Search results

Title: Effect of suspect's gender on police use of physical force
Creator: Ishola, Oluwatobi Taiwo
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Police use of force has received much research attention as researchers attempt to explain various predictors of this phenomenon. This topic is of great interest to police practitioners, policy makers, researchers, scholars, and criminal justice students. Several studies have examined various predictors of this behavior, including officer education, race, experience, age, and sex. However, most of these studies focused on either the officers' or suspect's sex, while research on the interplay...
Show more"Police use of force has received much research attention as researchers attempt to explain various predictors of this phenomenon. This topic is of great interest to police practitioners, policy makers, researchers, scholars, and criminal justice students. Several studies have examined various predictors of this behavior, including officer education, race, experience, age, and sex. However, most of these studies focused on either the officers' or suspect's sex, while research on the interplay between suspect's sex and officer sex as a predictor of police use of force is lacking. Drawing on criminal threat theory and research on chivalry, this study will examine how the interplay between officer and suspect sex influences the likelihood and severity of police use of physical force. Further, given the influence of social norms on chivalry, the study will further investigate whether the presence of bystanders moderates the influence of officer and suspect sex on use of physical force. The study is based on data from the 1996-1997 (ICPSR 3172) study titled 'Understanding the use of force by and against the police in six jurisdictions in the United States'."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: Bridging gaps in information : strategies for improving natural resource management in a changing climate
Creator: Tracy, Erin
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "The Great Lakes region has an abundance of natural resources that are ecologically and socioeconomically valuable yet threatened by changing climate. To effectively address impacts of climate change within the Great Lakes region will require managers to mitigate the causes of climate change as well as adapt to current threats and to future changes in both social and ecological systems. This thesis addresses those needs by providing natural resource managers with strategies to increase...
Show more"The Great Lakes region has an abundance of natural resources that are ecologically and socioeconomically valuable yet threatened by changing climate. To effectively address impacts of climate change within the Great Lakes region will require managers to mitigate the causes of climate change as well as adapt to current threats and to future changes in both social and ecological systems. This thesis addresses those needs by providing natural resource managers with strategies to increase support for climate change mitigation policies and by providing them with information on how social and ecological systems may change with changing climate so that they can develop and apply novel management strategies. Results from Chapter 1 show that while Michigan conservation organizations vary in their current engagement with climate change issues and in their willingness to increase engagement with their membership depending on perceived barriers, every organization expressed interest in receiving more information on how climate change will affect the state's fish and wildlife populations. In Chapter 2, we characterized how resilient Michigan river fish habitat may be to anticipated changes in climate. Our results indicate that while cumulative resilience is generally higher in the Upper Peninsula and in the Northern Lower Peninsula, resilient streams are also found in the Southern Lower Peninsula, suggesting that managers have opportunities in every part of the state for protecting and/or improving stream resiliency to changing climate. Collectively, outcomes of this research offer managers new information and strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change, ultimately facilitating the sustainable management of natural resources in a changing climate."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: Intra-household human capital measures and child and maternal health : evidence from Zambia
Creator: Faas, Simone Margaret
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Zambia has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world. Traditional health production functions model that good health quality for young children is dependent on the necessary inputs of parental influences, including parental health, parental education, and household wealth. Using data from a Feed the Future survey from rural Zambia and the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, I examine the relationship between several measures of spousal human capital and the health...
Show moreZambia has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world. Traditional health production functions model that good health quality for young children is dependent on the necessary inputs of parental influences, including parental health, parental education, and household wealth. Using data from a Feed the Future survey from rural Zambia and the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, I examine the relationship between several measures of spousal human capital and the health outcomes of young children and women of child-bearing age. I find the ability to read and write of both spouses is highly correlated with positive changes in children's and women's health outcomes. Literacy and education campaigns which target both boys and girls should be heavily emphasized among rural and disadvantaged communities in southern Africa, as men's literacy and education as well as women's literacy are both important to improving future health outcomes for children and adults.
Show less

Title: The power paradox : intimacy and masculinity in American football
Creator: James, Riley
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis examines how intimacy-both physical and emotional-in American football affects masculinity. This research is important because it questions the role of masculinity in a sport considered the most popular in terms of participation, attendance at games, and broadcast viewership (Miaschi, 2017). Theories such as hegemonic masculinity theory and inclusive masculinity theory are used to explain how masculinity is constructed through football. Using naturalistic observation, interviews...
Show moreThis thesis examines how intimacy-both physical and emotional-in American football affects masculinity. This research is important because it questions the role of masculinity in a sport considered the most popular in terms of participation, attendance at games, and broadcast viewership (Miaschi, 2017). Theories such as hegemonic masculinity theory and inclusive masculinity theory are used to explain how masculinity is constructed through football. Using naturalistic observation, interviews with seven Michigan State University (MSU) football players, and an analysis of photographs, I found these football players have more intimate relationships with other players on their team when compared to relationships they have with other men outside their sport. Some surprises I found during interviews was that injury during football is not treated as harshly as it once was and one player views being emotional as an important part of being a man. I visually present the intimate aspects of football I witnessed in photographs I created as an employee of Big Ten Network during MSU football games during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and I offer my analysis of intimacy and masculinity in this sport that includes and explains the meaning behind the power paradox.
Show less

Title: Quality of life of women with breast cancer in Yaunde, Cameroon
Creator: Kunyangna, Prudence
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This study explored the association between sociodemographic and medical factors and the quality of life of breast cancer patients in Yaunde. A total of 297 women with breast cancer at the Department of Medical Oncology General Hospital in Yaunde, were enrolled in the study. Participants completed the FACT-B instrument and a questionnaire. The medical history of cases was abstracted from the hospital records.In adjusted models, total FACT-G scores were lower for women who; were 2265 45 years,...
Show moreThis study explored the association between sociodemographic and medical factors and the quality of life of breast cancer patients in Yaunde. A total of 297 women with breast cancer at the Department of Medical Oncology General Hospital in Yaunde, were enrolled in the study. Participants completed the FACT-B instrument and a questionnaire. The medical history of cases was abstracted from the hospital records.In adjusted models, total FACT-G scores were lower for women who; were 2265 45 years, had stage II, III and IV disease and higher for women who; had an occupation, had monthly household incomes above 50,000 CFA/month, lived with their husband/boyfriend and, who lived with their families. Total FACT-B scores were lower for women 2265 45 years. Total FACT-B scores were higher for women who; had an occupation, had a monthly household income above 50,000 CFA/month, lived with their husband/boyfriend and, who lived with their family. FACTB-TOI scores were lower for women who; were 2265 45 years, had stage II, III and IV disease compared to stage 0/I and higher for women who; had an occupation, had monthly household incomes over 50,000 CFA/month, lived with their husband/boyfriend and, who lived with families. Our results suggest that clinicians should pay attention to the quality of life of African breast cancer case who are older (> 45 years), live alone, not involved in any type of occupation, have lower household income levels and are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease.
Show less

Title: The needs of nutrition and physical activity education for caregivers of Michigan migrant and seasonal farmworker children
Creator: Feighner, Amanda Rose
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Migrant and seasonal farmworker (MSFW) children have high rates of overweight and obesity, which can lead to health issues through childhood and adulthood. Caregivers of young children have the ability to influence environment and role model behaviors related to nutrition and physical activity for children. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs serve young MSFW children by providing a venue for nutrition and physical activity promotion for extended hours with the ultimate goal of...
Show more"Migrant and seasonal farmworker (MSFW) children have high rates of overweight and obesity, which can lead to health issues through childhood and adulthood. Caregivers of young children have the ability to influence environment and role model behaviors related to nutrition and physical activity for children. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs serve young MSFW children by providing a venue for nutrition and physical activity promotion for extended hours with the ultimate goal of helping at-risk children succeed. We also reported high prevalence of obesity and overweight among MSHS children's caregivers, i.e., parents and MSHS staff. This situation provides important educational opportunities to apply social cognitive theory and policy, systems, and environmental change approaches in order to meet the needs of caregivers (parents and MSHS staff) who can become competent to practice healthy lifestyles for family and MSHS children. In developing nutrition and physical activity education programs targeting caregivers of Michigan MSHS children, this study aimed to identify the perceived needs for content, facilitators and barriers to participating such programs. Of 17 total MSHS centers in Michigan, five of the largest sites were selected for recruitment of MSHS program parents and staff. Twelve focus groups were conducted between July and September 2016 with staff (n = 27), parents (n = 33), and MSHS center directors (n = 13). Focus groups with the consented parents were conducted at MSHS sites in Spanish, with staff in English, and with directors at a central office meeting. Using censuses coding among three researchers, key themes were identified. Quantitative surveys were conducted in parallel to this qualitative study with parents (n = 135) at nine centers and staff (n = 280) at all 17 MSHS centers in Michigan between July-August 2016.We found that desired content for programs included basic nutrition knowledge, cooking and meal planning, physical activity, and budgeting. Facilitators and barriers to participation in a new nutrition and physical activity program included program structure, financial support, education format, and motivation factors. Nutrition education interventions for parents and staff need to be combined with efforts to improve their children's health. We generated key information that can be used in planning future interventions for caregivers of MSHS children. Caregivers who are competent in nutrition and physical activity knowledge may be able to influence the environment and behaviors of their children and MSHS community to promote healthy lifestyles."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: Informal settlements and the geography of vulnerability - a spatial case study of Hidalgo County, Texas
Creator: Huang, Huiqing (Graduate of Michigan State University)
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "More than 2,000 colonias and more than 800 model subdivisions have been developed in unincorporated areas across the state of Texas. Since the 1980s, a substantial body of research has documented the poor housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure in these informal settlements in the United States. However, very little research has focused on the geographic vulnerability, such as exposure to environmental risks and the lack of access to amenities. This study adopts two Geographic...
Show more"More than 2,000 colonias and more than 800 model subdivisions have been developed in unincorporated areas across the state of Texas. Since the 1980s, a substantial body of research has documented the poor housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure in these informal settlements in the United States. However, very little research has focused on the geographic vulnerability, such as exposure to environmental risks and the lack of access to amenities. This study adopts two Geographic Information System (GIS) methods (overlay analysis and proximity analysis) to investigate the vulnerability of informal settlements in Hidalgo County, Texas. This research finds that informal settlements experience more spatial vulnerability than formal neighborhoods as they are further away from the urban center, the job center, and other critical amenities. However, the prevalence of property crime in informal settlements is significantly lower. Within the informal settlements, colonias are still in need of basic infrastructures. Besides, this study finds that state-designated colonias are less vulnerable than newer model subdivisions that have developed largely without acknowledgment by the state.These findings suggest the need for state and local governments 1) to make more targeted investments to provide water and wastewater service; 2) to develop public transportation system; 3) to reduce vulnerability by expanding access to amenities or services and 4) to partner with private entities and communities themselves to address the needs in informal settlements."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: A geometry based approach towards improving the structural integrity of single-walled ti6al4v alloy features fabricated using laser directed energy deposition additive manufacturing
Creator: Thakkar, Darshan
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Presence of sharp turns in the deposition tool-path for Additive Manufacturing (AM) introduces heterogeneity in built-part thereby affecting structural integrity. Slower deposition speeds around turn points or corner leads to defects such as increased wall thickness, porosity, lack of fusion voids, and cracks. Such defects can be minimized by either by optimizing processing parameters or through geometry optimization. Optimizing processing parameters requires extensive and expensive set of...
Show morePresence of sharp turns in the deposition tool-path for Additive Manufacturing (AM) introduces heterogeneity in built-part thereby affecting structural integrity. Slower deposition speeds around turn points or corner leads to defects such as increased wall thickness, porosity, lack of fusion voids, and cracks. Such defects can be minimized by either by optimizing processing parameters or through geometry optimization. Optimizing processing parameters requires extensive and expensive set of experiments. Furthermore, it is challenging to accurately model the process and have closed loop controls because of the impracticality to include all process parameters. This work focuses on optimizing the geometry instead of process parameters to fabricate components with minimum defects. In this work, single walled cubical Ti6Al4V shells with sharp and rounded corners were fabricated using laser Directed Energy Deposition (DED). Cross sectional and build plane coupons were extracted from each sample for microstructure and defect analysis. Results show that inclusion of rounded corners leads to consistent deposition speeds. Defect density measurements, using optical microscope, show reduction of defects from 6.8 ± 0.35% to a virtually defect-free structure for samples with rounded corners. Results indicate that consistent deposition speed around rounded corners improved homogeneity in the resulting microstructure.
Show less

Title: Cover crops and cover crop residues regulate rates of soil microbial decomposition and plant available nitrogen
Creator: Egboluche, Nzube Prisca
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Changes in soil microbial community and activities can influence the nutrient cycling and its availability to plants. I conducted a one-year soil incubation study to: evaluate the effects of short- and long-term N additions on the soil microbial activities and how cover crop residue mixtures influence ecosystem functions. Two legume residues, Vicia villosa - hairy vetch (V) and Pisum sativum - field pea (P) with C:N ratio 12.8 and 10.5 respectively and two non-legume residues, Pennisetum...
Show moreChanges in soil microbial community and activities can influence the nutrient cycling and its availability to plants. I conducted a one-year soil incubation study to: evaluate the effects of short- and long-term N additions on the soil microbial activities and how cover crop residue mixtures influence ecosystem functions. Two legume residues, Vicia villosa - hairy vetch (V) and Pisum sativum - field pea (P) with C:N ratio 12.8 and 10.5 respectively and two non-legume residues, Pennisetum glaucum - pearl millet (M) and Lolium multiflorum - rye grass (R) with C:N ratio 37.8 and 14.3 respectively were used in this study. Soils amended with V and R had greater inorganic N compared to M and P residues while in soils with residue mixtures I observed non-additive synergistic (NAS) effect on inorganic N at the initial and final stage of the incubation period. Long-term N addition increased inorganic N but was apparent with short-term N fertilizer. Addition of both short- and long-term N increased [beta]-1,4,-glucosidase (BG), [beta]-D-1,4-cellobiohydrolase (CBH), phenol oxidase (PO), peroxidase (PER) and acid phosphatase (PHOS) with the exception of Leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP) and urease enzyme activities. There was non-additive antagonistic (NAA) effects on cellulase, total oxidase, [beta]-1,4,-N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAG) and NAS effects on LAP, urease and PHOS enzyme activities. The addition of residues likely stimulated microbial growth, but the NAA effect of residue mixtures on C acquisition enzyme (cellulase and total oxidase) activities suggests development of C limitation.
Show less

Title: Cultural relativity in conflict resolution : cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences
Creator: Somaraju, Ajay
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Although there is an extensive literature on the relationship between cultural values and conflict resolution preferences, there is less research on the role of cultural worldviews in predicting these values, and how cultural values interplay with ethical positions when resolving conflict. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-cultural pattern of relationships among idealistic and relativistic thinking, cultural values, and conflict resolution preferences. Specifically, the...
Show moreAlthough there is an extensive literature on the relationship between cultural values and conflict resolution preferences, there is less research on the role of cultural worldviews in predicting these values, and how cultural values interplay with ethical positions when resolving conflict. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-cultural pattern of relationships among idealistic and relativistic thinking, cultural values, and conflict resolution preferences. Specifically, the current study examined Aristotelian, Hindu, and Confucian cultural subgroups to identify cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences. Results suggested that individuals' ethical positions predicted their cultural values, which in turn predicted their conflict resolution preferences. Moreover, results suggested that there was differential prediction between individualist and relational (i.e., Aristotelian vs. Hindu and Confucian) subgroups and within relational subgroups (i.e., Hindu vs Confucian).
Show less

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

Title: Alignment between intensity of risk and level of collaboration in partnered architecture, engineering and construction projects : a quantitative approach to test impacts on project performance outcomes
Creator: Kalbhor, Harshavardhan Vijay
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Risk is a typical characteristic of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) projects due to their inherent complexities. The intensity of such risk is influenced by factors such as the dynamic nature of project elements (e.g., fragmented multi-disciplinary project teams), interactions among these elements, and lack of clear project goals. Project management theory and practice both endorse that as the intensity of risk in a project increases, a higher level of collaboration among...
Show moreRisk is a typical characteristic of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) projects due to their inherent complexities. The intensity of such risk is influenced by factors such as the dynamic nature of project elements (e.g., fragmented multi-disciplinary project teams), interactions among these elements, and lack of clear project goals. Project management theory and practice both endorse that as the intensity of risk in a project increases, a higher level of collaboration among the multi-disciplinary project teams is desirable in order to achieve optimal project performance outcomes.To facilitate higher or improved level of collaboration among project teams, the AEC industry utilizes innovative project delivery methods (e.g., IPD), technologies (e.g., BIM), and practices (e.g., Lean Construction). Project Partnering is one such project delivery practice; adopting which, two or more organizations commit to harboring an environment of collaboration (e.g., effective communication, shared vision, goal alignment, trust) in a structured approach, with the intention of achieving optimum shared project performance goals (e.g., reduced costs, delays).Although both researchers and practitioners commonly recognize that collaboration is an effective risk management strategy, a theoretical gap exists in providing empirical reinforcement supporting this assertion. A part of this gap is due to the lack of a structured framework for investigating collaboration. Partnering fulfills this shortcoming and provides a structured framework to study collaboration analytically. Thus, partnered AEC projects are the focus and unit of analysis for this research.In addition, existing Partnering literature is largely qualitative and presents conceptual models, potential benefits to adopting Partnering, barriers to its adoption, critical success factors, and performance measurement and evaluation methods. Quantitative research in this domain is limited and has studied projects either coming largely from a single source of ownership (e.g., DOTs) or a particular project type (e.g., horizontal infrastructure projects) at a time. There is a need for evidence-based quantitative research that identifies specific factors linked to partnered-project success using data from a large and diversified sample of projects.Thus, the need for an empirical assessment of the association (denoted by the variable fit) between risk (specifically its intensity) and level of collaboration (via partnering practices in this study), and its impact on project performance prompted the undertaking of this study. Due to lack of pre-defined terminology to capture the association between risk intensity and partnering level, it was denoted in this study via an introduction of the variable 'fit'. The goal of the study is to investigate partnered AEC projects for the impact of the fit between their intensity of risk and adopted partnering level on their performance outcomes (e.g., cost, schedule). Accordingly, this study aims to answer the following research question: 'In partnered AEC projects, does the fit between risk intensity and level of partnering correlate with performance outcomes?' The hypothesis developed by the researcher is that 'In a partnered project, better the fit between the intensity of risk and adopted partnering level, better is its performance.' This study used an archival data-set containing details of 127 partnered projects from the United States completed between 2010 and 2018. Literature study followed by an exploratory data analysis was conducted to develop models to determine constructs of interest - risk intensity, partnering level and performance evaluation metrics, from AEC project characteristics. The models were validated via a survey; and are one of the outcomes of this study. Further, via content analysis, quantitative measures of these constructs were systematically coded from project details in the data set.The hypothesis of this study was tested separately for different performance outcome metrics (e.g., cost growth, schedule growth) via a quantitative approach of unsupervised statistical learning tests such as the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Dunn Test for comparison of performance metric data as samples across the fit categories. The deliverable of this study are tools or models for risk intensity assessment and simultaneous determination of recommended level of partnering. The study was able to contribute to the body of knowledge of risk management via collaboration by providing empirical reinforcement to the association or lack of thereof between risk, collaboration and performance. Lastly, this study provides guidelines for best practices in Partnering contributing to effective risk management on AEC projects.
Show less

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

Title: Evaluation of changes in Sculpin populations in the Great Lakes associated with shifts in benthic species composition
Creator: Volkel, Shea Lynn
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In the Great Lakes, slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpins (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were historically abundant native deepwater fishes that served as important prey items for native piscivores (e.g., lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, and burbot, Lota lota). However, both of these species have been declining in abundance and biomass recent decades according to USGS trawl surveys. The timing of these declines in sculpin biomass and abundance coincides with several ecological...
Show moreIn the Great Lakes, slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpins (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were historically abundant native deepwater fishes that served as important prey items for native piscivores (e.g., lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, and burbot, Lota lota). However, both of these species have been declining in abundance and biomass recent decades according to USGS trawl surveys. The timing of these declines in sculpin biomass and abundance coincides with several ecological disturbances that have occurred throughout the Great Lakes, including the invasions of dreissenid mussels (zebra, Dreissena polymorpha; quagga, D. bugensis) and the aggressive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), along with the collapse of Diporeia (formerly one of the most important prey items for these sculpin species). In this dissertation, we provide a comprehensive review of the state of knowledge and investigate the effect of these ecological disturbances on slimy and deepwater sculpins in the Great Lakes. We predicted that these ecological disturbances have negatively affected both slimy and deepwater sculpin populations, particularly slimy sculpins, which we could observe through changes in their spatial (depth) distribution patterns (e.g., shifting deeper to avoid round goby) and body condition (e.g., lower body condition associated with ecological disturbance). Our results indicate that slimy sculpins may be more vulnerable to these ecological disturbances than deepwater sculpins, but data limitations prevent us from offering conclusive causal mechanisms for sculpin spatial and body condition patterns. Both our review and analyses implicate that we need to gain a better understanding of sculpins in order to restore these species in this system.
Show less

Title: Reinvention and adaptation into U.S. communities of five global health innovations
Creator: Rumbold, Yvens
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis explores a distinction between types of changes made to innovations as they diffuse, based on the agents of those changes and the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) framework: Reinvention by the designers of innovations and adaptations by the implementers of those same innovations. This research was conducted as part of a more extensive study of five global health innovations, conducted by researchers at the Department of Communication at Michigan State University and funded by the...
Show moreThis thesis explores a distinction between types of changes made to innovations as they diffuse, based on the agents of those changes and the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) framework: Reinvention by the designers of innovations and adaptations by the implementers of those same innovations. This research was conducted as part of a more extensive study of five global health innovations, conducted by researchers at the Department of Communication at Michigan State University and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A portion of the interview data from that project collected via interviews with innovation designers and researchers, on the one hand, and with community-based adopters and implementers, on the other, were transcribed and content analyzed to answer two compelling questions: What is the frequency of changes-counted as instances of reinvention and adaptation, as discussed by designers, on the one hand, and implementers, on the other? Which innovation attributes, and in what proportions, are discussed when designers and implementers address changes to innovations? Results suggest that both designers and implementers discuss reinvention and adaptation in the diffusion process. The changes discussed mostly concerned modifications made to the components of innovations, adjustments made in reaction to a different environmental context or target population, and the tailoring of content. Results suggest that interviewees referred mostly to the innovation attributes of compatibility (24.6% of the comments), relative advantage (12.1%) and observability (11.7%) when discussing changes. Achieving a fit with adopters' needs-compatibility-appears to be most important to innovation designers and the implementers of those global health innovations.
Show less

Title: Morphological and physiological responses of vegetable transplants, herbs, and leafy greens to light quality, quantity, and duration
Creator: Garcia, Charlie
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Controlled-environment (CE) production of vegetables, herbs, and leafy greens is quickly expanding to meet year-round consumer demand for fresh and local produce. However, knowledge gaps exist on how to manage growth and development of certain crops in CEs. Therefore, we evaluated developmental parameters of 10 different basil (Ocimum spp.) species and cultivars and 8 other herbs and leafy greens under a truncated 9-h short day (SD), day-extension lighting, and a 4-h night interruption...
Show moreControlled-environment (CE) production of vegetables, herbs, and leafy greens is quickly expanding to meet year-round consumer demand for fresh and local produce. However, knowledge gaps exist on how to manage growth and development of certain crops in CEs. Therefore, we evaluated developmental parameters of 10 different basil (Ocimum spp.) species and cultivars and 8 other herbs and leafy greens under a truncated 9-h short day (SD), day-extension lighting, and a 4-h night interruption utilizing red+white+far-red (R+W+FR) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) under a constant day/night temperature of 20 and 25 °C, respectively. All basil cultivars, with the exception of 'Red Rubin' can be classified as day-neutral plants (DNP) under a low photosynthetic daily light integral (DLI). Coriander, dill, lavender, and marjoram can be classified as facultative long-day plants (LDPs). While watercress, oregano 'Kirigami' and 'Greek', and spearmint can be categorized as obligate LDPs. Furthermore, six basil cultivars were evaluated under a 9-h SD and 16-h LD utilizing a moderate DLI of 224813 mol2219m-22219d-1 and a high DLI of 224823 mol2219m-22219d-1. For basil, DLI had a greater impact on development than day length. For instance, time to visible bud and open flower were hastened under high DLIs and node number below the first open flower were reduced indicating that basil exhibited a facultative irradiance response (FIR). Additionally, basil 'Genovese', 'Nufar', and 'Sweet Thai', exhibited a facultative LD response under moderate and high DLIs, while 'Red Rubin' exhibited a facultative SD response under low DLIs and a DN response under moderate and high DLIs. In a separate experiment, cucumber 'Elsie', tomato 'Climstar', and pepper 'Kathia' transplants were grown under LED supplemental lighting (SL) providing spectral qualities beyond B and R radiation. Fresh weight and leaf area of all three species was greater when G radiation replaced R and B radiation. However, other plant parameters evaluated in response to radiation quality were found to be species-specific. Results from these studies can provide growers with information on how to manage growth and development of vegetable transplants, culinary and ornamental herbs, and leafy greens in CEs.
Show less

Title: The effect of quality signaling on willingness to pay for potato planting material : a research study in Kenya
Creator: Bartle, Brian William
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Kenyan farmers can potentially access potato seeds from three distinct seed systems that provide different levels of quality assurance-the formal system (i.e., certified seed), the semi-formal system (i.e., clean seed) and the informal system (i.e., ware potato, own or neighbor's saved seed). However, similar to other vegetatively propagated crops, adoption of quality seeds (i.e., certified or clean seed) is strikingly low in the Kenyan potato sector. This inhibits the development of a robust...
Show moreKenyan farmers can potentially access potato seeds from three distinct seed systems that provide different levels of quality assurance-the formal system (i.e., certified seed), the semi-formal system (i.e., clean seed) and the informal system (i.e., ware potato, own or neighbor's saved seed). However, similar to other vegetatively propagated crops, adoption of quality seeds (i.e., certified or clean seed) is strikingly low in the Kenyan potato sector. This inhibits the development of a robust and commercially viable potato sector and severely limits Kenya's potential to increase potato production while combating the spread of pathogens. This study uses auction experiments to measure farmers' willingness to pay for seed products representing the three seed systems and evaluates the effectiveness of each seed system in communicating the assurance of quality and the effect of trust of the seed source on farmer's valuation of seed products. The study contributes to the literature by exploring the role of information, branding, and reputation as quality signals to curtail the effects of information asymmetry in credence and experience attributes of quality seed. Results show that potato farmers in Kenya value the formal seed system the highest, followed by the semiformal and the informal systems. However, the formal seed system has not been effective in signaling quality through certification. In terms of the branding and reputation effect, the parastatal ADC Molo and some clean seed producers in selected counties showed strong signs of quality signaling through branding. What this means for the potato seed system in Kenya and beyond is that farmers do trust institutions (i.e., KEPHIS certification) as well as branding and reputation, but still remain hesitant to engage in the formal and semiformal seed systems due to other exogenous and endogenous factors.
Show less

Title: The use of waste from orange juicing for food packaging applications
Creator: Fehlberg, Jack Alan
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Utilization of orange juicing waste (OP) as a filler material within a polymer matrix can add value to this agricultural waste and reduce dependency on non-renewable resources. This study aims to study the impact of OP filler's physical characteristics including size, loading, and retention or removal of zest on the properties of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and to produce LLDPE/OP films by blown-film extrusion. LLDPE/OP sheets with zest exhibited decreased thermal stability,...
Show moreUtilization of orange juicing waste (OP) as a filler material within a polymer matrix can add value to this agricultural waste and reduce dependency on non-renewable resources. This study aims to study the impact of OP filler's physical characteristics including size, loading, and retention or removal of zest on the properties of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and to produce LLDPE/OP films by blown-film extrusion. LLDPE/OP sheets with zest exhibited decreased thermal stability, larger OP agglomerates, worsened dispersion, and darker yellower colors and can act as UV- and light-absorbers. Larger OP particles increased air bubble formation, decreased mechanical properties, worsen dispersion, and produced darker yellower composites. Higher OP loadings resulted in LLDPE/OP composite sheets that have darker yellower color, decreased mechanical properties, and increased the size of OP agglomerates, as well as improved distribution and worsened dispersion. LLDPE/OP sheets that had properties most like neat LLDPE were sheets containing OP without zest and smaller particles sizes. This OP was used to determine maximum OP loading for LLDPE/OP films produced by blown-film extrusion. The LLDPE/OP films were subject to a sensory similarity triangle test and a comparison of package acceptance when different OP loading was used. This study found no difference in sensory qualities of bread when packaged in LLDPE/OP to neat LLDPE films. OP loading did not influence consumer perceptions of overall liking, appearance, surface roughness, color, or smell when LLDPE/OP films with 5 and 11.5% OP loadings were compared. This study demonstrates that OP waste can be converted and physically modified into a usable filler for plastic films for food packaging applications without altering the quality of the food product.
Show less

Title: Lake Michigan stakeholders' perceptions of coastal risk and motivations for coastal habitat stewardship
Creator: Whyte, Julia H.
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Lake Michigan communities have already begun to feel the effects of climate change, and research suggests that these areas will experience many phenomena that will negatively impact the ecosystem and human livelihoods (GLISA, 2014). While agencies exist to generally guide coastal management, Michigan lacks institutions that establish regulations or requirements for managing the Great Lakes coastal region (Norton et al., 2018). As a result, Michigan's coastal communities have the...
Show moreLake Michigan communities have already begun to feel the effects of climate change, and research suggests that these areas will experience many phenomena that will negatively impact the ecosystem and human livelihoods (GLISA, 2014). While agencies exist to generally guide coastal management, Michigan lacks institutions that establish regulations or requirements for managing the Great Lakes coastal region (Norton et al., 2018). As a result, Michigan's coastal communities have the responsibility of preparing for an uncertain future under climate change. I compared risk perceptions between different resident groups, as well as between different communities, varying by county, size, and presence of a previous coastal resiliency program. I used a four-wave tailored design for data collection (Dillman, 2009) in six Michigan communities along Lake Michigan from December 2018 to April 2019. I found communities with resiliency programs are less concerned about coastal risk than other communities and lake residents are more concerned about coastal risk than municipal officials. I also found that previous experience with environmental risk and gender are predictors of concern about coastal risk. I suggest that future outreach materials focus on lake residents and that community-engaged work to create more robust coastal resilience plans are beneficial to mitigating risk perceptions. The results from this research can also be used to inform future planning and zoning policies, as well as other coastal resilience policies.
Show less

Title: Suitability of the RSP2pro software-defined radio for precompliance radiated emissions testing
Creator: Stevers, William, II
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis demonstrates the ability to use an existing software-defined radio for accurate RF measurements related to the precompliance testing of radiated emissions. The software-defined radio chosen for this work is the SDRplay Radio Spectrum Processor 2 Pro (RSP2pro). The RSP2pro was chosen because of its ability to provide absolute received power measurement capabilities at a price much lower than a traditional spectrum analyzer.The absolute power level and frequency performance of the...
Show moreThis thesis demonstrates the ability to use an existing software-defined radio for accurate RF measurements related to the precompliance testing of radiated emissions. The software-defined radio chosen for this work is the SDRplay Radio Spectrum Processor 2 Pro (RSP2pro). The RSP2pro was chosen because of its ability to provide absolute received power measurement capabilities at a price much lower than a traditional spectrum analyzer.The absolute power level and frequency performance of the RSP2pro has been characterized by direct comparison with an electromagnetic compatibility analyzer and the results are shown. A method for automating measurements taken with the RSP2pro companion software is described. The RSP2pro is also used to perform precompliance radiated emissions tests with an electromagnetic compatibility antenna and the results are discussed. Throughout this work a sample of three RSP2pro units is compared and variations in measurements across the three units is examined. A common very-high frequency "rabbit ear" television antenna and an ultra-high frequency "bowtie" television antenna are used with the RSP2pro to create a complete radiated emissions precompliance test setup. A procedure for characterizing these antennas and determining their suitability for radiated emissions precompliance testing is also described. The RSP2pro test setup for measuring radiated emissions is compared to a traditional precompliance test setup consisting of an electromagnetic compatibility spectrum analyzer and an electromagnetic compatibility antenna. This comparison includes a discussion of the relative cost, measurement accuracy, and overall convenience of using each test setup.
Show less

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

Enabled Filters

Pages

Pages

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

You are here

Search results

Pages

Pages