across taxa. Nutritional status of landbirds is largely determined by environmental conditions and can vary between individuals. Many landbirds by virtue of migratory movements are exposed to a variety of pathogens. Furthermore, landbirds also face conditions of limited resources and high competition, which can impact their ability to acquire nutrients. Here I explore how the host-pathogen...
Show moreHost nutritional status has been long established as a mediator of host-pathogen interactions across taxa. Nutritional status of landbirds is largely determined by environmental conditions and can vary between individuals. Many landbirds by virtue of migratory movements are exposed to a variety of pathogens. Furthermore, landbirds also face conditions of limited resources and high competition, which can impact their ability to acquire nutrients. Here I explore how the host-pathogen interactions and subsequently disease dynamics among landbirds may be affected by host nutritional status. First, we review disease dynamics and effects of host nutrition on the host-pathogen interaction, highlighting the importance of exploring impacts of host nutritional status to disease dynamics among migratory landbirds. Second, we present a foundational study of the impact of host nutritional status, measured as energetic condition, on constitutive immune function of American robins (Turdus migratorius), a passerine which acts as a reservoir for multiple zoonotic pathogens. Together these chapters provide an ecoimmunological and conservation medicine perspective on the importance of nutritional status of passerines to immunity and disease dynamics.
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Title: PERCEPTIONS OF VOICE PRODUCTION IN HEALTHY FEMALES IN REGARDS TO AGE AND PROFESSIONALISM : AS QUANTIFIED BY ACOUSTIC AND PERCEPTUAL MEASURES
Creator: Nizami, Hafsaah Fatima
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: PURPOSE: This study aims to research the perception of voice as it relates to aging and professionalism in an individual. The production of voice varies in accordance with various factors. These variations often provide an insight into a listener’s perceptions of a speaker’s vocal characteristics and these perceptions may vary across settings. METHODS: This study required four components. The first component required college aged participants to rate perceptions of age and health in regards...
Show morePURPOSE: This study aims to research the perception of voice as it relates to aging and professionalism in an individual. The production of voice varies in accordance with various factors. These variations often provide an insight into a listener’s perceptions of a speaker’s vocal characteristics and these perceptions may vary across settings. METHODS: This study required four components. The first component required college aged participants to rate perceptions of age and health in regards to young and old female vocalists. The second section required college aged participants to rate professionalism in regards to young and old female vocalists. Speech Professionals were asked to participate in the third component of this study, in which they rated listeners among the GRBAS scale. The last component required a quantification of results using a standard acoustic measure like cepstral peak prominence. RESULTS: Strong positive correlations were found between estimated age and actual age, strong negative correlations were found between older women and professionalism; moderately positive correlations were found between younger women and professionalism; moderate to strong correlation was found between age and GRBAS; and moderate negative correlations were found between age and CPPS. DISCUSSION: The following results were found: College-aged students were able to distinguish between the younger and older females. Older women were perceived as less professional. As age increases, GRBAS scores also increase. As age increases, CPPS ratings will decrease. CONCLUSION: Further research may require completion of surveys in a controlled environment, and inclusion of pitch-related measures as they relate to the workplace. Keywords: Aging voice, biological sex differences, perception of voice, professional voice, acoustic measures
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Title: LAKE TYPE AND CONNECTIVITY PREDICT ZEBRA MUSSEL (DREISSENA POLYMORPHA) PRESENCE
Creator: Matuszak, Danielle
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Studies that differentiate between lake type or origin, i.e., natural lakes and reservoirs, or that focus solely on reservoirs are rare, especially at broad scales. These facts lead to reservoirs being less well understood compared to natural lakes. It is known that adding dams/impoundments alters the flow regime of the original water body and changes surface water connectivity. However, the impact of these alterations on invasive species dispersal is widely unknown. Reservoirs are also...
Show moreStudies that differentiate between lake type or origin, i.e., natural lakes and reservoirs, or that focus solely on reservoirs are rare, especially at broad scales. These facts lead to reservoirs being less well understood compared to natural lakes. It is known that adding dams/impoundments alters the flow regime of the original water body and changes surface water connectivity. However, the impact of these alterations on invasive species dispersal is widely unknown. Reservoirs are also thought to have higher levels of human disturbance, which can provide opportunities for non-native species such as the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) to invade and establish. Surface water connections allow zebra mussel larvae to flow from one waterbody to another. Additionally, trailering of recreational boats among lakes can promote overland dispersal of zebra mussels through live wells and boating equipment. Although such connectivity promotes zebra mussel spread, we do not yet know how zebra mussels vary according to lake type nor the relative roles of surface and human connectivity and lake type. Taking a data-intensive approach at the macroscale, we ask: Are zebra mussels more common in reservoirs than in natural lakes? How does surface water and human connectivity influence the presence of zebra mussels in reservoirs and natural lakes? To answer these questions, we used 907 lakes within a 17-U.S. state extent and data from a variety of sources. Water quality, surface water connectivity, and human disturbance data were from the LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal (LAGOS) database, public lake access sites were from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and zebra mussel presence data were from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. We characterized surface water connectivity using six unique lake connectivity classes. We characterized human connectivity two ways: watershed road densities measured in meters per hectare and, for a 3-state subset of the study extent, the presence of public access sites on lakes. We characterized surface water connectivity using a lake connectivity classification based on lake and stream inflow(s)/outflow(s). Using logistic multiple regressions and controlling for region and lake chlorophyll a concentrations, we found that a higher proportion of reservoirs have zebra mussels compared to natural lakes for the 17-state extent. At this same spatial extent, we found that more highly connected lakes, both by humans and surface waters, were more likely to have zebra mussels present, regardless of lake type. Finally, at the 3-state extent, lakes with a public access site were more likely to have zebra mussels than those without, regardless of lake type. We conclude that not all ‘lakes’ are equally likely to have zebra mussels present and that both surface water and human connectivity are important predictors of zebra mussel presence. This study improves the understanding of how natural lakes and reservoirs differ and the extent to which reservoirs disproportionately harbor the invasive zebra mussel, which can improve management and prevention. For example, these results suggest that legislation and management focused on uninvaded reservoirs that are highly connected may help slow the spread of this invasive species.
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Title: Emotions and Teaching Practices
Creator: Brown, Danielle Denise
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis is an autoethnography which explores the relationship between the emotions and teaching practices of a novice language teacher throughout one semester of teaching. It addresses two questions: (a) What emotions related to teaching were experienced throughout that semester? and (b) How did those emotions affect their teaching practices? Reflective journaling was practiced to document emotions experienced throughout the semester. An analysis of reflective journal entries revealed...
Show moreThis thesis is an autoethnography which explores the relationship between the emotions and teaching practices of a novice language teacher throughout one semester of teaching. It addresses two questions: (a) What emotions related to teaching were experienced throughout that semester? and (b) How did those emotions affect their teaching practices? Reflective journaling was practiced to document emotions experienced throughout the semester. An analysis of reflective journal entries revealed five emotions that affected the instructor’s teaching practices: fear, guilt, shame, exhaustion, and joy. These five emotions were found to affect the instructor’s teaching practices in a variety of ways, with some effects being more positive or negative than others. The refined model of teacher emotion (Chen, 2021) is used to describe the antecedents and consequences of each emotion.
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Title: AN EXPLORATORY TEST OF FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISTS PROTECTIVE AND PUTATIVE (RISK) FACTORS; IN BOTH VIOLENT AND NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS USING THE EXTREMIST CRIME DATABASE
Creator: Lindsay, Lance Jhordan Asquith
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTAN EXPLORATORY TEST OF FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISTS PROTECTIVE AND PUTATIVE (RISK) FACTORS; IN BOTH VIOLENT AND NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS USING THE EXTREMIST CRIME DATABASEByLance Jhordan Asquith. LindsayResearch in the field of extremism studies have steadily progressed as it emerged from the main field of terrorism studies. This progression has gone from defining terrorism and its root causes; to measuring cognitive and behavioral indicators which may predict the likelihood of radicalization...
Show moreABSTRACTAN EXPLORATORY TEST OF FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISTS PROTECTIVE AND PUTATIVE (RISK) FACTORS; IN BOTH VIOLENT AND NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS USING THE EXTREMIST CRIME DATABASEByLance Jhordan Asquith. LindsayResearch in the field of extremism studies have steadily progressed as it emerged from the main field of terrorism studies. This progression has gone from defining terrorism and its root causes; to measuring cognitive and behavioral indicators which may predict the likelihood of radicalization toward extremism. This comes after tedious debates about typology and causes of terrorism in the field, there are still challenges to overcome as most research relies on open-source data. Through efforts to make this field more established the Extremist Crime Database (ECDB) stands out as a standard for this pursuit having some of the best open-source data and widespread usage. The database captures extremist violence from 1990 to 2014 and is a relational database that links event level data to individual offender level data. This database created by Freilich and colleagues (2014) has resulted in the ability to conduct quantitative analysis beyond descriptive statistics. The main question: are there differences in these risk and protective factors that lead to non-violent or violent outcomes of offenders in this sample? These nuances in the frequency of factors may explain why an individual followed the offending trajectory and if these differences explain offending.
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Title: Surface energy characterization and competitive surface equilibria using contact angle
Creator: Stubbs, Barrack Perez
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Surface energy measurements are usually difficult to assess when not considering a solid-air or liquid-air interface. Contact angles was used as a method of obtaining the interfacial energy of a silanol-water surface using carbon tetrachloride as a probing liquid. The theory for this work operated under the assumption that the pKa of a silanol surface could be measured by obtaining a titration like curve as a function of pH. A decrease in contact angle of about 7° was observed at a pH (pKa)...
Show moreSurface energy measurements are usually difficult to assess when not considering a solid-air or liquid-air interface. Contact angles was used as a method of obtaining the interfacial energy of a silanol-water surface using carbon tetrachloride as a probing liquid. The theory for this work operated under the assumption that the pKa of a silanol surface could be measured by obtaining a titration like curve as a function of pH. A decrease in contact angle of about 7° was observed at a pH (pKa) of 3.5. This corresponds to an energy difference of 2 mN/m. -- Abstract.
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Title: PARAMETRIC STUDY OF THE DERMAL TEMPERATURE PROFILES DURING CRYOLIPOLYSIS
Creator: McClintock, Dillon H.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive clinical procedure to locally reduce adipose tissue. During the procedure, paddles that are maintained at a prescribed temperature (commonly -14 °C and 3.1 °C) are placed in good thermal contact with the skin. Cryolipolysis was inspired by panniculitis observed in a pediatric patient. The goal is to cool the adipose tissue to 10.4 °C in order to induce apoptosis in adipocytes, presumably by the crystallization of the intracellular triglycerides. The dermal cells...
Show moreCryolipolysis is a noninvasive clinical procedure to locally reduce adipose tissue. During the procedure, paddles that are maintained at a prescribed temperature (commonly -14 °C and 3.1 °C) are placed in good thermal contact with the skin. Cryolipolysis was inspired by panniculitis observed in a pediatric patient. The goal is to cool the adipose tissue to 10.4 °C in order to induce apoptosis in adipocytes, presumably by the crystallization of the intracellular triglycerides. The dermal cells between the cooled paddle and the adipocytes are colder than the adipocytes, but are less susceptible to death due to cooling. Thus, when properly administered, cryolipolysis leaves the dermis and epidermis unharmed. There are some adverse outcomes, e.g. transient neuropathy and rare adipose hyperplasia. The clinical cooling protocol has been based largely on animal experiments and subsequent clinical experience. A mathematical model could aid clinicians by providing insight into the temperature history of the tissues, potentially allowing optimization of the procedure. A model is here presented based on the Pennes bioheat transfer equation. Scaling the equation reveals two parameters in the Pennes equation: the Fourier number and a blood perfusion parameter. This scaled equation has the form of a 1D transient fin equation. Green’s function solutions were used to model the temperature profile. The model revealed that the 30 min and 60 min treatment protocols often used clinically would give similar temperature profiles. Moreover, the effect of the blood perfusion rate was more noticeable for the end temperature than for the transient temperatures. The range of thermal conductivities typical for tissue, which is largely a function of tissue hydration, had little net effect on the temperature profile. This justified the use of the one-layer model. In addition to other insights, the results showed that the -14 °C paddle cooled more of the tissue to the desired temperature than did the 3.1 °C, as would be expected. For optimizing treatments, the relationship between temperature and time required to trigger apoptosis in adipocytes needs to be quantified and coupled with the temperature model.
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Title: Muscle co-contraction during adaptation to dynamic perturbations
Creator: Krishnan Ramaraj, Praveen Prabhakar
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In this study, participants performed center-out reaches to targets under the influence of a velocity dependent force field. They were assigned to one of two groups based on the type of perturbation: i) abrupt, and ii) gradual. The abrupt group was exposed to a force field of 20 Nm-1s whereas the gradual group was exposed to a force field that increased from 5 to 20 Nm-1s in increments of 5 Nm-1s every 52 trials. Muscle co-contraction was measured during the trials using two methods: i) Co...
Show moreIn this study, participants performed center-out reaches to targets under the influence of a velocity dependent force field. They were assigned to one of two groups based on the type of perturbation: i) abrupt, and ii) gradual. The abrupt group was exposed to a force field of 20 Nm-1s whereas the gradual group was exposed to a force field that increased from 5 to 20 Nm-1s in increments of 5 Nm-1s every 52 trials. Muscle co-contraction was measured during the trials using two methods: i) Co-contraction Index, and ii) Global EMG. Our results suggest that the gradual group displayed a tendency to co-contract more during exposure to the force field. Post-exposure, the aftereffects remained for a short period of time with the gradual group tending to co-contract more. During the later part of post-exposure, no difference was seen between the two groups. In combination with the previously analysed kinematic data these results indicate that internal model acquisition and adaptation may be facilitated by muscle co-contraction and exposure to gradual dynamic perturbations as compared to abrupt dynamic perturbations.
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Title: NEURON TO NETWORK - RESEARCH INTO OCTOPUS NEUROBIOLOGY AND LABORATORY SETUP
Creator: VanBuren, Tyler Wade
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Many developments in biomedical research have been inspired by discovering anatomical and cellular mechanisms that support specific functions in different species. The octopus is one of these exceptional animals that has given scientists new insights into the fields of neuroscience, robotics, and prosthetics. To begin research with this species of cephalopods the set-up of complex facilities and intensive care routines for both the octopus and its ecosystem is predicated on the project’s...
Show moreMany developments in biomedical research have been inspired by discovering anatomical and cellular mechanisms that support specific functions in different species. The octopus is one of these exceptional animals that has given scientists new insights into the fields of neuroscience, robotics, and prosthetics. To begin research with this species of cephalopods the set-up of complex facilities and intensive care routines for both the octopus and its ecosystem is predicated on the project’s success. After the successful deployment of this marine ecosystem, research into the neurobiology of the octopus’s limbs began with the study of provoked responses in extracellular ex vivo tissue through electrical stimulation. The preliminary results suggest that the methods employed within this study show extracellular electrophysiology data can be recorded from the tissue as well as evoke responses. Outcomes from this research assist to understand how to successfully record electrophysiological data from octopuses and effectively analyze the results to support next steps in the research. The data collected from this study will be employed for testing in vivo recording electrodes for the eventual goal of understanding how an octopus’s nervous system coordinates movement while engaging in normal behavior. This will ultimately aid in replicating its mechanisms for locally controlled movement through robotics for the use in prosthetics.
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Title: 2B4 IS A CHECKPOINT MOLECULE FOR iNKT CELL ANTI-TUMOR RESPONSE
Creator: Bahal, Devika Naresh
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are robust cytotoxic effectors and immune modulators, which makes them ideal candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the use of iNKTs for cellular therapy against cancer has been limited due to their transient response in pre-clinical trials. Although TCR-CD1d interactions are generally required for iNKT cell cytotoxicity, the receptors and signaling mechanisms that co-operate with the TCR to promote maximal anti-tumor responses are poorly...
Show moreInvariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are robust cytotoxic effectors and immune modulators, which makes them ideal candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the use of iNKTs for cellular therapy against cancer has been limited due to their transient response in pre-clinical trials. Although TCR-CD1d interactions are generally required for iNKT cell cytotoxicity, the receptors and signaling mechanisms that co-operate with the TCR to promote maximal anti-tumor responses are poorly understood. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms that regulate anti-tumor responses is critical for the development of effective iNKT-based therapies. Our efforts have shown that 2B4, a SLAM receptor, when expressed on iNKTs reduces their cytotoxic response against lymphoma cells. Surprisingly, 2B4 is not expressed on resting iNKTs but gets rapidly upregulated via stimulation through the TCR. 2B4 has two isoforms, which are splice variants of each other, of which the inhibitory long form is predominantly expressed in activated iNKTs. Our data show that 2B4 is a checkpoint molecule and has an inhibitory role in iNKT cell cytotoxicity. Indeed, when we overexpressed 2B4 in an iNKT cell hybridoma, the killing capacity of the iNKT cell line was abrogated. Moreover, 2B4 can be converted to a potent activating receptor by swapping its intracellular domains with proline motifs, which drastically augments tumor cell lysis. Taken together, this study highlights the important role of 2B4 in iNKT cell cytolysis and broadens the knowledge of immunoregulatory receptors in iNKT cells for future applications in cancer therapy.
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Title: INVESTIGATION OF BACTERIOPHAGE AS A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL FOR BACTERIAL CANKER OF SWEET CHERRY
Creator: Lauwers, Erin M.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Bacterial canker of sweet cherry trees, caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (PSS), is an economically important disease in Michigan and effective disease management is not available. For these reasons, bacteriophages (phages) are being investigated as a potential biological control of bacterial canker. A cocktail of Pseudomonas bacteriophage was tested as a biological control in Michigan sweet cherry orchards during bloom in 2021 and 2022. Populations of antibiotic-marked...
Show moreBacterial canker of sweet cherry trees, caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (PSS), is an economically important disease in Michigan and effective disease management is not available. For these reasons, bacteriophages (phages) are being investigated as a potential biological control of bacterial canker. A cocktail of Pseudomonas bacteriophage was tested as a biological control in Michigan sweet cherry orchards during bloom in 2021 and 2022. Populations of antibiotic-marked pathogenic PSS strains were tracked for the duration of the flowering period. Establishment of PSS populations greater than 5 log10 CFU g-1 flowers were detected on all water treated flowers during the experiment. In one field replicate on sweet cherry variety ‘Benton’, the PSS population on flowers treated with the phage cocktail was lower (P<0.05) 48 hrs after treatment. Environmental conditions during this field experiment were different compared to the other replicates including higher precipitation, higher relative humidity, and lower Daily Light Integral. These observations could indicate conditions in which phage may be an effective biological control. It also corroborates the need for reducing phage degradation by UV in the field. Kaolin clay was tested as a protectant against UV irradiation in vitro and in vivo. A rate of 4.8 mg ml-1 kaolin clay was shown to effectively protect phage from UV degradation in vitro but was not observed when the phage cocktail was supplemented with kaolin clay in the field. This work gives us a better understanding of the potential of phage as a biological control of bacterial canker under field conditions.
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Title: Relation of water to tensile strength in super cement mortars
Creator: Clark, Earl L.
Date: 1926
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Design of sewage disposal plant for the city of East Lansing
Creator: Hollenbach, Howard F.
Date: 1924
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Exploring the causes of informal housing in California cities from the demand side and supply side
Creator: Li, Wei (Graduate of Michigan State University)
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In recent years, informal housing in developing countries has received widespread attention, but researchers have largely overlooked informality in developed countries, such as the United States. In fact, many types of informal housing exist in the United States. Recently, some scholars have devoted themselves to the research of informal housing in America, including its definition, types, and causes. However, none of them use quantitative methods to examine the potential causes of informal...
Show moreIn recent years, informal housing in developing countries has received widespread attention, but researchers have largely overlooked informality in developed countries, such as the United States. In fact, many types of informal housing exist in the United States. Recently, some scholars have devoted themselves to the research of informal housing in America, including its definition, types, and causes. However, none of them use quantitative methods to examine the potential causes of informal housing. This research aims to address this issue. In my study, I chose California cities as the unit of analysis due to the large numbers of informal housing units in California. With the definition of informal housing - housing units which are not permitted by local housing regulations or codes - I calculated the share of newly-built informal housing in California cities in the 2000s using previous scholars' methods. I then used fractional response regression models to examine the potential causes of informal housing produced from 2000 to 2010. The results reveal that informal housing arises both from the demand and the supply side. The variables on the demand side suggest that demographic factors - namely immigrants, Hispanics, and African Americans - play different roles in the production of informal housing. The lack of income on the demand side also results in informal housing. Additionally, on the supply side, the result suggests that the future housing provision and existing housing provision play an important role in the production of informal housing, while existing housing conditions, such as the share of single-family houses, is not related to informal housing production.
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Title: Documenting the geomorphic impacts of high lake level on freshwater coastal wetlands using topobathymetric surveys : a case study from Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron
Creator: Castro, Megan Grace
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: There has been extensive research connecting vegetative processes in coastal freshwater wetlands and water level fluctuations. However, there is little work on changes to wetland geomorphology, what those transformations may be, and how they impact the wetland. This paper aims to identify changes in wetland geomorphology and decern any correlation between water level and vegetation extents. Data for this study spans from 2012 to 2021, capturing the most recent period of rising water levels....
Show moreThere has been extensive research connecting vegetative processes in coastal freshwater wetlands and water level fluctuations. However, there is little work on changes to wetland geomorphology, what those transformations may be, and how they impact the wetland. This paper aims to identify changes in wetland geomorphology and decern any correlation between water level and vegetation extents. Data for this study spans from 2012 to 2021, capturing the most recent period of rising water levels. Vegetation extent imagery and topobathymetric data were collected during field excursions in the summer of 2021 and compared to NAIP imagery acquired from USGS Earth Explorer and topobathymetric LiDAR data from NOAA Data Access Viewer. Imagery from 2021 was collected using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter drone and 2021 topobathymetric data utilized an RTK-GPS antenna and Seafloor Systems SonarMite single-beam echosounder to conduct boating, kayaking, and wading surveys at each study site. Studies took place at Wigwam Bay and Quanicassee State Wildlife Areas located in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. Findings show water level had a variable impact on vegetation extent and suggest that erosion of sediment occurred during high water levels at both sites. Results show observable changes in geomorphology adjacent to the wetlands. Changes to geomorphology could potentially impact the size, health, and ecosystem services of coastal wetlands. This initial study has limitations due to the nature of available historical data but is intended as a first step towards further understanding the role of geomorphology in coastal freshwater wetland systems.
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Title: PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS, OPIOID USE DISORDERS, AND OPIOID DEATHS ACROSS 21 OECD NATIONS
Creator: Siddiqui, Zehra Jabeen
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Since the 1990s, the United States has seen increased prescription opioid consumption (POC) and an increase in the prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and the opioid disorder death (ODD) rate. This paper examines three factors that may have fueled the opioid crisis: increased supply of prescription opioids, increased demand for opioids because of pain and economic related despair. A regression analysis of twenty-one OECD nations was used to examine the determinants of and the...
Show moreSince the 1990s, the United States has seen increased prescription opioid consumption (POC) and an increase in the prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and the opioid disorder death (ODD) rate. This paper examines three factors that may have fueled the opioid crisis: increased supply of prescription opioids, increased demand for opioids because of pain and economic related despair. A regression analysis of twenty-one OECD nations was used to examine the determinants of and the relationships between POC, OUDs, and ODDs. Over 1991-2019, consumption did not have a significant effect on OUDs or ODDs, but over 2003-2019 it had a positive significant effect on both. These results held if the US was removed from the sample, supporting some supply side effect across the panels after 2003. Furthermore, OUDs have a large, positive and significant effect on ODDs, indicating two possible pathways direct (straight from consumption) and indirect (through an effect on opioid use disorders) that POC relates to increased ODDs. One model estimates that 39% of the increase in US opioid fatalities is attributable to increased POC between 2003-2010.
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Title: INTENSITY IN TEACHING : DEVELOPING AN AFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR WRITING INSTRUCTORS
Creator: Chapman Ball, Cadaxa
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This qualitative research project aims to develop an affective framework for writing pedagogy through analyzing narrative data collected over the course of one semester teaching MSU’s first-year writing course, WRA 101: Writing As Inquiry. The narrative data consists of journal entries and reflections remarking on my own affective states in the writing classroom. Through analyzing these writings, this thesis reveals how and why affect theory has useful applications in writing pedagogy; namely...
Show moreThis qualitative research project aims to develop an affective framework for writing pedagogy through analyzing narrative data collected over the course of one semester teaching MSU’s first-year writing course, WRA 101: Writing As Inquiry. The narrative data consists of journal entries and reflections remarking on my own affective states in the writing classroom. Through analyzing these writings, this thesis reveals how and why affect theory has useful applications in writing pedagogy; namely, that instructors who attend to their own affective responses have the opportunity to better understand the changes they need to make to their teaching practices as well as the systems in which they teach.
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