Search results

Title: Fragile X syndrome and diabetic retinopathy : pathological conditions and associate alteration in neuronal properties
Creator: Aldossary, Hayyaf Saad
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and diabetic retinopathy are poorly treated conditions that dramatically affect patient's and family members' life style. FXS is the most common known form of inherited mental retardation. FXS is caused by a genetic mutation leading to decreased fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) production. The absence of FMRP leads to alterations in synaptic plasticity, which are dependent on activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activation. In this study,...
Show moreFragile X syndrome (FXS) and diabetic retinopathy are poorly treated conditions that dramatically affect patient's and family members' life style. FXS is the most common known form of inherited mental retardation. FXS is caused by a genetic mutation leading to decreased fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) production. The absence of FMRP leads to alterations in synaptic plasticity, which are dependent on activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activation. In this study, short term activation of group I and II mGluRs is not altered between an animal model of FXS, Fmr1 knock out mice and wild-type mice. These negative findings suggest that short-lasting actions of mGluR activation in the neocortex may not contribute to the cognitive or sensory processing alterations associated with FXS. Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause for blindness in US working age adults. In this experiment, intraocular injection of the proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin 1-β, was used to mimic inflammation similar to that which occurs during diabetic retinopathy. We used electrophysiological recording techniques to determine the impact of this manipulation on the excitability of thalamocortical neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. We found alterations in excitability, which could lead to altered visual processing as identified in diabetic retinopathy.
Show less

Title: The longitudinal impact of school-based health center use on academic performance : the mediating roles of physical activity and health status
Creator: Gruber, Jennifer
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Students who are uninsured, racial or ethnic minorities, and/or low-income often face barriers to healthcare, and may be vulnerable to poor health and academic outcomes. School-based health centers (SBHCs) address youth barriers to healthcare and promote health equity by providing primary medical and mental health services, as well as health education programming. SBHCs have important ramifications for students' health, behaviors, and lives. Historically, SBHC research has largely focused on...
Show moreStudents who are uninsured, racial or ethnic minorities, and/or low-income often face barriers to healthcare, and may be vulnerable to poor health and academic outcomes. School-based health centers (SBHCs) address youth barriers to healthcare and promote health equity by providing primary medical and mental health services, as well as health education programming. SBHCs have important ramifications for students' health, behaviors, and lives. Historically, SBHC research has largely focused on service utilization; little work examines the longitudinal impact and potential causal mechanisms of SBHCs on student outcomes. Academic outcomes are of particular interest to SBHC practitioners, schools, and families, given the implications for funding and benefits for students. In the present study, a conceptual framework developed by Geierstanger, Amaral, Mansour, and Walters (2004) guided the prediction that SBHC use would indirectly improve student academic performance through increases in general health status and levels of physical activity. These relationships were examined using longitudinal structural equation modeling with data from the Michigan Evaluation of School-based Health (MESH) Study (McNall, Lichty, Mavis, & Bates, 2010). Results indicated that student SBHC use was not associated with self-reported health status, physical activity, or academic performance. While this study addressed gaps in SBHC literature, such as the lack of longitudinal methods, additional research is needed to better understand these relationships. Implications for future SBHC research, policy, and practice are discussed.
Show less

Title: Quantifying differences in otolith chemistry of Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan to determine natal origins
Creator: Maguffee, Alexander C.
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Previous research has indicated that a substantial amount of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migrate from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, likely due to greater foraging opportunities in Lake Michigan, indicating the potential for wild Chinook salmon to exhibit similar movement patterns. Thus, an increased priority has been placed on quantifying the movement of wild Chinook salmon from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The goal of this research was to determine the...
Show morePrevious research has indicated that a substantial amount of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migrate from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, likely due to greater foraging opportunities in Lake Michigan, indicating the potential for wild Chinook salmon to exhibit similar movement patterns. Thus, an increased priority has been placed on quantifying the movement of wild Chinook salmon from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The goal of this research was to determine the feasibility of quantifying inter-basin movement of wild Chinook salmon using otolith microchemistry techniques. Chinook salmon otolith pairs were extracted from juvenile and adult fish collected in 2015 and 2016 from tributaries in six predefined regions. Otoliths were analyzed using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA ICP MS) to determine trace metal concentrations, and various multivariate classification algorithms were evaluated for accuracy of classification. Juvenile data reclassified to their natal regions with classification success at a basin level comparable to previous Great Lakes otolith studies. Applying the juvenile-fit models to the adult data resulted in moderate success at a basin level. MANOVAs indicated significant differences in otolith microchemistry between juvenile year classes, and these differences negatively affected classification accuracy. These findings suggest that otolith microchemistry can be used to estimate wild Chinook salmon inter-basin movement, and that classification accuracy will be much higher if the model is developed from the same year class as the assessment sample.
Show less

Title: Methods for modelling changes in viscoelasticity of the urinary bladder by anatomical location and swelling
Creator: Nye, Laura Alison
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Urinary bladder dysfunction affects millions worldwide. It adds burden to the healthcare system and individual patients with surgeries and long-term treatments such as daily catheterization. Patient specific modelling has been shown to reduce healthcare costs. Computational models are based on mechanical properties of tissues and can help in diagnoses or treatment plans. Although much work has been done on organs such as brain and heart, work on the urinary bladder is scarce. The bladder is a...
Show moreUrinary bladder dysfunction affects millions worldwide. It adds burden to the healthcare system and individual patients with surgeries and long-term treatments such as daily catheterization. Patient specific modelling has been shown to reduce healthcare costs. Computational models are based on mechanical properties of tissues and can help in diagnoses or treatment plans. Although much work has been done on organs such as brain and heart, work on the urinary bladder is scarce. The bladder is a complex organ that exhibits time dependent behavior and so many factors must be considered when studying its mechanical properties. Researchers face challenges in replicating others' experiments, isolating constituent behavior, identifying pathological causes of mechanical behavior, and modelling the viscoelasticity. We focus on two issues that will improve computational models of the urinary bladder wall. The first issue is to identify differences in mechanical behavior based on anatomical location and bath osmolarity. The second issue is to find an appropriate viscoelastic constitutive equation. Parameter characterization of viscoelastic models is especially challenging due to the time dependence of certain parameters. We explore the methods applied in literature and propose four possible models that would be appropriate for our experiment. The models reveal that for best results, we must normalize our data, choose an appropriate relaxation spectrum that has a unique solution, and consider nonlinear elasticity in addition to viscoelasticity. Preliminary results from these models suggest that the lower body and trigone regions of the bladder have lower compliance than other regions. Our models also indicate a change in compliance based on bath osmolarity. In the future we will improve these results for definitive parameters that can be compared statistically. We will do this through the implementation of nonlinear elastic viscoelasticity and triphasic theory.
Show less

Title: The strengths and needs of Palestinian youth : perspectives of youth service providers in Bethlehem, Palestine
Creator: Al-Zoughbi, Lucas
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Background: Palestinian youth are subject to a reality predicated on political and social injustice. The extant literature tends to view these youth through a deficit lens without adequate contextualization. This study aims to address this gap by documenting Palestinian youth strengths, challenges, and root causes according to youth-service providers. Methods: We conducted interviews with youth-service providers in the Bethlehem area. Interviews were followed by a member-checking survey to...
Show moreBackground: Palestinian youth are subject to a reality predicated on political and social injustice. The extant literature tends to view these youth through a deficit lens without adequate contextualization. This study aims to address this gap by documenting Palestinian youth strengths, challenges, and root causes according to youth-service providers. Methods: We conducted interviews with youth-service providers in the Bethlehem area. Interviews were followed by a member-checking survey to improve accurate capture of their experiences. Results: Utilizing Graneheim and Lundman's (2004) pragmatic qualitative data analysis, we extracted nuanced themes that mapped onto the analytical categories. We identified five analytical categories: educational, societal, political, economic, and individual. Discussion: Our findings suggest a complex and nuanced perspective of Palestinian youth according to youth service providers in the Bethlehem area. We discuss implications for practitioners and researchers interested in youth development and well-being in the Palestinian context.
Show less

Title: The role of affect in binge eating phenotypes : an examination of individual differences in emotion experience and interactions with ovarian hormones
Creator: Mikhail, Megan Elizabeth
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Ovarian hormones significantly influence dysregulated eating in females. However, most women do not develop appreciable disordered eating, suggesting that ovarian hormones may not affect all women equally. In the first study of this thesis, I examined whether individual differences in trait negative affect (NA) moderate ovarian hormone-dysregulated eating associations in 446 women who provided saliva samples for hormone measurements and ratings of NA and emotional eating daily for 45...
Show moreOvarian hormones significantly influence dysregulated eating in females. However, most women do not develop appreciable disordered eating, suggesting that ovarian hormones may not affect all women equally. In the first study of this thesis, I examined whether individual differences in trait negative affect (NA) moderate ovarian hormone-dysregulated eating associations in 446 women who provided saliva samples for hormone measurements and ratings of NA and emotional eating daily for 45 consecutive days. Women were at greatest risk for emotional eating when they had high trait NA and experienced a hormonal milieu characterized by low estradiol or high progesterone. While effects were significant in all women, the combination of high trait NA and high progesterone was particularly risky for women with a history of clinically significant binge eating episodes. These findings provide initial evidence that affective and hormonal risk interact to promote dysregulated eating, and that effects may be amplified in women with clinically significant binge eating.Low emotion differentiation (the tendency to experience vague affective states rather than discrete emotions) is associated with psychopathology marked by emotion regulation deficits and impulsive/maladaptive behavior. However, research examining associations between emotion differentiation and dysregulated eating is still nascent. In the second study, I therefore examined associations between several measures of emotion differentiation and binge eating phenotypes across a spectrum of severity.
Show less

Title: Association of fired cartridge residues to unburned smokeless powders using GC-MS and multivariate statistical procedures
Creator: Boyea, Rebecca L.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Forensic analysis of smokeless powders has historically focused on the analysis of unburned powder or gunshot residue. The analysis of fired cartridge residues and subsequent statistical association to the corresponding unburned powder has only recently been investigated. Previous work in our laboratory employed liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS) and chemometric procedures to investigate association of fired cartridge residues to the corresponding unburned...
Show moreForensic analysis of smokeless powders has historically focused on the analysis of unburned powder or gunshot residue. The analysis of fired cartridge residues and subsequent statistical association to the corresponding unburned powder has only recently been investigated. Previous work in our laboratory employed liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS) and chemometric procedures to investigate association of fired cartridge residues to the corresponding unburned powders.2 While successful association was achieved for some powders, LC-TOFMS is not readily available in forensic laboratories. A widely available alternative is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The work presented here demonstrates the use of GC MS for the analysis of unburned powder and fired cartridge residues, followed principal components analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) to investigate association and differentiation of fired cartridge residues to the corresponding unburned powder. Both PCA and HCA resulted in distinct groupings of the unburned powders, based largely on the abundance of ethyl centralite and dibutyl phthalate. Despite variability and decreased abundances observed in all fired cartridge residues, successful association of the fired cartridges to the corresponding unburned powder was possible but was limited by the original composition of the unburned powder. Overall, this work demonstrates that GC-MS and chemometric procedures are effective tools for the association of fired cartridge residues and unburned powders.
Show less

Title: Annual bluegrass emergence from fraze mowed fairway systems fumigated with dazomet
Creator: Bearss, Ryan Christopher
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In the summers of 2018-19, two trials were conducted at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center in East Lansing, MI to evaluate the viability of fraze mowing cultivation and dazomet fumigation for cool-season fairway renovations. Both trials were conducted on native and sand topdressed (TDS) blocks. In Trial 1 (Rate Study), plots were stripped with fraze mowing cultivation and dazomet was applied either; once at rates of 0, 293.7, or 588.7 kg ha-1 or twice at rates of 146.8 or 293.7 kg ha-1....
Show moreIn the summers of 2018-19, two trials were conducted at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center in East Lansing, MI to evaluate the viability of fraze mowing cultivation and dazomet fumigation for cool-season fairway renovations. Both trials were conducted on native and sand topdressed (TDS) blocks. In Trial 1 (Rate Study), plots were stripped with fraze mowing cultivation and dazomet was applied either; once at rates of 0, 293.7, or 588.7 kg ha-1 or twice at rates of 146.8 or 293.7 kg ha-1. Plots of Trial 2 (Disturbance Study) were subjected to 0, 15, 50 or 100% fraze mowing surface disturbance and uniformly fumigated with dazomet at 293.7 kg ha-1. Dazomet was incorporated mechanically in either Trial via Tillage or Solid-Tine (ST) cultivation and followed procedures consistent with the fumigant label. 5-days after fumigation, all plots were seeded with creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) [CBG]. In the Rate Study, interval treatments provided the most consistent control of ABG emergence across seasons. Only treatments applied once at 293.7 kg ha-1 failed to yield greater CBG cover than the control. In the Disturbance Study, plots fraze mowed to 100% and cultivated by tillage achieved the greatest ABG control but poorest CBG cover. Across trials, no single treatment provided complete or acceptable control of ABG and fraze mowing cultivation impeded CBG establishment. Fraze mowing cultivation simplified the removal of surface material but did not provide acceptable ABG control at any level of surface disturbance or dazomet treatment applied.
Show less

Title: Juvenile-justice and dual system-involved youth : the role of primary caregiver monitoring habits on adolescent offending
Creator: Fredericks, Alyssa
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Adolescence is a period in which youths experience rapid physical, psychological, emotional and social changes and a desire to be autonomous and engage in adult-like behaviors. The desire for independence among adolescents can create a challenge for parents to effectively monitor their children's behavior. Although delinquency peaks adolescence, parental monitoring habits have been found to decrease juvenile offending. However, adolescents who experience child welfare system contact are at an...
Show moreAdolescence is a period in which youths experience rapid physical, psychological, emotional and social changes and a desire to be autonomous and engage in adult-like behaviors. The desire for independence among adolescents can create a challenge for parents to effectively monitor their children's behavior. Although delinquency peaks adolescence, parental monitoring habits have been found to decrease juvenile offending. However, adolescents who experience child welfare system contact are at an increased risk for engaging in juvenile delinquency, particularly when the child welfare system contact occurred during adolescence. Using a secondary dataset including 532 male first-time juvenile offenders from Orange County, California, the present study assessed whether parental or primary caregivers' effort, knowledge, and monitoring remain protective factors against juvenile delinquency regardless of child welfare system contact, and whether, among dual system youth with contact with both systems, the timing of child welfare system contact moderates the relation between primary caregiver effort, knowledge, and monitoring and juvenile delinquency. Results indicated that knowledge and monitoring were protective against adolescent offending regardless of whether a youth had prior involvement in the child welfare system, but that effort was positively associated with offending. Results also suggested that the timing of child welfare system contact was not significantly related to adolescent offending. Implications for parenting and juvenile justice system practice are discussed.
Show less

Title: How do neighborhood, familial, and school disadvantage alter the etiology of children's antisocial behavior?
Creator: Carroll, Sarah, 1994-
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Disadvantaged contexts come in myriad forms and are widely known to predict antisocial behavior, including both physical aggression and non-aggressive rule-breaking. These predictions go beyond simple phenotypic associations, with research now indicating that genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior also vary as a function of neighborhood disadvantage. These findings are typically interpreted as evidence of a bioecological genotype environment interaction (GxE), such that...
Show moreDisadvantaged contexts come in myriad forms and are widely known to predict antisocial behavior, including both physical aggression and non-aggressive rule-breaking. These predictions go beyond simple phenotypic associations, with research now indicating that genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior also vary as a function of neighborhood disadvantage. These findings are typically interpreted as evidence of a bioecological genotype environment interaction (GxE), such that genetic influences may be most strongly expressed in 'average, expectable environments' while environmental influences are strongest in impoverished contexts. Because extant studies are limited in their conceptualization of disadvantage, however, it is unclear whether the findings related to neighborhood disadvantage also apply to familial and school disadvantage. The current study sought to fill this gap in the literature by examining multiple forms of disadvantage as etiologic moderators of aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior, respectively, in a sample of 1,030 pairs of school-aged twins enriched for disadvantage. It was hypothesized that each measure of disadvantage would independently and synergistically moderate the etiology of antisocial behavior in ways consistent with the predictions of the bioecological model. Two factors underlay the indicators of disadvantage included in the current study. Proximal disadvantage comprised two familial indicators and moderated the etiology of rule-breaking behavior in a way that was consistent with a diathesis-stress model, amplifying the additive genetic variance. Contextual disadvantage, by contrast, comprised one school and two neighborhood indicators and augmented the effect of the shared environment on rule-breaking, as predicted by the bioecological model. Follow-up nuclear twin family model analyses further indicated that this increase in shared environmental influence represented a true environmental effect, rather than an increase in passive gene environment correlation or assortative mating. The two indicators of disadvantage had comparatively little effect on the etiology of aggression and did not interact with one another as etiologic moderators. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Show less

Title: Barriers and facilitators to the utilization of the ACT SMART implementation toolkit in community agencies : a qualitative study
Creator: Sridhar, Aksheya
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Evidence-based practices (EBPs) have been shown to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Wong et al., 2015). Research suggests that the utilization of these practices in community settings is varied (Paynter & Keen, 2015; Pickard, Meza, Drahota, & Brikho, 2018); however, the utilization of implementation guides may bridge the gap between research and practice (Drahota et al., 2017). The Autism Community Toolkit: Systems to Measure and Adopt Research-Based...
Show moreEvidence-based practices (EBPs) have been shown to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Wong et al., 2015). Research suggests that the utilization of these practices in community settings is varied (Paynter & Keen, 2015; Pickard, Meza, Drahota, & Brikho, 2018); however, the utilization of implementation guides may bridge the gap between research and practice (Drahota et al., 2017). The Autism Community Toolkit: Systems to Measure and Adopt Research-Based Treatments (ACT SMART Toolkit; Drahota, Meza, & Martinez, 2014) is a web-based implementation toolkit developed to guide ASD implementation teams through the phases of EBP implementation in community agencies. This study examined the barriers and facilitators (collectively termed "determinants") to the utilization of this toolkit, based on the perspectives of implementation teams at six ASD community agencies. Two independent coders utilized the adapted EPIS model (Drahota et al., 2017; Moulin et al., 2019) and the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008), to guide thematic analyses of participant interviews. Salient determinants were identified, and analyses highlighted two themes: (a) Inner Context Determinants to use of the toolkit (e.g., funding), and (b) Innovation Determinants (e.g., facilitation teams). Finally, determinants that differed across adapted EPIS phases of the toolkit were identified. Findings highlight areas of improvement for the ACT SMART Implementation Toolkit, as well as factors to facilitate the use of this implementation guide. Additionally, findings may inform the development, refinement, and utilization of implementation guides with the aim of increasing the uptake of evidence-based practices in community agencies providing services to children with autism spectrum disorder.
Show less

Title: Assessing partnership development under the Michigan Department of Natural Resource's habitat grants programs using social network analysis
Creator: Burton, Sarah (Conservation biologist)
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In recent years state wildlife agencies have begun to realize the need to build collaborations and partnerships among their constituents in order to further their conservation goals. This has been done through a variety of avenues including grant programs such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' (MI DNR) wildlife habitat grant programs, which continue to provide funds to government, profit and non-profit organizations to develop land for wildlife habitat. Regarding grant programs...
Show moreIn recent years state wildlife agencies have begun to realize the need to build collaborations and partnerships among their constituents in order to further their conservation goals. This has been done through a variety of avenues including grant programs such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' (MI DNR) wildlife habitat grant programs, which continue to provide funds to government, profit and non-profit organizations to develop land for wildlife habitat. Regarding grant programs facilitating partnerships, there has been no systematic assessment of whether this is a successful method to do so. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MI DNR grant programs in building relationships. In this work, a social network analysis was conducted to assess the nature of partnerships among grant receiving and non-grant receiving conservation organizations. A selection model approach was used to determine what characteristics were driving the partnerships of this network. The outcome variable being modeled was support received from a partner. The results delivered visualizations of the network and insight into why these organizations were selecting one another as partners. Major driving forces in partnership selection were found to be grants, the scale of management, having received prior support and distance between organizations. This valuable information will serve as a platform to better understand the networks surrounding wildlife conservation and allow the MI DNR to address any shortcomings and gaps within the partnership network.
Show less

Title: The influence of early life undernutrition on mouse maximal treadmill running capacity in adulthood
Creator: Pendergrast, Logan Alan
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Introduction: Undernutrition during early life causes chronic disease with specific impairments to the heart and skeletal muscle. Purpose: To determine the effects of early-life undernutrition on adult exercise capacity as a result of cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Methods: Pups were undernourished during gestation (GUN) or lactation (PUN) using a cross-fostering nutritive mouse model. At postnatal day 21 (PN21), all mice were weaned and refed a control diet. At PN67, mice performed a...
Show moreIntroduction: Undernutrition during early life causes chronic disease with specific impairments to the heart and skeletal muscle. Purpose: To determine the effects of early-life undernutrition on adult exercise capacity as a result of cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Methods: Pups were undernourished during gestation (GUN) or lactation (PUN) using a cross-fostering nutritive mouse model. At postnatal day 21 (PN21), all mice were weaned and refed a control diet. At PN67, mice performed a maximal treadmill test. Echocardiography and Doppler velocity analysis was performed at PN72, following which skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and fiber type were determined. Results: Maximal running capacity was reduced (Diet: P=0.0002) in GUN and PUN mice. Left ventricular mass (Diet: P=0.03) and posterior wall thickness during systole (Diet*Sex: P=0.03) of GUN and PUN mice was reduced, causing PUN mice to have reduced (Diet: P=0.04) stroke volume (SV). Heart Rate (HR) of GUN mice showed a trend (Diet: P=0.07) towards greater resting values than other groups. PUN mice had greater CSA of SOL fibers. PUN had a reduced (Diet: P=0.03) proportion of type-IIX fibers in the EDL and a greater (Diet: P=0.008) percentage of type-IIB fibers in the EDL. Conclusion: Gestational and Postnatal undernourishment impairs exercise capacity.
Show less

Title: Willingness to pay for processed grains in Dakar, Senegal : an analysis using discrete choice experiments
Creator: Chase-Walsh, Sarah Victoria
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This article studies consumer preference for processed traditional and non-traditional grains in Dakar, Senegal. While much attention has focused on substitution between traditional and nontraditional grains, less has shown how consumers make tradeoffs among processed products. Using an exit-interview method and two discrete choice experiments, I obtain marginal values of willingness to pay for processed grains. In this paper, I measure willingness to pay for domestically produced millet,...
Show moreThis article studies consumer preference for processed traditional and non-traditional grains in Dakar, Senegal. While much attention has focused on substitution between traditional and nontraditional grains, less has shown how consumers make tradeoffs among processed products. Using an exit-interview method and two discrete choice experiments, I obtain marginal values of willingness to pay for processed grains. In this paper, I measure willingness to pay for domestically produced millet, maize, rice, and sorghum. I also measure willingness to pay for a second stage processed millet product. The results of this study show that consumers are willing to pay a premium for domestically produced processed grains, both traditional and non-traditional, save sorghum. Consumers are only willing to pay a positive premium for imported rice. The results also suggest that consumers are willing to pay a premium for fresh and bulk second stage processed millet.
Show less

Title: Assessing farmers' willingness to pay for quality seeds using bidding experiment mechanism : evidence from Myanmar
Creator: Win, Myat Thida
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "In most developing countries the use of quality seeds of self-pollinated crops like pulses is low because of economic and biological factors. The purpose of this study was to better understand the market potential for private sector-led seed system for two important pulse crops-chick pea and green gram in the Central Dry Zone region of Myanmar. I used the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak bidding experiment mechanism to estimate farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for seeds with different quality...
Show more"In most developing countries the use of quality seeds of self-pollinated crops like pulses is low because of economic and biological factors. The purpose of this study was to better understand the market potential for private sector-led seed system for two important pulse crops-chick pea and green gram in the Central Dry Zone region of Myanmar. I used the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak bidding experiment mechanism to estimate farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for seeds with different quality attributes and to assess the impact of seed packaging, branding, traceability, and labeling on farmers' WTP a premium for these quality-signaling attributes. For green gram, I also collected detailed cost data for producing seed and grain. Results indicate that providing information on the identity of the seed source, packaging, branding, traceability, and labeling had no statistically significant effect on farmers' WTP a premium for these attributes. I also found that visual inspection of seeds' physical attributes was an important determinant of farmers' WTP. Comparing the results with the cost analysis suggests that about 40% of the farmers' WTP for certified seed produced by the local seed producers and 65% of farmers' WTP for the company seed, which was perceived to be of highest quality was above the cost of seed production, which did not include storage, transport, and marketing costs. Results of this study suggest potential market demand exists for quality seed but more research is needed to better understand the cost structure and bring the total cost of producing and marketing seed below the WTP price for a large number of farmers."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: Examination of a culturally specific brief intervention for African American survivors of sexual assault
Creator: Ayeni, Oluwafunmilayo Oyesola
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Sexual assault is a global crime involving any form of unwanted sexual acts committed against an individual. Survivors of sexual assault have physical, mental, and other life needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to recover from such traumatic experiences. Sexual assault agencies play an important role in providing relevant support services to improve outcomes of survivors. Despite the prevalence of sexual assault in minority communities, there are limited culturally...
Show more"Sexual assault is a global crime involving any form of unwanted sexual acts committed against an individual. Survivors of sexual assault have physical, mental, and other life needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to recover from such traumatic experiences. Sexual assault agencies play an important role in providing relevant support services to improve outcomes of survivors. Despite the prevalence of sexual assault in minority communities, there are limited culturally specific interventions available to address the unique needs of survivors in these communities. Bearing this in mind, the current study investigates women's experience with a one-time, culturally specific brief intervention for African American survivors of sexual assault to identify which aspects of the intervention, if any, are viewed by the women as being particularly helpful. The study utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach. In-depth individual interviews were completed with nine African American women who have participated in the Healing is Possible (HIP) brief, group-based, culturally specific sexual assault intervention offered by the SASHA Center to better understand the perceived value of the intervention to participants. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis. All participants identified culturally specific components of the intervention that were beneficial to their experience with the intervention. The women also identified several ways in which they believed the intervention had positively improved their quality of life. By closely examining the experiences of women with a culturally specific brief intervention, this study sheds new light on the value of culturally specific sexual assault services."--Page ii.
Show less

Title: Terminal stage of a dying rift
Creator: LaVigne, Andrew
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: While most continental rifts progress toward rupture and eventual oceanic spreading, in certain circumstances, the rift may fail. Failed rifts provide a window into the transition from continental rifting to the formation of a passive margin, which in successful rifts is occluded by thick post rift sedimentary packages. Among the best-preserved failed rifts is the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR) in North America. Within the MCR, the final stage of magmatism is preserved on Michipicoten Island....
Show moreWhile most continental rifts progress toward rupture and eventual oceanic spreading, in certain circumstances, the rift may fail. Failed rifts provide a window into the transition from continental rifting to the formation of a passive margin, which in successful rifts is occluded by thick post rift sedimentary packages. Among the best-preserved failed rifts is the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR) in North America. Within the MCR, the final stage of magmatism is preserved on Michipicoten Island. Here I present a geochemical and isotopic study of the Michipicoten Island Formation to probe conditions in the crust and mantle during the final stage. My results show that the volcanic units on Michipicoten Island have undergone magma mixing between rhyolitic and basaltic magma, dominating magmatic processes within the crust. During previous eruptive periods in the MCR, during which this observation has been made, the rhyolitic endmember has been interpreted to have experienced significant contribution from the Achaean crust based on profoundly unradiogenic Nd values. In contrast, the Michipicoten Island Formation exhibits some of the most radiogenic Ndi values in the MCR, indicating that the source of evolved melts in the MCR changes from melting of existing Archean crust to juvenile material. The isotopic data from Michipicoten Island also shows that the depleted mantle is the single largest contributor of any geochemical reservoir. In the absence of a strong thermal plume component, melting of the depleted mantle requires decompression. The Michipicoten Island Formation was erupted during the geophysically-defined post-rift phase. My results require plate thinning to have continued during this late stage, with the implication that plate deformation persisted even though the crustal structure may not have recorded this deformation.
Show less

Title: AN INVESTIGATION OF INEFFECTIVE ALLY BEHAVIORS
Creator: Collier, Lauren A.
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Previous investigations of allyship more broadly make the assumption that allies are unilaterally helpful. Through conducting three survey studies, I aimed to (1) examine the effects of effective and ineffective ally behavior on psychological outcomes for members of marginalized groups, (2) examine the perceptions marginalized group members had of effective and ineffective allies, (3) determine whether there were specific ally motivations that predict effective and ineffective allyship...
Show morePrevious investigations of allyship more broadly make the assumption that allies are unilaterally helpful. Through conducting three survey studies, I aimed to (1) examine the effects of effective and ineffective ally behavior on psychological outcomes for members of marginalized groups, (2) examine the perceptions marginalized group members had of effective and ineffective allies, (3) determine whether there were specific ally motivations that predict effective and ineffective allyship behavior and (4) determine whether there were specific individual differences that predict effective ally behavior. The results revealed that ineffective ally behavior was negatively related to psychological safety and positive affect and positively related to anxiety and negative affect for marginalized group members. An inverse set of relationships was revealed for effective ally behaviors. In addition, internal motivation to respond without prejudice and social dominance orientation emerged as robust predictors of ally behavior. Specifically, internal motivation to respond without prejudice was negatively related to ineffective ally behaviors while social dominance orientation was positively related. These variables exhibited an inverse relationship with effective ally behavior. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.
Show less

Title: Antimicrobial and biodegradable food packaging films with chitosan-based N-halamine structures to prevent contamination by drug susceptible and resistant strains of Salmonella typhimurium
Creator: Thekkudan Novi, Vinni
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Contamination of food samples with antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium has become a cause for concern due to difficulty in treating infections caused by this pathogen. In one approach, chitosan/PVA-based N-halamine (CPN) film was developed and tested for its efficacy in inactivating drug susceptible and ampicillin resistant Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The CPN film significantly (100%) inactivated the growth of both strains during the antimicrobial sandwich assay when tested for...
Show moreContamination of food samples with antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium has become a cause for concern due to difficulty in treating infections caused by this pathogen. In one approach, chitosan/PVA-based N-halamine (CPN) film was developed and tested for its efficacy in inactivating drug susceptible and ampicillin resistant Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The CPN film significantly (100%) inactivated the growth of both strains during the antimicrobial sandwich assay when tested for five days since film preparation, while the CH/PVA films showed around one log reduction (p<0.05). CPN films reduced the drug resistant strain's growth on cheddar cheese slices by 5-6 logs at 25°C and 3-4 logs at 4°C when packaged and stored over a period of five days unlike CH/PVA films that did not show significant reduction. The second approach involves the synthesis of a stronger chitosan N-halamine-based coating on plasma treated polycaprolactone film (CH-NX/PCL film). The FTIR peaks obtained for chitosan coated PCL film (CH/PCL) showed characteristic peaks of both PCL and chitosan, specifically at 1720 cm-1 and 3354 cm-1, respectively. The tensile strength of the PCL was higher, while the Young's modulus value was higher for CH/PCL. CH/PCL film showed better barrier against water and oxygen compared to PCL. The antimicrobial efficacy of the CH-NX/PCL film was 100% against both strains of Salmonella Typhimurium when compared to PCL and CH/PCL, indicating that this fabricated film has promising applications in food safety.
Show less

Title: Effect of alloying additions of aluminium and iron on the creep resistance of Ti-12Cr (wt.%)
Creator: Chakravarty, Harish Narasimhan
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTEFFECT OF ALLOYING ADDITIONS OF ALUMINIUM AND IRON ON THE CREEPRESISTANCE OF TI-12CR (WT.%)ByHarish Narasimhan ChakravartyTitanium (Ti) and its alloys are among the desired materials for biomaterial, marine, and aerospace applications due to their excellent properties. Metastable beta titanium (β-Ti) alloys exhibit enhanced strengths and hardness values after thermomechanical processing (TMP) due to the presence of omega (ω) and alpha (α) phase precipitates in the beta (β) matrix....
Show moreABSTRACTEFFECT OF ALLOYING ADDITIONS OF ALUMINIUM AND IRON ON THE CREEPRESISTANCE OF TI-12CR (WT.%)ByHarish Narasimhan ChakravartyTitanium (Ti) and its alloys are among the desired materials for biomaterial, marine, and aerospace applications due to their excellent properties. Metastable beta titanium (β-Ti) alloys exhibit enhanced strengths and hardness values after thermomechanical processing (TMP) due to the presence of omega (ω) and alpha (α) phase precipitates in the beta (β) matrix. Cost is a major driving factor in titanium research. There have been significant efforts to replace high cost alloying elements currently being used in the industry, like V, Sn, Mo, Nb, and Zr, with cheaper ferro-chrome substitutes. The goal going forward for metastable β-Ti alloys is achieving comparable mechanical properties to the commercially used Ti-alloys. β-Ti alloys with the ω-phase usually tend to exhibit higher strengths and hardness values than the ones that do not contain the ω-phase.In this study, the creep properties of three different β-Ti alloys, Ti-12Cr-1Fe-3Al (wt. %), Ti-12Cr-3Al (wt.%), and T-12Cr (wt. %), were experimentally obtained at a temperature of 683K and applied stresses between 200-350 MPa. The relationship between microstructure and creep properties were investigated. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), optical microscope (OM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to help characterize the microstructure before and after creep deformation. The hardness of alloys increased after heat treatment for 48 hrs at 683 K due to the precipitation of the α and/or the ω phases. The creep tests showed that Ti-12Cr-1Fe-3Al (wt. %) was the most creep resistant and Ti-12Cr (wt. %) was the least creep resistant.
Show less

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

Enabled Filters

Pages

Pages

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

You are here

Search results

Pages

Pages