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Title: Multiple Jeopardy, Serious Mental Illness, and Service Attendance
Creator: Reid, Mallet R.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: For people with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), attendance to behavioral health care services is linked to a an increased probability of recovery and a decreased risk for suicide, involuntary hospitalization, incarceration, mental distress, and preventable mortality. Within the population of people with SMI, women and men who are Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPoC) are most likely to experience barriers to services and are the least likely groups to attend services. Thus, most...
Show moreFor people with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), attendance to behavioral health care services is linked to a an increased probability of recovery and a decreased risk for suicide, involuntary hospitalization, incarceration, mental distress, and preventable mortality. Within the population of people with SMI, women and men who are Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPoC) are most likely to experience barriers to services and are the least likely groups to attend services. Thus, most studies examining behavioral health care attendance trends for people with SMI focus on the relationship between marginalized race and/or sex and barriers to service attendance. However, few studies examine the relationship between barriers and attendance among those who occupy multiple marginalized identity groups. This study seeks to fill that gap. Using Multiple Jeopardy theory, which asserts that membership in multiple marginalized groups increases the risk of experiencing negative life events, this study examines the impact of holding multiple marginalized social group identities and of experiencing barriers to attendance on the probability of attending behavioral health services among people with SMI.
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Title: PRETERM DELIVERY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH FALSE POSITIVE, AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSE (ABR)-BASED NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING FINDINGS
Creator: Rathore, Mandavni
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Newborn hearing screening failure can occur in infants without hearing loss; these false-positive (FP) results have been speculated to reflect neurodevelopmental disorder risk. Preterm birth (PTB), a known neurodevelopmental risk factor, has been associated with FP at initial screening. We aim to further characterize this association by stratifying PTB by gestational age and delivery circumstance. To do this, we analyzed birth certificate and Early Hearing Detection & Intervention data from...
Show moreNewborn hearing screening failure can occur in infants without hearing loss; these false-positive (FP) results have been speculated to reflect neurodevelopmental disorder risk. Preterm birth (PTB), a known neurodevelopmental risk factor, has been associated with FP at initial screening. We aim to further characterize this association by stratifying PTB by gestational age and delivery circumstance. To do this, we analyzed birth certificate and Early Hearing Detection & Intervention data from the Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services (2007–2015; n = 919,363). We restricted our analysis to singleton live births with available ABR-based hearing screening data and obstetric estimates of gestational age (n = 655,079). We then used logistic regression to evaluate the association of PTB defined by gestational age (extreme: < 28 weeks; moderate: 28–34 weeks; late: 34–36 weeks) and delivery circumstance (spontaneous, medically indicated) with FP, using full-term birth (≥ 37 weeks) as the referent group. Approximately 4% of infants had FP findings. All gestational age categories were associated with this phenomenon (extreme: OR = 4.2, 95% CI 3.7, 4.7; moderate: OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.1, 1.3; late: 1.6, 95% CI 1.5, 1.7). Spontaneous and medically indicated PTB were also associated with FP (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.6, 1.8; OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.3, 1.5, respectively). All results persisted following adjustment for socio-demographic and antepartum factors except for moderate PTB (OR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.9, 1.1), though sensitivity analyses suggested marked heterogeneity within this group. Further research is needed to investigate factors underlying these differences and whether they correlate with neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses.
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Title: COLLECTIVE ACTION AND SEED PRODUCTION : A PATHWAY FOR WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND COMMUNITY SEED SECURITY IN INDIA
Creator: Lewis, Arena
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: There exists a wide range of development interventions that aim to 1) empower women and 2) ensure food security for rural smallholder farmers. These types of interventions, implemented separately, have had varied success. The implementation of interventions to achieve both women’s empowerment and seed security simultaneously has been researched in a few studies, but the successful achievement of these goals has rarely been observed. This study investigates the impact a layered seed production...
Show moreThere exists a wide range of development interventions that aim to 1) empower women and 2) ensure food security for rural smallholder farmers. These types of interventions, implemented separately, have had varied success. The implementation of interventions to achieve both women’s empowerment and seed security simultaneously has been researched in a few studies, but the successful achievement of these goals has rarely been observed. This study investigates the impact a layered seed production/self-help group program had on women’s empowerment and seed security. The research was conducted in 2 districts in Uttar Pradesh, India using semi-structured interviews of 36 participants. The findings indicate that, through the collective power of self-help groups, women were empowered and seed security was increased for women within the group as well as the greater community through the seed production program. Further, women who participated in the seed production program in addition to their regular self-help group membership, were empowered through additional channels specific to the layered seed production systems. This research indicates that self-help groups can act as a platform for development interventions and integrate well with seed system interventions.
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Title: STREET SKATEBOARDING MITIGATION THROUGH STRATEGIC LANDSCAPE PLANTINGS
Creator: Lentz, Elijah Graham
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Bent handrails, wax covered ledges, and chipped concrete are just a few of the common damages that are far too often the consequence of street skateboarding. Too many public properties have been damaged, trespassed, and plagued by street skateboarders as they use urban architecture and amenities to perform skate tricks on. These areas are not designed for skateboarding and often suffer the consequences as street skateboarders use urban spaces for sport. The purpose of this research is to shed...
Show moreBent handrails, wax covered ledges, and chipped concrete are just a few of the common damages that are far too often the consequence of street skateboarding. Too many public properties have been damaged, trespassed, and plagued by street skateboarders as they use urban architecture and amenities to perform skate tricks on. These areas are not designed for skateboarding and often suffer the consequences as street skateboarders use urban spaces for sport. The purpose of this research is to shed light on the ongoing conflict that occurs between street skateboarders and urban public spaces and to propose design solutions utilizing strategic landscape plantings aimed to deter street skateboarding. By using a Likert-type survey with perspective design renderings used to collect and compare data from both skateboarders and non-skateboarders, as well as observing and recording evidence of street skateboarding and its damages, solutions best fit for the study’s site area of The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum will be determined. Ultimately, this study’s conclusions are intended to add to the knowledge of combating street skateboarding conflict. This study’s findings show that only in specific instances there are significant differences of perceptions between skateboarders and non skateboarders when determining the effectiveness of planting based street skateboarding deterrents and that a street skateboarding conflict exists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. Having just made its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, it is inevitable new effective street skateboarding mitigation strategies will be needed as the sport continues to grow around the world.
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Title: Improving the Efficiency of Residential Buildings in Rural Alaska : An Analysis of Existing Infrastructure and Its Importance in Creating Energy-Efficient Homes
Creator: Milan, Maria
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Rural communities in Alaska, many of which have a high Alaska Native population, currently face significant housing challenges. In a climate that can become extremely cold, houses are generally lacking in energy efficiency. Residents pay high rates for both oil and electricity to heat and operate their homes. Their homes are much smaller and with higher occupancy in comparison to typical U.S. homes. In addition, as the winter season brings sub-zero temperatures, windows remain shut with...
Show moreRural communities in Alaska, many of which have a high Alaska Native population, currently face significant housing challenges. In a climate that can become extremely cold, houses are generally lacking in energy efficiency. Residents pay high rates for both oil and electricity to heat and operate their homes. Their homes are much smaller and with higher occupancy in comparison to typical U.S. homes. In addition, as the winter season brings sub-zero temperatures, windows remain shut with limited mechanical or natural ventilation, also creating indoor air quality concerns. To date there has been limited studies of rural Alaskan communities’ housing, to better understand and quantify such housing challenges. This research focuses on a detailed study of the rural Alaskan community of Unalakleet. Located on the western shore of Alaska, this coastal community of approximately 765 people faces many housing challenges, similar to other rural Alaskan communities. Through collaboration with the housing authority in Unalakleet, this research conducted home energy assessments and resident interviews in the summer of 2021, including 27 energy assessments and 22 interviews. The purpose of the energy assessments was to collect information on typical building features and data, as well as to identify housing challenges. The interviews were generally completed for homes that also had an energy assessment and were used to better understand residents’ perspectives on energy and housing challenges beyond what was observed in the assessments. Blower door tests suggest that homes are usually small and tight, with leakiness around areas like the windows, where mold frequently was observed. Short-term indoor air quality monitoring suggests that some homes, especially those less than 46 m2 , had high CO2 concentrations, relative to others. Some homes had significant mold growth, and others had many areas of damage. Still, interviews with community members suggest that they were grateful for their housing and the ability to live in Unalakleet. The overall purpose of this research is to provide evidence to quantify the typical housing characteristics presence in rural Alaskan communities, as well as to provide results that motivate and support opportunities for new, more efficient housing. The introduction discusses major housing challenges, from high energy bills to the history of inefficient infrastructure in rural Alaska. Physical characteristics of assessed homes, followed by indoor air quality and air flow, are discussed in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively. Finally, Chapter 4 uses data collected from the 27 housing assessments to create a building energy model, where energy usage in existing housing is modeled to represent a ‘typical’ rural Alaskan home. The results of this model show where the largest improvements in efficiency can be made, especially in adding higher R-value insulation. The conclusion provides a brief overview of research contribution, limitations, and future work.
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Title: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESILIENCE AND ADVERSE IMPACT OF STUTTERING
Creator: Grobbel, Hannah
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Children who stutter often experience adverse impact such as bullying, negative thought patterns, and reduced self-esteem that result from living with their condition. Research suggests that there are factors that may place a child who stutters at greater risk for adverse impact as well as protective factors that mitigate this risk. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between resilience and stuttering’s adverse impact in children. Resilience reflects both internal factors...
Show moreChildren who stutter often experience adverse impact such as bullying, negative thought patterns, and reduced self-esteem that result from living with their condition. Research suggests that there are factors that may place a child who stutters at greater risk for adverse impact as well as protective factors that mitigate this risk. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between resilience and stuttering’s adverse impact in children. Resilience reflects both internal factors such as grit and the ability to cope and external factors such as family support and access to resources. We collected data from children who stutter and their parents to assess children’s resilience and stuttering’s adverse impact using standardized assessments. We then explored the relationship between resilience and adverse impact through descriptive statistics, linear regression, and correlation analyses. Results revealed that even children in the youngest, preschool-aged group showed adverse impact due to stuttering. We also found that greater resilience predicted less adverse impact in in school-aged and adolescent children who stutter. These findings provide insight into the experience of stuttering and offer support for treatments that incorporate resilience building into therapy to help mitigate adverse impact experienced by children who stutter.
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Title: PRODUCTIVITY IMPACTS OF STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE RUMINANT FIBER DIGESTION
Creator: Ibraheem, Muhammad
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Strategies to improve forage fiber digestibility can increase dairy sustainability. Reducing lignin content through natural breeding or genetic engineering can improve DMI, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and feed efficiency. A 60 mid-lactating cow experiment was carried out to compare production and nutrient digestibility responses to low-lignin vs. conventional alfalfa hay. The 3 treatments provided 0% (conventional), 50% (blend) and 100% low-lignin alfalfa; all diets contained...
Show moreStrategies to improve forage fiber digestibility can increase dairy sustainability. Reducing lignin content through natural breeding or genetic engineering can improve DMI, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and feed efficiency. A 60 mid-lactating cow experiment was carried out to compare production and nutrient digestibility responses to low-lignin vs. conventional alfalfa hay. The 3 treatments provided 0% (conventional), 50% (blend) and 100% low-lignin alfalfa; all diets contained 31.8% alfalfa on a dry matter (DM) basis. Low-lignin alfalfa decreased total-tract NDF digestibility and milk fat concentration in a dose-dependent manner. All other nutrient and production parameters were unaffected. Therefore, observed NDF digestibility and milk fat results suggest that the low-lignin alfalfa provided less physically effective fiber, failing to demonstrate obvious benefits. Another strategy for improving NDF digestibility involves use of different trace mineral supplements. In a small meta-analysis that included 8 studies and 12 comparisons in both sectors, beef and dairy, effects of hydroxy vs. sulfate trace minerals (TM) on nutrient digestibility and DM intake were investigated. Study design, sector and method of digestibility analysis were the factors included in the analysis. Hydroxy TM increased DM digestibility only in beef cattle and NDF digestibility, which was affected by digestibility analysis method. Total collection studies showed the greatest benefit, followed by use of undigested NDF as a digestibility marker, but 24-h in situ approaches did not show any significant response. In conclusion, adopting multiple strategies for optimizing fiber digestibility might help the dairy industry achieve greater feed efficiency goals.
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Title: Progress toward chemical identification of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) alarm cue
Creator: Mensch, Emily Lauren
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis examined the chemical constituents of repellent odors in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive fish in the Great Lakes basin, for use in management and conservation. Odors are powerful tools that guide organism’s movement decisions, and repellent odors such as conspecific alarm cues are particularly potent. In chapter one, we investigated the chemistry of the alarm cue through behaviorally guided fractionation. We found substantial avoidance responses to two major...
Show moreThis thesis examined the chemical constituents of repellent odors in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive fish in the Great Lakes basin, for use in management and conservation. Odors are powerful tools that guide organism’s movement decisions, and repellent odors such as conspecific alarm cues are particularly potent. In chapter one, we investigated the chemistry of the alarm cue through behaviorally guided fractionation. We found substantial avoidance responses to two major fractions: water-soluble and chloroform soluble and a full avoidance response upon recombination of the two fractions. We found no consistent avoidance patterns to subfractions, or individual compounds identified in the water-soluble fraction, and we found no avoidance response to all 32 identified compounds from the water-soluble fraction when combined at observed ratios in the skin. In chapter two, we investigated the role of a potential repellent molecule, putrescine, on sea lamprey activity and avoidance in a small individual behavioral assay and avoidance in a large, multi-animal assay. We found a context-dependent response, where sea lamprey did not increase activity in the small assay but did show a substantial avoidance response to putrescine. No evidence of avoidance to putrescine was observed in the large assay. In sum, these results suggest the alarm cue is likely not contained in the 32 identified compounds in the water-soluble-fraction alone and that the behavioral response to putrescine is context dependent. While elucidating the chemistry of the sea lamprey alarm cue may be more difficult than through behaviorally guided fractionation alone, the continued pursuit is worthwhile because of the utility in invasive species management and conservation of native species.
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Title: Evaluating The Suitability Of Salvaged Lumber As Feedstock In Cross-Laminated Timber
Creator: Abdul Azeez, Ahamed
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Structural abandonment has been a growing concern in the United States for the past few decades. Conventional demolition procedures exercised to eliminate the abandoned structures result in wood waste that are not feasible for reuse. On the other hand, the demand for lumber has been steadily increasing. This research focuses on promoting deconstruction, obtaining the salvaged lumber from deconstructed abandoned buildings, and evaluating the possibility of reusing it to make way for a...
Show moreStructural abandonment has been a growing concern in the United States for the past few decades. Conventional demolition procedures exercised to eliminate the abandoned structures result in wood waste that are not feasible for reuse. On the other hand, the demand for lumber has been steadily increasing. This research focuses on promoting deconstruction, obtaining the salvaged lumber from deconstructed abandoned buildings, and evaluating the possibility of reusing it to make way for a secondary means of lumber production.The study evaluates the engineering properties of salvaged lumber. Furthermore, the salvaged lumber is partially used to manufacture Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) per the current standards and its properties are compared against the properties of CLT panels exclusively made of freshly sawn lumber. By developing variables for the study, the various factors affecting the properties are analyzed. The researcher believes that the intended results would inaugurate the consideration of salvaged wood usage in wood products that serve as construction material.
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Title: Learning Fair Representations without Demographics
Creator: Wang, Xiaoxue
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Due to hard accessibility, real-world adoption of fair representation learning algorithms lacks the prior knowledge of the sensitive attributes that we wish to be fair with. To address the challenge in fairness without explicit demographics, our solution is based on the idea of maximally randomizing the representation while being as informative as possible about the target task. We operationalize this goal through the concept of maximizing the entropy of the learned representation. For this...
Show moreDue to hard accessibility, real-world adoption of fair representation learning algorithms lacks the prior knowledge of the sensitive attributes that we wish to be fair with. To address the challenge in fairness without explicit demographics, our solution is based on the idea of maximally randomizing the representation while being as informative as possible about the target task. We operationalize this goal through the concept of maximizing the entropy of the learned representation. For this purpose, we propose two new avenues for entropy maximization in the absence of demographic information: intra-class and inter-class entropy maximization. For 1) intra-class entropy maximization, it maximizes the entropy of the non-target class predictions (excluding the probability of the ground truth class label for classification problems), thus encouraging the model to discard spurious correlations between the different target classes, and for 2) inter-class entropy maximization, it maximizes the entropy of the representation conditioned on the target label, thus encouraging randomization of the samples within each target class label and minimizing the leakage of potential demographic information in the representation. Quantitative and qualitative results of our Maximum Entropy method (MaxEnt) on COMPAS and UCI Adult datasets show that 1) our method can outperform the State-of-the-art (SOTA) Adversarially Reweighted Learning (ARL) method and will enhance the difficulty of extracting sensitive demographic information in representation without prior demographic knowledge 2) our method reaches a good trade-off between utility and fairness.
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Title: THE EFFECTS OF VIDEO MODELING ON TEACHING STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES HOW TO REQUEST A WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATION
Creator: Smith, Brianna
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may not always be proficient with self-advocacy skills or be aware of the accommodation rights afforded to them through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), potentially hindering their success for maintaining employment and succeeding in individual job tasks. This study was designed to provide proper knowledge and training to teach individuals with IDD how to effectively advocate for their right to necessary...
Show moreIndividuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may not always be proficient with self-advocacy skills or be aware of the accommodation rights afforded to them through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), potentially hindering their success for maintaining employment and succeeding in individual job tasks. This study was designed to provide proper knowledge and training to teach individuals with IDD how to effectively advocate for their right to necessary accommodations in a workplace setting. First, the effectiveness of an initial whole group PowerPoint training to teach eight individuals with IDD who attended a school-to-work transition program how to request a workplace accommodation was examined. Following the training, ability to appropriate request a workplace accommodation was assessed through role-play probes; six participants did not perform the skill accurately and required additional training. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, these six participants completed 1:1 video modeling training, involving videos and role plays depicting each participants individualized requests. All participants increased their percentage of correct responding after the introduction of video modeling training. Three of the eight participants required additional booster sessions and feedback to maintain performance once video modeling was removed. Three of the eight participants generalized the skill to their workplace setting. The implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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Title: The effect of supplementing native rumen microbes on milk production of dairy cattle
Creator: Goldsmith, Katelyn E.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Dairy cows are commonly fed direct-fed microbials (DFM) to improve milk production and efficiency. Most DFM are not native to the dairy cow rumen which may limit their ability to interact with the native microbiome. We evaluated the effects of two DFM supplements containing 4 native rumen microorganisms on the production of dairy cows. Ninety Holstein cows (92 ± 23 DIM, mean ± standard deviation (SD); 45 ± 10 kg milk/d; 658 ± 86 kg BW; 40% primiparous) were fed a common diet. After 14 d, they...
Show moreDairy cows are commonly fed direct-fed microbials (DFM) to improve milk production and efficiency. Most DFM are not native to the dairy cow rumen which may limit their ability to interact with the native microbiome. We evaluated the effects of two DFM supplements containing 4 native rumen microorganisms on the production of dairy cows. Ninety Holstein cows (92 ± 23 DIM, mean ± standard deviation (SD); 45 ± 10 kg milk/d; 658 ± 86 kg BW; 40% primiparous) were fed a common diet. After 14 d, they were blocked by parity, days in milk, and energy corrected milk (ECM) per unit of metabolic body weight. Within block, cows were randomly assigned to treatments, which were top-dressed daily for the next 112 d. Treatments were 150 g of ground corn mixed with 1) no live DFM (CON), 2) 5 g of a live DFM (Galaxis 2.0; G2), and 3) 5 g of a live DFM (Galaxis 2.0 Plus; G2P). G2 and G2P were products of Native Microbials Inc. (San Diego, CA) and contained the same organisms but in different concentrations. Supplementation with DFM did not alter yield of total milk, protein, or fat, but slightly decreased body weight gain and body condition score gain with no difference between G2 and G2P. DFM tended to decrease dry matter intake (DMI) but did not significantly improve feed efficiency (ECM/DMI). DFM did not alter digestibility of fiber, starch, protein, or fat, and did not alter concentrations of glucose or non-esterified fatty acids but tended to decrease concentration of insulin in plasma. DFM decreased somatic cell counts in milk with no difference between G2 and G2P. In conclusion, supplementation with native DFM had little impact on milk production and efficiency.
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Title: ASSESSING ‘BEHAVIORAL ARTISTRY’ STAFF TRAINING ON BEHAVIOR TECHNICIANS’ USE OF BEHAVIORAL ARTISTRY TRAITS AND THE BEHAVIOR OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Creator: Notarianni, Emilia
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Training high quality practitioners continues to be a priority in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. The concept of behavioral artistry (BA) identifies traits that may contribute to an individual’s success as a behavior analyst, including attributes such as resilience, sense of humor, and compassion. Despite BA’s potential for meaningful impact in the field, research in this area remains limited. The current study aimed to behaviorally define the BA trait “likes people” and investigated...
Show moreTraining high quality practitioners continues to be a priority in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. The concept of behavioral artistry (BA) identifies traits that may contribute to an individual’s success as a behavior analyst, including attributes such as resilience, sense of humor, and compassion. Despite BA’s potential for meaningful impact in the field, research in this area remains limited. The current study aimed to behaviorally define the BA trait “likes people” and investigated the effects of a behavioral skills training and video self-modeling on the development of behaviors representative of that BA trait. Additionally, data were collected on client behaviors, in order to examine the effects of the BA training on client behavior. Four dyads consisting of one behavior technician and one young child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder participated in the study, which took place in an EIBI clinic affiliated with a midwestern university. Results showed an increase in the use of the BA trait “likes people” in all adult participants. However, this behavior change did not maintain over time. Child participants demonstrated very little behavior change between phases of this study. These findings indicate that BST and VSM may not be the most effective intervention for training staff on BA. Key words: behavioral artistry, behavioral skills training, staff training, video self-modeling
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Title: SYSTEMIC DELIVERY OF INSECTICIDES IN BLUEBERRIES FOR CONTROL OF BLUEBERRY STEM GALL WASP, HEMADAS NUBILIPENNIS
Creator: Bosch, Amber Kay
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Blueberry stem gall wasp (Hemadas nubilipennis) is a pest of highbush blueberry and can pose a challenge to control with foliar sprays due to adult activity during bloom and larval development within the plant tissues. In this thesis, systemic delivery of insecticides in blueberry bushes was evaluated using three application methods on potted bushes, in blueberry shoot bioassays, and on a commercial blueberry farm. Each study aimed to evaluate impact on gall and gall wasp development, along...
Show moreBlueberry stem gall wasp (Hemadas nubilipennis) is a pest of highbush blueberry and can pose a challenge to control with foliar sprays due to adult activity during bloom and larval development within the plant tissues. In this thesis, systemic delivery of insecticides in blueberry bushes was evaluated using three application methods on potted bushes, in blueberry shoot bioassays, and on a commercial blueberry farm. Each study aimed to evaluate impact on gall and gall wasp development, along with active ingredient residue delivery to plant tissues. I hypothesized that if the insecticide moved systemically within the blueberry vascular system to areas where the blueberry stem gall wasp larvae are developing, then the insecticide will kill the larvae leading to a reduction in gall formation and number of surviving adults per gall. In the potted bush study, applications were made by crown injection, soil drench and foliar sprays. Imidacloprid, flupyradifurone, and spirotetramat were recovered in shoot and leaf tissues, however there was no evidence of inhibited gall or gall wasp development. In the shoot bioassays, imidacloprid and spirotetramat were found to have the greatest potential for control of blueberry stem gall wasp. Active ingredient recovery in bioassay gall tissue revealed the concentration needed to get moribund/ lethal larval response. The on-farm study indicated there was successful movement of imidacloprid and flupyradifurone using chemigation, however, the impact on blueberry stem gall wasp was not great enough to provide control.
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Title: USING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AS GROUND CONTROL TO SUPPORT CITIZEN SCIENTIST COASTAL UAS MONITORING PROGRAMS
Creator: Rabins, Lucas Frederick
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Recent publications have described the ability of citizen scientists to conduct unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights to collect data for coastal management. Ground control points (GCPs) can be collected to georeference these data, however collecting GCPs require expensive surveying equipment not accessible to citizen scientists. Instead, existing infrastructure can be used as naturally occurring GCPs (NGCPs), although availably of NGCP placement on such infrastructure differs from published...
Show moreRecent publications have described the ability of citizen scientists to conduct unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights to collect data for coastal management. Ground control points (GCPs) can be collected to georeference these data, however collecting GCPs require expensive surveying equipment not accessible to citizen scientists. Instead, existing infrastructure can be used as naturally occurring GCPs (NGCPs), although availably of NGCP placement on such infrastructure differs from published best practices of GCP placement. This study therefore evaluates the achievable accuracy of sites georeferenced with NGCPs through an analysis of 20 diverse coastal sites. At most sites NGCPs produced horizontal and vertical root mean square errors (RMSE) less than 0.060 m which are similar to those obtained using traditional GCPs. To support future UAS citizen science coastal monitoring programs, an assessment to determine the optimal NGCP quantity and distribution was conducted for six coastal sites. Results revealed that generally at least seven NGCPs collected in the broadest distribution across the site will result in a horizontal and vertical RMSE less than 0.030 m and 0.075 m respectively. However, the relationship between these placement characteristics and RMSE was poor, indicating that georeferencing accuracy using NGCPs cannot be optimized solely through ideal quantity and distribution. The results of these studies highlight the value of NGCPs to support UAS citizen science coastal monitoring programs, however they also indicate a need for an initial accuracy assessment of sites surveyed with NGCPs at the onset of such programs.
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Title: The Impact of Castration on the Immediate Inflammatory Response to Early-Weaning in Male Pigs
Creator: Roney, Andrew
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In this study, differences between castrated and intact male piglets in the immediate immune response to early-weaning stress were determined. Testosterone and 17-estradiol were both higher in intact males than in castrates, while cortisol was not different between gonadal groups. CBC results showed a tendency for castrates to have a greater increase in neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio over 24 hours, indicating greater inflammation. Thymuses tended to be longer in intact males than in castrates....
Show moreIn this study, differences between castrated and intact male piglets in the immediate immune response to early-weaning stress were determined. Testosterone and 17-estradiol were both higher in intact males than in castrates, while cortisol was not different between gonadal groups. CBC results showed a tendency for castrates to have a greater increase in neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio over 24 hours, indicating greater inflammation. Thymuses tended to be longer in intact males than in castrates. Basal testosterone levels in intact males were strongly associated with increased total mast cell numbers in the small intestinal tissues. Basal testosterone was associated with increased 0-hour neutrophil numbers in intact males and 24-hour 17-estradiol was associated with decreased 24-hour neutrophil numbers in the villus crypts of the small intestine tissues. This study has revealed gonadal effects on the immediate immune response to early-weaning stress, but the hormonal relationships revealed need to be confirmed by hormone blockade and/or replacement studies.
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Title: THE USE OF EQUIVALENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION TO TEACH GRADUATE STUDENTS SIMPLIFIED DEFINITIONS OF BEHAVIOR ANALYTIC TERMINOLOGY
Creator: Medlin, Grace
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Individuals who are pursuing their Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification are required to have an effective understanding of applied behavior analysis (ABA) terminology. Hemwell (2020) used Equivalence Based Instruction (EBI) and Match-to-Sample (MTS) training to teach technical definitions of ABA terminology to first-year ABA students. Participants displayed limited emergent intraverbal responding and did not maintain emergent intraverbal responding. Hemwell (2020) speculated...
Show moreIndividuals who are pursuing their Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification are required to have an effective understanding of applied behavior analysis (ABA) terminology. Hemwell (2020) used Equivalence Based Instruction (EBI) and Match-to-Sample (MTS) training to teach technical definitions of ABA terminology to first-year ABA students. Participants displayed limited emergent intraverbal responding and did not maintain emergent intraverbal responding. Hemwell (2020) speculated this was due to the length and complexity of the definitions. The current study was conducted to replicate and extend Hemwell (2020) to determine if using simplified definitions of ABA terminology was effective in promoting the acquisition, understanding, and maintenance of ABA terminology. Using a multiple probe across behaviors design replicated across participants, participants were exposed to 30 simplified ABA terms, along with definitions and examples via a MTS teaching method. Participants were assessed on their performance of untaught relations in a selection-based pre-post assessment, as well as through a written intraverbal probes. Despite text simplification, emergent intraverbal responding was variable and did not maintain for all terms. However, emergent selection-based responding across all relations from pre to post test was evident. In addition, following text simplification, participants displayed emergent selection based responding with more complex definitions from the Cooper et al. (2020) textbook. Overall, future instructors may consider the use of EBI and text simplification in their courses to teach ABA terminology, examples, and principles.
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Title: HIGH SURFACE AREA ZINC ELECTRODE FOR FURFURAL ELECTROCATALYTIC HYDROGENATION
Creator: Lee, Seungyeon
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: With the increasing need to achieve carbon neutrality, electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass-derived oxygenates, such as furfural, has received growing interest. Biomass ECH is an eco-friendly conversion of an abundant resource to valuable chemical products like fuels that replace fossil resources. In this study, we focus on high surface-area zinc nanoparticles as a catalyst for furfural ECH. The rotating disk electrode (RDE) is employed to enable quick electrochemical studies with...
Show moreWith the increasing need to achieve carbon neutrality, electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass-derived oxygenates, such as furfural, has received growing interest. Biomass ECH is an eco-friendly conversion of an abundant resource to valuable chemical products like fuels that replace fossil resources. In this study, we focus on high surface-area zinc nanoparticles as a catalyst for furfural ECH. The rotating disk electrode (RDE) is employed to enable quick electrochemical studies with small surface area, and kinetic parameters were obtained via Koutecký-Levich analysis. To modify a glassy carbon RDE with zinc nanoparticles, Nafion®, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were studied as binders. In the absence of furfural, chronoamperometry of PVA-bound zinc electrodes showed continuous steady current associated with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In contrast, Nafion® and PVP bound electrodes were found to be unstable. In the presence of furfural, high electrocatalytic activity was achieved with Zn-PVA compared to glassy carbon. The Zn-PVA electrode was optimized by varying the binder content and total zinc loading. A weak optimum was identified at 92 wt% zinc and 8.6 mgZn/cm2 loading. For zinc electrodes, high FE was obtained at higher overpotential (-0.9V vs. RHE), whereas higher FE was obtained at lower overpotentials for copper. Through Koutecký-Levich analysis, kinetic current densities and moderate Tafel slopes were observed, suggesting that the high surface-area zinc electrode is a promising platform for ECH. Product analysis studies using GC-MS are suggested to verify FE and to further elucidate the mechanism of furfural ECH at zinc electrodes.
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Title: HOW CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN IN EARLY INTERVENTION FEEL ABOUT SIMPLIFIED LANGUAGE INPUT : A SURVEY STUDY
Creator: Nylund, Megan
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: There is some disagreement regarding how adults should simplify their utterances when speaking to young children with language delays. One type of simplification that has come into question is telegraphic input, a style of speaking that involves removing grammatical aspects of phrases, such as function words and grammatical markers (e.g., All done snack, Cookie yummy). In the current study, we utilized survey data collected by Andary (2020) surveying caregivers of children in early...
Show moreThere is some disagreement regarding how adults should simplify their utterances when speaking to young children with language delays. One type of simplification that has come into question is telegraphic input, a style of speaking that involves removing grammatical aspects of phrases, such as function words and grammatical markers (e.g., All done snack, Cookie yummy). In the current study, we utilized survey data collected by Andary (2020) surveying caregivers of children in early intervention about their views on different types of simplified language. Specifically, we asked: How do caregivers’ beliefs about telegraphic input relate to how comfortable they are producing different types of simplified utterances? Results were also analyzed for correlations between demographics and beliefs of simplification. Additionally, the survey provided space for caregivers to share recommendations they gained through Early On resources. Results show caregivers with a positive view of telegraphic input felt significantly less comfortable producing full, grammatical utterances than caregivers with a negative or neutral view of telegraphic input. Demographic analysis revealed caregivers with higher education levels preferred more grammatical utterances. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding caregiver perspectives in caregiver-mediated intervention approaches.
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Title: THE TRANSCRIPTOMIC AND EPIGENOMIC RESPONSE OF KOCHIA SCOPARIA TO SUBLETHAL GLYPHOSATE
Creator: Claucherty, Carly Abbegail
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Weed populations respond and adapt to herbicide stress by evolving resistance. Glyphosate resistance is primarily caused by the amplification of the target site gene, EPSPS, where multiple copies produce a large enough protein pool so that field rates do not kill the plant. This mechanism has evolved independently in at least nine divergent weed species. It has been demonstrated that EPSPS gene duplication may be transposon mediated in Kochia scoparia. A key regulator of transposable element ...
Show moreWeed populations respond and adapt to herbicide stress by evolving resistance. Glyphosate resistance is primarily caused by the amplification of the target site gene, EPSPS, where multiple copies produce a large enough protein pool so that field rates do not kill the plant. This mechanism has evolved independently in at least nine divergent weed species. It has been demonstrated that EPSPS gene duplication may be transposon mediated in Kochia scoparia. A key regulator of transposable element (TE) activity is DNA methylation. The role of the epigenome and subsequent transcriptome in transient responses to herbicides of their primary target, weeds, is not well understood In this study, we performed RNA-Seq and bisulfite sequencing on leaf tissue from glyphosate-sensitive kochia before and three weeks after treatment with two sublethal doses to determine if glyphosate causes hypomethylation of the genome, allowing for the activation of transposons and upregulation of stress-related genes. Our results shows that overall gene expression was suppressed by glyphosate and increases in CHH methylation through development were also ceased. We did not observe significant global changes in cytosine methylation, and overall responses were stochastic. When combining the two datasets together, there was no direct correlation between changes in methylation and changes in gene expression suggesting that DNA methylation is not the primary cause of differential expression in our study. Our results broaden the knowledge pool of weedy species epigenomics and aid in understanding the contribution of DNA methylation to plant resilience in response to herbicide stress.
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