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Title: OBSERVATIONS OF ATMOSPHERIC TURBULENCE DURING A LOW INTENSITY SURFACE FIRE
Creator: Seitz, Joseph Patrick-Thayer
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Ambient atmospheric environment affects the growth and spread of wildland fires, whereas heat and moisture release from the fires and the reduction of the surface drag in the burned areas can significantly alter local atmospheric conditions. Previous studies have investigated this interaction between the fire and the surrounding atmosphere, but the majority of these experiments collected in-situ data at the fire-atmosphere interface using only a few instrumented towers in typically a large...
Show moreAmbient atmospheric environment affects the growth and spread of wildland fires, whereas heat and moisture release from the fires and the reduction of the surface drag in the burned areas can significantly alter local atmospheric conditions. Previous studies have investigated this interaction between the fire and the surrounding atmosphere, but the majority of these experiments collected in-situ data at the fire-atmosphere interface using only a few instrumented towers in typically a large burn plot of at least a few acres or several thousand square meters. This study reports results from a recent prescribed surface fire experiment conducted on a small, densely instrumented burn plot of one hundred square meters (10 m by 10 m). The fuel in the burn plot was pine needles with a fuel loading of about 0.5 kg m-2 and fuel moisture of 5.5%. At the time of the burn, the ambient wind speed at the fuel bed level was about 2 m s-1. In-situ meteorological observations were collected using a 4 by 4 array of three-dimensional sonic anemometers mounted on four trusses at 2.5 m right above the fuel bed level. The analysis of the 10-Hz velocity and temperature data from the 16 sonic anemometers focuses on fire-induced atmospheric turbulence. By comparing the observations collected before, during and after the fire, the study reveals how the fire can alter the heat and momentum exchanges between the combustion zone and the atmosphere above. Besides confirming some of the general findings about fire-induced turbulence from previous studies, the results reveal the existence of substantial heterogeneity in the fire-atmosphere interactions across the burn plot. Even for a plot as small as this, the perturbations of the fire to the ambient atmosphere depends strongly on the downwind distance from the initial fire line and the specific position relative to the fire front. This key finding further highlights the necessity for fire behavior models to have 1-2 m grid spacing to resolve the heterogeneities and capture fire-atmosphere interactions that are relevant to turbulence. The results also have important implications for modeling smoke dispersion, as atmospheric dispersion characteristics in the vicinity of a wildland fire are directly affected by fire-induced turbulence.
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Title: EXPLORING STERILE INSECT TECHNIQUE FOR MANAGEMENT OF CODLING MOTH IN MICHIGAN
Creator: Andrews, Megan Abigail
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The use of sterile insect technique (SIT) for codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) management has been proven successful at suppressing wild populations, allowing for the reduction of insecticide applications. Most of this research has occurred in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. In this thesis, I demonstrate how this tool might be utilized in Michigan apple orchards. I first looked at how male and female C. pomonella respond to traps baited with different chemical cues in...
Show moreThe use of sterile insect technique (SIT) for codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) management has been proven successful at suppressing wild populations, allowing for the reduction of insecticide applications. Most of this research has occurred in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. In this thesis, I demonstrate how this tool might be utilized in Michigan apple orchards. I first looked at how male and female C. pomonella respond to traps baited with different chemical cues in Michigan compared to Washington in a 2-year study. I found a difference in the sex ratios of recaptured codling moths between the two states, demonstrating that lure performance is different based upon regional differences. In addition to monitoring traps, I investigated how to apply sterile insect technique in Michigan where a farm-scale approach is necessary due to the relatively small size of orchards in this region. I compared the timing of releases during the season (1st generation, 2nd generation, or season long) in addition to the rate of moths released (half or full rate). The full rate released for first generation or season long had consistently low wild male moth captures throughout the season. Finally, we tested the method of the release (self-released, released in the canopy, or released on the ground) and found that there was no significant difference between the release methods tested. These results can inform future development of codling moth management programs for Michigan apple orchards that include the sterile insect release.
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Title: Spontaneously Occurring Clonal Hematopoiesis in the Canine
Creator: Sebastian, Kimberley
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a clinical entity of aging humans that is characterized by cancer-associated mutations in white blood cells, without evidence of overt neoplasia. CHIP has been associated with an increased risk of hematologic cancers, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. We hypothesized that somatic mutations in specific genes associated with human CHIP would be detectable in the blood of aged dogs not known to have hematologic disorders....
Show moreClonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a clinical entity of aging humans that is characterized by cancer-associated mutations in white blood cells, without evidence of overt neoplasia. CHIP has been associated with an increased risk of hematologic cancers, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. We hypothesized that somatic mutations in specific genes associated with human CHIP would be detectable in the blood of aged dogs not known to have hematologic disorders. DNA from paired germline and whole blood samples from 93 geriatric canine patients affected by solid cancer were subjected to targeted next generation sequencing. Impact of the variants was predicted using Polymorphism Phenotyping version 2 software (PolyPhen-2, Harvard). Clinical and demographic data were extracted from medical records. Somatic variants were detected in peripheral blood of four (4.3 %) female dogs aged 12-15 years. Affected genes were ASXL1, KIT, SF3B1, TET2, RUNX1, and PPM1D. The variant in PPM1D was a nonsense mutation, while the other five variants were single nucleotide non-synonymous variants in protein coding regions of the genes. The single nucleotide variants in KIT and SF3B1 were predicted to be benign, while the variants in ASXL1, TET2, and RUNX1 were predicted to be damaging. A mutant RUNX1 cell line was designed and constructed with CRISPR technology, and the mutant cells had an increased growth rate compared to controls. These results support the presence of variants in CHIP-associated genes in geriatric canids similar to those observed in people, and the dog represents the first species in which the genetic lesion of CHIP has been documented. Further investigations are needed to confirm the association of this genetic lesion with clinical outcomes.
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Title: AN EXPLORATION OF VIRAL DISEASES AFFECTING GREAT LAKES LAKE STURGEON (ACIPENSER FULVESCENS)
Creator: Johnston, Amber Elizabeth
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens; LST) is the only sturgeon species in the Great Lakes (GL), where populations are estimated to be <1% of historical abundances. Resultantly, substantial resources are being devoted to the hatchery propagation of LST. Concurrently, more is being uncovered regarding viral diseases that affect sturgeons (e.g. Frog virus 3 [FV3], Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA viruses [NCLDVs], Acipenserid herpesviruses). To investigate the presence of these viruses, I...
Show moreThe lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens; LST) is the only sturgeon species in the Great Lakes (GL), where populations are estimated to be <1% of historical abundances. Resultantly, substantial resources are being devoted to the hatchery propagation of LST. Concurrently, more is being uncovered regarding viral diseases that affect sturgeons (e.g. Frog virus 3 [FV3], Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA viruses [NCLDVs], Acipenserid herpesviruses). To investigate the presence of these viruses, I collected wild adult and hatchery reared juvenile GL-LST (Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior watersheds) and utilized specialized/specific molecular and in vitro diagnostics. Although FV3 and NCLDVs were not detected in sampled GL-LST, I successfully detected and, for the first time, isolated a herpesvirus (Family Alloherpesviridae) from adult GL-LST that, based on genomic analyses, appears distinct from known alloherpesviruses. To assess virulence of this virus (proposed name of lake sturgeon herpesvirus 2, LSHV-2), juvenile GL-LST were immersed in a viral suspension. Within 10 days, disease signs developed in virus-exposed LST, soon progressing to mortality (33% cumulative mortality), where LSHV-2 was re-isolated from representative skin lesions. Next, the efficacy of three disinfectants (Perox-Aid®, VirkonTM-Aquatic, and Ovadine®) against LSHV-2 was assessed in vitro, where all three substantially decreased viral titers to varying degrees, marking promising means of prevention/control. Whether LSHV-2 has or is contributing to reduced LST abundance in the GL remains to be determined, but my findings provide a foundation to further study and combat this newly uncovered sturgeon-pathogenic virus.
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Title: SPATIAL AND THERMAL ECOLOGY OF LAKE TROUT (SALVELINUS NAMAYCUSH) IN LAKE ERIE
Creator: Funnell, Tyler R.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Rehabilitation of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), which historically was the coldwater apex predator of much of the Laurentian Great Lakes, is a priority for fishery management agencies in the region. In Lake Erie, the shallowest and southern-most Great Lake, successful rehabilitation of lake trout has been hindered by limited wild recruitment, possibly related to the lake’s warm temperatures and restricted oxythermal habitat. I used acoustic telemetry tracking technology to investigate...
Show moreRehabilitation of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), which historically was the coldwater apex predator of much of the Laurentian Great Lakes, is a priority for fishery management agencies in the region. In Lake Erie, the shallowest and southern-most Great Lake, successful rehabilitation of lake trout has been hindered by limited wild recruitment, possibly related to the lake’s warm temperatures and restricted oxythermal habitat. I used acoustic telemetry tracking technology to investigate how lake trout spatial and thermal habitat use varies seasonally in Lake Erie to better understand whether limited recruitment could be caused by thermal conditions in the lake. As expected, lake trout were restricted to the offshore region of the eastern basin of Lake Erie during summer stratification. During fall, lake trout tended to occupy the southern nearshore region of the eastern basin, suggesting the importance of focusing spawning habitat restoration in this part of the lake. Tagged fish dispersed long distances at much higher frequencies than other Great Lakes populations of lake trout. Lake trout in Lake Erie occupied thermal habitat similar to other Great Lakes populations during summer stratification. Following destratification in fall, fish were exposed to warm temperatures, in some years for extended periods. Lake trout hatchery strains of Finger Lakes, NY, origin occupied similar summer temperatures and warm temperatures for more days during fall than Great Lakes origin strains, contrary to findings from Lakes Huron and Ontario. These results reveal behaviors that can inform management of lake trout in Lake Erie and throughout the Great Lakes and could begin to explain recruitment failure observed in Lake Erie.
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Title: EFFECTS OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS AND WEATHER ON BITTER PIT INCIDENCE IN ‘HONEYCRISP’ APPLE
Creator: Griffith, Chayce
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Bitter pit is a physiological disorder of apple linked with Ca deficiency and characterized by dark lesions on the surface of fruit. The commercially important cultivar ‘Honeycrisp’ is highly susceptible to the disorder. In-planta Ca transport occurs exclusively in the xylem; therefore, Ca deficiency in fruit is primarily the result of gradual xylem dysfunction. Because auxin promotes xylogenesis, we hypothesized that early-season applications of both native and synthetic auxins and ABA would...
Show moreBitter pit is a physiological disorder of apple linked with Ca deficiency and characterized by dark lesions on the surface of fruit. The commercially important cultivar ‘Honeycrisp’ is highly susceptible to the disorder. In-planta Ca transport occurs exclusively in the xylem; therefore, Ca deficiency in fruit is primarily the result of gradual xylem dysfunction. Because auxin promotes xylogenesis, we hypothesized that early-season applications of both native and synthetic auxins and ABA would improve xylem longevity and functionality resulting in higher Ca concentrations in fruit and reduced bitter pit. Using several experimental approaches, we demonstrate that auxins and ABA significantly prolong xylem function and markedly reduce bitter pit incidence. A multiple regression model was also developed to correlate temporal climatic data with bitter pit incidence over multiple years and disparate sites throughout Michigan. Collectively, results suggest potential novel uses of plant growth regulators to mitigate bitter pit.
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Title: SOUTHERN CONJURE WOMEN : MANIFESTORS OF SOUTHERN BLACK JOY
Creator: Drake, Keshunta
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Southern Conjure women are the manifestors of Southern Black joy. Southern conjure women are women from or in the South. These women utilize root work and/or conjure as a means of empowerment, self-preservation, and healing. In the discussion of Southern conjure women, I employ "conjure feminism" to understand the significance of Southern conjure women and their role in society. In addition, I also use Lindsey Stewart's The Politics of Black Joy to discuss how root work plays a significant...
Show moreSouthern Conjure women are the manifestors of Southern Black joy. Southern conjure women are women from or in the South. These women utilize root work and/or conjure as a means of empowerment, self-preservation, and healing. In the discussion of Southern conjure women, I employ "conjure feminism" to understand the significance of Southern conjure women and their role in society. In addition, I also use Lindsey Stewart's The Politics of Black Joy to discuss how root work plays a significant role in the production of Southern Black joy. In my discussion of the Southern conjure woman, I explore Gloria Naylor's Mama Day and Ntozake Shange's Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo. I utilize characters from these works as archetypes of Southern conjure women. I also talk about how each character utilizes root work and conjure to manifest Southern Black joy.
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Title: Les Chef·fes : Une analyse genrée des films de haute cuisine
Creator: McNabb, Erin R.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Le modèle français du·de la chef·fe professionnel·le a été adopté dans les restaurants du monde entier, et avec lui, un système engendré. Bien que des recherches historiques et sociologiques (Black 2021, Ferguson 2004, Haddaji 2017, Trubek 2000) aient été menées sur la façon dont les cheffes ont été marginalisées dans les restaurants de haute cuisine peu d’analyses ont été faites sur la façon dont le genre dans la cuisine française est représenté dans les films de culture populaire. La...
Show moreLe modèle français du·de la chef·fe professionnel·le a été adopté dans les restaurants du monde entier, et avec lui, un système engendré. Bien que des recherches historiques et sociologiques (Black 2021, Ferguson 2004, Haddaji 2017, Trubek 2000) aient été menées sur la façon dont les cheffes ont été marginalisées dans les restaurants de haute cuisine peu d’analyses ont été faites sur la façon dont le genre dans la cuisine française est représenté dans les films de culture populaire. La représentation joue un rôle important dans l'image de la profession telle qu'elle est présentée aux Français·es, mais aussi à un public international. Ces représentations constituent la principale source d'informations culturelles sur la haute cuisine, et les images fictives des chef·fes définissent les attentes à l'égard de la profession dans le monde.Cette étude examine le rôle qui joue le genre dans la représentation des chef·fes de haute cuisine dans les films de culture populaire par un analyse des personnages, scènes, et intrigues de six films : Comme un Chef (2012), Burnt (2015), Les Saveurs du Palais (2012), The Hundred Foot Journey (2014), No Reservations (2007) et On a failli être amis (2016). En examinant comment les chef·fes de la haute cuisine sont représentés d'un point de vue genré et féministe, je montre que les représentations renforcent la dominance de la masculinité normative et l'exclusion des femmes dans la profession, ce qui contribue donc à la marginalisation des femmes dans la haute cuisine.
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Title: The Role of the Campus Outdoor Environment on University Student Mental Health : A Study Focusing on the Michigan State University Campus
Creator: Koning, Mallory Marie
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTThe Role of the Campus Outdoor Environment on University Student Mental Health: A Study Focusing on the Michigan State University CampusByMallory Marie Koning The mental health and wellness of university students has been a pressing concern in recent years in the US and is becoming an even larger issue due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations between university student mental health and their campus’s outdoor environment. To...
Show moreABSTRACTThe Role of the Campus Outdoor Environment on University Student Mental Health: A Study Focusing on the Michigan State University CampusByMallory Marie Koning The mental health and wellness of university students has been a pressing concern in recent years in the US and is becoming an even larger issue due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations between university student mental health and their campus’s outdoor environment. To gather data for this research, an online survey was designed based on literature review and distributed to students at Michigan State University. Students were asked questions about their overall mental well-being, as well as questions about their environmental perceptions, outdoor activity, views to nature through windows and safety concerns regarding their outdoor campus environment. Among 161 survey respondents, the major findings of this study indicate a significant difference in mental health scores for windows in living quarters, where students with living quarter windows had better mental health scores (MHS) than students without living quarter windows. This study also found a marginally significant difference in the MHS for students with classroom windows, where students with classroom windows had better mental health than students without classroom windows. These results also indicated a stronger need for windows in living quarters than on campus. Other results of this study include a significant difference in MHS for students’ perception of safety on campus, outdoor work time, and perception of greenspace on campus. Future landscape designers, university planners, and student counselors will be able to use this study to determine what kinds of outdoor spaces should be created and used to improve the well-being of students.
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Title: Training Behavior Technicians to Implement Naturalistic Object Imitation Using Behavioral Skills Training
Creator: Walker, Ashley N.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) on teaching behavior technicians to implement imitation training, in the form of naturalistic behavioral interventions, to a confederate adult. Using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design, participants were exposed to baseline conditions and given the instruction to teach the adult confederate how to imitate. Then, participants were exposed to a single BST session. Following BST,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) on teaching behavior technicians to implement imitation training, in the form of naturalistic behavioral interventions, to a confederate adult. Using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design, participants were exposed to baseline conditions and given the instruction to teach the adult confederate how to imitate. Then, participants were exposed to a single BST session. Following BST, participant behavior was monitored further in the presence of the confederate. Results suggest BST resulted in an improvement in imitation training for all three participants. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
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Title: Examination of soilborne pathogens of celery in Michigan
Creator: Peterson, Annika
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Michigan celery field and greenhouse yield and quality is negatively impacted by soilborne pathogens. Celery growers have observed a crown rot, wilt, and vascular discoloration called “meltdown”. Symptomatic celery plants were collected from seven grower commercial grower fields across four counties and two years. Isolations showed the most common organisms observed were Fusarium solani species complex (52%) and Fusarium oxysporum species complex (45%) as identified by sequencing of the...
Show moreMichigan celery field and greenhouse yield and quality is negatively impacted by soilborne pathogens. Celery growers have observed a crown rot, wilt, and vascular discoloration called “meltdown”. Symptomatic celery plants were collected from seven grower commercial grower fields across four counties and two years. Isolations showed the most common organisms observed were Fusarium solani species complex (52%) and Fusarium oxysporum species complex (45%) as identified by sequencing of the translation elongation factor-1α. Isolates identified as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii race 2 (Foa race 2), the cause of Fusarium yellows, using diagnostic primers caused disease in a growth chamber pathogenicity assay. Foa race 2 isolates are capable of causing disease symptoms but are infrequent so “meltdown” may have additional cause(s). Pythium root rot decreases quality of greenhouse grown celery transplants. Pythium spp. isolated from symptomatic celery seedlings were characterized by virulence and fungicides tested for control of Pythium root rot. The most frequent Pythium species collected from Michigan celery were P. mastophorum (55%), P. intermedium (16%), P. sulcatum (10%), P. aff. diclinum (6%), and P. sylvaticum (5%). P. sulcatum and P. sylvaticum caused disease symptoms on celery seedlings in a greenhouse virulence assay. Phosphorous acid salts, ethaboxam, and mefenoxam controlled Pythium root rot in a greenhouse setting. Results indicate which Pythium spp. are of most concern to celery growers and identify effective chemical controls. Understanding presence and virulence of soilborne plant pathogens in Michigan celery production will be used to develop strategies to limit disease.
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Title: THE BACKBONE OF FISHERIES : INDONESIAN WOMEN IN SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES ORGANIZE TO OVERCOME GENDER INEQUALITIES
Creator: Ratri, Annisa Meutia
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Worldwide, women's contributions in the fisheries sector are significant and include fish harvesting, processing, and marketing, among others. However, women often face discrimination and are not recognized in the sector by their male counterparts, managers, and policymakers. This thesis aims to examine the motives for the establishment of women organizations in Indonesia, the Indonesian Fisherwomen's Sisterhood Group (Persaudaraan Perempuan Nelayan Indonesia/PPNI), and to investigate how the...
Show moreWorldwide, women's contributions in the fisheries sector are significant and include fish harvesting, processing, and marketing, among others. However, women often face discrimination and are not recognized in the sector by their male counterparts, managers, and policymakers. This thesis aims to examine the motives for the establishment of women organizations in Indonesia, the Indonesian Fisherwomen's Sisterhood Group (Persaudaraan Perempuan Nelayan Indonesia/PPNI), and to investigate how the lives of women belonging to the organization have changed. This study is based on a qualitative case study using both primary and secondary sources. The primary data consists of interviews conducted via Zoom and phone interviews. This study adopts a Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) framework to examine barriers that women experience that led to the collective action to establish a women-specific fishery organization. Issues related to economic and environmental changes, lacking access to decision-making processes and resources, and lacking recognition were pivotal for women in the sector to organize themselves. This study found that being part of the organization can become a strategy for women in fisheries to overcome barriers in the sector. This study also shows that PPNI allows women in the sector to renegotiate their roles and rights within their households, communities and in the sector. Thus, since the establishment of PPNI, the organization has made efforts to foster gender equality, mainly to support changing women’s lives through women's empowerment.
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Title: USING SALVAGED LUMBER AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR MANUFACTURING STRUCTURAL GLULAM
Creator: MALI, AMAR BAJIRAO
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Every year tons of old wood end up in landfill landfills as there is no lucrative alternative. A glued-laminated timber section made with salvaged lumber could make an efficient use of the salvaged material and reduce the cost of wood in the market. A 3-point bending test was conducted on a total of 120 specimens to investigate the mechanical properties of glued-laminated timber manufactured using salvaged lumber. Balanced layups were used for this test. The MOE, MOR, and reliability of the...
Show moreEvery year tons of old wood end up in landfill landfills as there is no lucrative alternative. A glued-laminated timber section made with salvaged lumber could make an efficient use of the salvaged material and reduce the cost of wood in the market. A 3-point bending test was conducted on a total of 120 specimens to investigate the mechanical properties of glued-laminated timber manufactured using salvaged lumber. Balanced layups were used for this test. The MOE, MOR, and reliability of the salvaged lumber were assessed according to the experimental results. The influence of the position of salvaged lumber on the MOE and MOR of glulam was investigated by one-way ANOVA. The influence of the type of adhesive used for manufacturing glulam were was also studied. The results show that that when compared with control samples of glulam, the glulam manufactured with 60% of salvaged lumber had a reduction of 10.5% in MOR, 10.5% in MFL, and 1.9% in MOE as shown in table 4.1. when compared with control samples of glulam the glulam manufactured with 40% of salvaged lumber had a reduction of 4.7% in MOR, 4.5% in MFL, and 1.35% in MOE. These reduction percentages are less than 11% for all mechanical properties. In other words, we can say that even for glulam samples made of 60% of salvaged lumber the reduction percentage for all mechanical properties is going to be less than 11%. The reduction percentage for MOE between two consecutive grades turns out to be 33% approximately so we can safely say in absence of any data about a given salvaged sample we can assume that MOE of that salvaged lumber will be one grade below the actual MOE of that sample before use.
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Title: Data-Driven Modeling and Analysis of Residential Building Energy Consumption and Demand Flexibility
Creator: Kawka, Emily
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Buildings are responsible for approximately 74% of total electricity consumption, the leading contributor of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. As initiatives aim toward net zero emissions through electrification and clean energy, building energy efficiency measures are crucial to achieve this clean energy transition. Through measuring energy use, this increases the accuracy of building use assumptions, which drive how energy use reduction is investigated and targeted. As...
Show moreBuildings are responsible for approximately 74% of total electricity consumption, the leading contributor of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. As initiatives aim toward net zero emissions through electrification and clean energy, building energy efficiency measures are crucial to achieve this clean energy transition. Through measuring energy use, this increases the accuracy of building use assumptions, which drive how energy use reduction is investigated and targeted. As disruptive events and technology shift how occupants use residential buildings, this has the potential to shift how they consume their energy. In this thesis, high resolution, disaggregated energy use data is used to model and analyze energy use for two specific disruptions: the COVID-19 pandemic and electric vehicles (EVs). The first study measures how COVID-19 impacted residential building energy use. The findings of this research indicate an increase in energy use for both weather-dependent loads and weather-independent loads during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional analyses give insight to the pandemic’s impact by household income, demonstrating the lowest and highest income groups experiencing larger increases in consumption while remaining populations experienced smaller shifts. The second study analyzes residential EV charging behavior and models the maximum load reduction potential for demand response in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. The results of this study indicate relatively consistent charging use patterns across a full year, weekend charging is more distributed throughout the daytime compared to weekday charging, and there are significant opportunities to reduce or shift EV loads during typical peak load periods.
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Title: EXTRACTION, CONCENTRATION, AND DETECTION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS USING GLYCAN-COATED MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES AND A GOLD NANOPARTICLE COLORIMETRIC BIOSENSOR
Creator: Dester, Emma Faith
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In this work, a rapid method for foodborne pathogen extraction and concentration using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was integrated with a gold nanoparticle (GNP) colorimetric DNA biosensor for fast and accessible detection of target bacteria. Experiments for both extraction and detection were conducted first using pure cultures without interfering food matrix components and followed by testing in food matrices commonly associated foodborne outbreaks. Magnetic concentration was tested with...
Show moreIn this work, a rapid method for foodborne pathogen extraction and concentration using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was integrated with a gold nanoparticle (GNP) colorimetric DNA biosensor for fast and accessible detection of target bacteria. Experiments for both extraction and detection were conducted first using pure cultures without interfering food matrix components and followed by testing in food matrices commonly associated foodborne outbreaks. Magnetic concentration was tested with three bacterial species: Listeria spp., Escherichia coli O157, and Staphylococcus aureus. Then, a colorimetric GNP biosensor was developed and tested for E. coli O157. Glycan-coated MNPs are ideal for foodborne pathogen concentration due to their low cost, simple storage conditions, and bacteria binding capabilities. Meanwhile, GNPs visibly change color upon aggregation, which allows for easy use in colorimetric biosensors without the need for expensive analytical equipment. Results from this study indicate concentration of bacteria to up to 60 times its initial concentration in buffer solution and 11 times in select food matrices. In addition, the colorimetric biosensor was capable of differentiating between target and non-target DNA from pure cultures at concentrations as low as 2.5 ng/μL. Finally, the integrated extraction and detection assay was capable of detecting E. coli O157 from contaminated flour. This assay shows immense promise for rapid foodborne pathogen detection, and evidence-based recommendations for continued optimization have also been identified.
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Title: INVESTIGATION OF NEURODEGENERATIVE TAUOPATHIES USING CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS
Creator: Vonarx, Derek
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACT INVESTIGATION OF NEURODEGENERATIVE TAUOPATHIES USING CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANSByDerek Vonarx Neurodegenerative tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles in the human brain. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one such tauopathy. Until recently, the amyloid β hypothesis, suggesting that accumulation of amyloid β, was the leading hypothesis explaining cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients. However...
Show moreABSTRACT INVESTIGATION OF NEURODEGENERATIVE TAUOPATHIES USING CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANSByDerek Vonarx Neurodegenerative tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles in the human brain. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one such tauopathy. Until recently, the amyloid β hypothesis, suggesting that accumulation of amyloid β, was the leading hypothesis explaining cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients. However, treatments that reduce amyloid β levels in the brain, such as aducanumab, have shown limited efficacy, and therefore, the role of tauopathy and the potential synergistic relationship of tau and amyloid β requires further study to understand the mechanism of cognitive decline in AD. One of the many difficulties of studying AD is that cognitive symptoms are not observed until late in life. Because of the late onset of symptoms, modelling AD in mammals is expensive and time consuming. To circumvent these issues, a nematode, C. elegans, model was developed because C. elegans have a short lifespan of three weeks, can be genetically modified to express human tau, and are inexpensive to maintain. A genetically modified C. elegans strain (eat-4::GFP; aex-3::tau) expressing both human tau in all neurons and green fluorescent protein in glutamatergic neurons was developed. It was found that the novel strain exhibits neurodegeneration that can be rescued by supplementation with the epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, 12-[[(tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]dec-1-ylamino)carbonyl]amino]-dodecanoic acid (AUDA), through an unknown mechanism. This novel strain serves as a useful model to study the mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease cognitive decline as C. elegans have a relatively short lifespan that allows for extensive therapeutic and genetic screening.
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Title: INVESTIGATING OLFACTORY IMPRINTING RELATED BEHAVIORS IN JUVENILE LAKE STURGEON (ACIPENSER FULVESCENS) AND THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF STREAM SPECIFIC AMINO ACID PROFILES
Creator: Kimmel, Jacob G.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Olfactory imprinting is one mechanism thought to guide natal stream homing and facilitate natal site fidelity, an important reproductive strategy that leads to localized adaptations in genetically distinct fish populations. My thesis investigates olfactory imprinting during early ontogeny in lake sturgeon and the potential role of stream specific amino acid profiles as the guiding odors in olfactory imprinting and stream discrimination by lake sturgeon. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis...
Show moreOlfactory imprinting is one mechanism thought to guide natal stream homing and facilitate natal site fidelity, an important reproductive strategy that leads to localized adaptations in genetically distinct fish populations. My thesis investigates olfactory imprinting during early ontogeny in lake sturgeon and the potential role of stream specific amino acid profiles as the guiding odors in olfactory imprinting and stream discrimination by lake sturgeon. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis that olfactory memory formation occurs in early development and provide behavioral evidence of olfactory imprinting during the free-embryo and exogenous feeding life stages in lake sturgeon. In Chapter 2, I describe the temporal and spatial variability of amino acid profiles in Great Lakes tributaries and discuss the potential utility and limitations for amino acids to function as odorants guiding olfactory imprinting in lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes. In this chapter, I also provide empirical evidence for olfactory memory formation to artificial amino acid profiles during early ontogeny and suggest further studies to see unequivocal evidence on whether lake sturgeon discriminate stream specific amino acid profiles. This thesis supports the use of streamside rearing facilities for exposing lake sturgeon to natal stream odors during early life stages.
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Title: MODELING INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN GROWTH AND ITS IMPORTANCE : AN APPLICATION FOR LAKE TROUT (SALVELINUS NAMAYCUSH) IN LAKE SUPERIOR
Creator: Stebbins, Elizabeth
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Correctly characterizing growth of fish within a population is a crucial component of fish biology and fishery management because, among other things, it informs population dynamics that affect management decisions. Size-at-age is a common metric of fish growth and is often measured at the population level with the assumption that, on average, all fish of a given age are a given size. Over time, several studies have shown that ignoring individual variability in growth can influence population...
Show moreCorrectly characterizing growth of fish within a population is a crucial component of fish biology and fishery management because, among other things, it informs population dynamics that affect management decisions. Size-at-age is a common metric of fish growth and is often measured at the population level with the assumption that, on average, all fish of a given age are a given size. Over time, several studies have shown that ignoring individual variability in growth can influence population parameter estimates and these inaccuracies can be propagated in population models that are used to calculate reference points for management. In the first chapter we develop a hierarchical, mixed-effects statistical growth model that measures individual variability in growth model parameters and partitions it into two sources. We fit this model to length-at-age data of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from six populations in Lake Superior and show that individual-level variability exceeds population-level variability for this system, and persistent error contributes more to variability in length-at-age. In our second chapter, we simulate a population of fish and predict biological reference points, yield-per-recruit, and spawning stock biomass-per-recruit curves from the population using a ‘standard’ method that ignores individual variability and a ‘true’ method that accounts for size-selective mortality and its interaction with individual fish. We show that ignoring individual variability in these models results in overestimation of yield-per-recruit and the biological reference points F0.1 and FMAX. Further, spawning stock biomass-per-recruit is underestimated at low levels of fishing intensity and overestimated at high levels of fishing intensity when individual variability is ignored.
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Title: IS AFRICAN AGRICULTURE EXHIBITING BOSERUPIAN INTENSIFICATION? EVIDENCE FROM RURAL GHANA AND NIGERIA
Creator: Nutsugah, Godwin Kwesi
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The recent increase in the use of capital-using and labor-saving inputs in various parts of Africa has prompted researchers to investigate whether farming systems are innovating consistently with the Boserupian theory of intensification. According to the Boserupian theory, trends in factor price ratios will encourage farmers to substitute more expensive factors with less expensive factors. However, farmer responses to changing factor price trends may be blunted for many reasons, some of which...
Show moreThe recent increase in the use of capital-using and labor-saving inputs in various parts of Africa has prompted researchers to investigate whether farming systems are innovating consistently with the Boserupian theory of intensification. According to the Boserupian theory, trends in factor price ratios will encourage farmers to substitute more expensive factors with less expensive factors. However, farmer responses to changing factor price trends may be blunted for many reasons, some of which could be addressed through public sector action. Using multi-year nationally representative surveys from Ghana and Nigeria, this study therefore broadly investigates the Boserupian hypothesis by analyzing how agricultural households in rural Ghana and Nigeria intensify input use in response to variations in relative input prices. Furthermore, this paper examines whether effects differ by geographic location within a particular nation. The findings from rural Ghana and Nigeria suggest that farmers intensify inputs partly but not entirely consistent with the Boserupian theory. These results indicate that household input use constraints may be systematically different, highlighting the need for regionally appropriate policies or programs that enable households to react more rapidly and entirely to changes in factor price ratios. This study could also provide policymakers, crop scientists, and engineers with insights into the expected trajectory of technical change in the farming systems and guide them in developing appropriate farm technologies and policies.
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Title: EXPLORING THE TRANSITION FROM INITIATION TO DEPENDENCE ON ALCOHOL
Creator: Walsh, Madison
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Objective:This study aims to expand on published literature regarding the transition from alcohol initiation to alcohol dependence among newly initiated alcohol users. The main aim is to broaden the estimates to include a larger age group, comparing male and female differences, and exploring potential associations that link days of drinking with the occurrence of alcohol dependence among newly initiated drinkers (NID) and individuals who are alcohol dependent. An additional goal is to assess...
Show moreObjective:This study aims to expand on published literature regarding the transition from alcohol initiation to alcohol dependence among newly initiated alcohol users. The main aim is to broaden the estimates to include a larger age group, comparing male and female differences, and exploring potential associations that link days of drinking with the occurrence of alcohol dependence among newly initiated drinkers (NID) and individuals who are alcohol dependent. An additional goal is to assess the criteria in DSM-IV and DSM-5 regarding alcohol use disorders (AUD), thus exploring the change in the questions that the United States National Surveys on Drug Use and Health has been using to measure AUD for the survey each year. In conclusion, I propose a protocol for clinicians to use to gauge their disagreement with the DSM-5 unit-weighting of individual diagnostic criteria versus alternatives that allow clinicians to weight some criteria more heavily than others. I have included this proposed protocol in my thesis as a direction for future research. Due to the SARS-COV-2 pandemic and other circumstances, I offer the protocol, but I do not provide empirical estimates. The empirical estimates remain on the agenda for future research.Study Design: The United States National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (US, NSDUH, 2002-2019) draw samples of the nation’s population, take standardized measurements, and provide the primary data for this research. The sample population included non-institutionalized U.S. civilian residents aged 12 years and older, and NSDUH seeks to produce a nationally representative sample of this segment of the U.S. population. For my thesis research project, I tapped the ‘Restricted-use Data Analysis System (RDAS) online analysis tool, which organizes the datasets in year-pairs, from which analysis-weighted study estimates and variances can be derived. After deriving these estimates, I produced meta-analytic summaries with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Frequency distributions are used for the analysis-weighted estimates of the association involving days of drinking.Results:Looking across 2002-2019, the meta-analytic summary for newly initiated alcohol users who became alcohol-dependent within the first year of use is 1.67% [95% CI: (1.46, 1.95)]. For every 100 NIDU, roughly 1.5-2.0 had become dependent when assessed within the first year after the first full drink. Focusing on male and female differences, females had a modestly different meta-analytic estimate for the transition from initiation to the dependence on alcohol (1.86% [95% CI: (1.6, 2.2)] versus the corresponding male estimate of 1.47% [95% CI: (1.2, 1.8], but this female-male variation is unremarkable when the overlap of 95% CI is taken into account. The most common drinking days for all newly initiated alcohol users irrespective of alcohol dependence from 2002 to 2019 were 1-11 days (78.1%), compared to 100-299 days for all alcohol-dependent users from 2002 to 2019 (53.9%). Looking at the 2002-2020 data for the same estimates, there was not an appreciable difference in the meta-analytic summary for newly initiate alcohol users who became alcohol-dependent within the first year of use [1.69% (95% CI: (1.45, 1.91]). Adding the 2020 data to the male estimate decreased the overall meta-analytic summary to 1.34% [95% CI (1.1, 1.7). The female estimate did not change appreciably, increasing to 1.90 from 1.86% [95% CI (1.63, 2.21)]. Finally, the number of individuals with alcohol disorders increased greatly in 2020 when using DSM-5 criteria (9.9%, 95% CI (9.4, 10.6)) versus DSM-IV criteria (3.2, 95% CI (2.9, 3.5). Conclusion: The estimate of newly incident alcohol users and their subsequent transition to dependence has varied from 2002 to 2019; the aggregated meta-analytic estimate is 1.7%. Females had a higher transition rate from initiation to dependence on alcohol within the first year than males. Individuals who are alcohol dependent drank more on average than newly initiated alcohol users. Once the confidence interval overlap is taken into account, there is no basis for claiming a female or a male excess in the occurrence of alcohol dependence soon after the onset of drinking when all ages are considered. The difference between the observed estimates of 1.5% and 1.9% is negligible once variances are considered. Finally, the changes made from DSM-IV to DSM-5 resulted in an increased estimate for individuals captured using the modified criteria for diagnosis. Directions for future research include different analyses on the transition estimates and using the estimates in the changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5 in a clinical setting to intervene in more alcohol disorder cases sooner, preventing serious complications and death.
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