Search results

Title: THE EFFECT OF CLAW REMOVAL METHODS AND TEMPERATURE ON THE POST-RELEASE SURVIVAL AND CRITICAL THERMAL MAXIMUM OF STONE CRAB (MENIPPE MERCENARIA)
Creator: Walus, Alexandria Marie
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) is an emerging commercial fishery in the Bahamas with its main export to the United States of America. This fishery capitalizes on the oversized claws of the crab, which are harvested, before the crab is returned to the sea where it can potentially regrow its claws. While it is often assumed that the crab will regrow its claws and re-enter the fishery, only 13% of harvested crabs in the fishery have regrown claws, and an estimated 2-81% of crabs survive...
Show moreFlorida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) is an emerging commercial fishery in the Bahamas with its main export to the United States of America. This fishery capitalizes on the oversized claws of the crab, which are harvested, before the crab is returned to the sea where it can potentially regrow its claws. While it is often assumed that the crab will regrow its claws and re-enter the fishery, only 13% of harvested crabs in the fishery have regrown claws, and an estimated 2-81% of crabs survive post-claw removal and release. In addition, the Caribbean region is considered one of the most vulnerable areas with respect to climate change. Therefore, because most aquatic organisms cannot regulate their body temperature, they are directly influenced by environmental temperature stress, and when combined with the stress of claw removal may further decrease the capacity of the crab to survive warming temperatures. The purpose of my thesis was to: 1) determine a method of claw removal that maximizes survival for stone crab, 2) determine the effect of rapidly warming water temperatures on the reflex behavior of crabs post-release, and 3) determine the effect of claw removal on the critical thermal maximum (CTMax) of stone crab. In chapter 1, I used a controlled laboratory experiment to compare a new autotomy-inducing technique to the typical method of claw removal. For the two different claw removal methods, I compared the survival and start time for claw regeneration as a function of harvester experience and whether one claw or both claws were removed. Finally, the claws that were removed were inspected by independent observers to determine whether any differences using the two methods could be identified. Overall, I found that crabs with claws removed using the proposed induced autotomy method had significantly higher survival than crabs with claws removed using the typical method, while crabs with claws removed by inexperienced harvesters had the lowest. In Chapter 2, I conducted a series of laboratory experiments to measure nine reflex action mortality predictor reflexes of crabs and determine the critical thermal maximum (CTMax) for stone crab that had one or two claws removed using induced-autotomy. Of the nine reflexes used to develop an endpoint necessary for calculating CTMax, three were determined to be suitable (equilibrium, mouth closure and appendage turgor) and CTMax was 37.6 °C, and independent of the number of claws removed using the proposed induced-autotomy method. Overall, the tool required to conduct the induced-autotomy method of claw removal is simple and easily purchased or constructed and can easily be taught to recreational and commercial harvesters as a way to improve survival and thus sustainability of this important fishery.
Show less

Title: PRETERM DELIVERY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH FALSE POSITIVE, AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSE (ABR)-BASED NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING FINDINGS
Creator: Rathore, Mandavni
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Newborn hearing screening failure can occur in infants without hearing loss; these false-positive (FP) results have been speculated to reflect neurodevelopmental disorder risk. Preterm birth (PTB), a known neurodevelopmental risk factor, has been associated with FP at initial screening. We aim to further characterize this association by stratifying PTB by gestational age and delivery circumstance. To do this, we analyzed birth certificate and Early Hearing Detection & Intervention data from...
Show moreNewborn hearing screening failure can occur in infants without hearing loss; these false-positive (FP) results have been speculated to reflect neurodevelopmental disorder risk. Preterm birth (PTB), a known neurodevelopmental risk factor, has been associated with FP at initial screening. We aim to further characterize this association by stratifying PTB by gestational age and delivery circumstance. To do this, we analyzed birth certificate and Early Hearing Detection & Intervention data from the Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services (2007–2015; n = 919,363). We restricted our analysis to singleton live births with available ABR-based hearing screening data and obstetric estimates of gestational age (n = 655,079). We then used logistic regression to evaluate the association of PTB defined by gestational age (extreme: < 28 weeks; moderate: 28–34 weeks; late: 34–36 weeks) and delivery circumstance (spontaneous, medically indicated) with FP, using full-term birth (≥ 37 weeks) as the referent group. Approximately 4% of infants had FP findings. All gestational age categories were associated with this phenomenon (extreme: OR = 4.2, 95% CI 3.7, 4.7; moderate: OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.1, 1.3; late: 1.6, 95% CI 1.5, 1.7). Spontaneous and medically indicated PTB were also associated with FP (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.6, 1.8; OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.3, 1.5, respectively). All results persisted following adjustment for socio-demographic and antepartum factors except for moderate PTB (OR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.9, 1.1), though sensitivity analyses suggested marked heterogeneity within this group. Further research is needed to investigate factors underlying these differences and whether they correlate with neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses.
Show less

Title: Improving the Efficiency of Residential Buildings in Rural Alaska : An Analysis of Existing Infrastructure and Its Importance in Creating Energy-Efficient Homes
Creator: Milan, Maria
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Rural communities in Alaska, many of which have a high Alaska Native population, currently face significant housing challenges. In a climate that can become extremely cold, houses are generally lacking in energy efficiency. Residents pay high rates for both oil and electricity to heat and operate their homes. Their homes are much smaller and with higher occupancy in comparison to typical U.S. homes. In addition, as the winter season brings sub-zero temperatures, windows remain shut with...
Show moreRural communities in Alaska, many of which have a high Alaska Native population, currently face significant housing challenges. In a climate that can become extremely cold, houses are generally lacking in energy efficiency. Residents pay high rates for both oil and electricity to heat and operate their homes. Their homes are much smaller and with higher occupancy in comparison to typical U.S. homes. In addition, as the winter season brings sub-zero temperatures, windows remain shut with limited mechanical or natural ventilation, also creating indoor air quality concerns. To date there has been limited studies of rural Alaskan communities’ housing, to better understand and quantify such housing challenges. This research focuses on a detailed study of the rural Alaskan community of Unalakleet. Located on the western shore of Alaska, this coastal community of approximately 765 people faces many housing challenges, similar to other rural Alaskan communities. Through collaboration with the housing authority in Unalakleet, this research conducted home energy assessments and resident interviews in the summer of 2021, including 27 energy assessments and 22 interviews. The purpose of the energy assessments was to collect information on typical building features and data, as well as to identify housing challenges. The interviews were generally completed for homes that also had an energy assessment and were used to better understand residents’ perspectives on energy and housing challenges beyond what was observed in the assessments. Blower door tests suggest that homes are usually small and tight, with leakiness around areas like the windows, where mold frequently was observed. Short-term indoor air quality monitoring suggests that some homes, especially those less than 46 m2 , had high CO2 concentrations, relative to others. Some homes had significant mold growth, and others had many areas of damage. Still, interviews with community members suggest that they were grateful for their housing and the ability to live in Unalakleet. The overall purpose of this research is to provide evidence to quantify the typical housing characteristics presence in rural Alaskan communities, as well as to provide results that motivate and support opportunities for new, more efficient housing. The introduction discusses major housing challenges, from high energy bills to the history of inefficient infrastructure in rural Alaska. Physical characteristics of assessed homes, followed by indoor air quality and air flow, are discussed in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively. Finally, Chapter 4 uses data collected from the 27 housing assessments to create a building energy model, where energy usage in existing housing is modeled to represent a ‘typical’ rural Alaskan home. The results of this model show where the largest improvements in efficiency can be made, especially in adding higher R-value insulation. The conclusion provides a brief overview of research contribution, limitations, and future work.
Show less

Title: HOW CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN IN EARLY INTERVENTION FEEL ABOUT SIMPLIFIED LANGUAGE INPUT : A SURVEY STUDY
Creator: Nylund, Megan
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: There is some disagreement regarding how adults should simplify their utterances when speaking to young children with language delays. One type of simplification that has come into question is telegraphic input, a style of speaking that involves removing grammatical aspects of phrases, such as function words and grammatical markers (e.g., All done snack, Cookie yummy). In the current study, we utilized survey data collected by Andary (2020) surveying caregivers of children in early...
Show moreThere is some disagreement regarding how adults should simplify their utterances when speaking to young children with language delays. One type of simplification that has come into question is telegraphic input, a style of speaking that involves removing grammatical aspects of phrases, such as function words and grammatical markers (e.g., All done snack, Cookie yummy). In the current study, we utilized survey data collected by Andary (2020) surveying caregivers of children in early intervention about their views on different types of simplified language. Specifically, we asked: How do caregivers’ beliefs about telegraphic input relate to how comfortable they are producing different types of simplified utterances? Results were also analyzed for correlations between demographics and beliefs of simplification. Additionally, the survey provided space for caregivers to share recommendations they gained through Early On resources. Results show caregivers with a positive view of telegraphic input felt significantly less comfortable producing full, grammatical utterances than caregivers with a negative or neutral view of telegraphic input. Demographic analysis revealed caregivers with higher education levels preferred more grammatical utterances. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding caregiver perspectives in caregiver-mediated intervention approaches.
Show less

Title: WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT WE SEE : MODEST MEDIATION OF BISTABLE PERCEPTION BY KNOWLEDGE
Creator: Zhang, Bobicheng
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: When faced with ambiguous visual input, an observer may have various perceptual interpre- tations even when the input remains unchanged. Indeed, such ambiguous displays can cause the observer to experience distinct perceptual interpretations in turn, unpredictably switching between them over time. Theories of such so-called multistable perception broadly fall into two categories: top-down theories that hold that perception in these cases depends strongly on higher-level cogni- tive factors...
Show moreWhen faced with ambiguous visual input, an observer may have various perceptual interpre- tations even when the input remains unchanged. Indeed, such ambiguous displays can cause the observer to experience distinct perceptual interpretations in turn, unpredictably switching between them over time. Theories of such so-called multistable perception broadly fall into two categories: top-down theories that hold that perception in these cases depends strongly on higher-level cogni- tive factors such as knowledge, and bottom-up theories which suggests more vital involvement of aspects of lower-order information processing such as local adaptation in the visual system. We evaluated whether the occurrence of perceptual reversals in the face of ambiguous input is related to the observer’s knowledge that the input is, indeed, ambiguous. We used an ambiguous animation that was designed such that subjects could report perceptual reversals without realizing the ambigu- ity. Subjects observed the animation, reported their perception, and filled out a questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of the animation’s ambiguity. We found that informed subjects reported slightly more perceptual switches than the other subjects, but that this between-group difference was very small compared to the lack of variability within each group between subjects who were aware of the ambiguity and those who were not. These findings suggests that knowledge of ambiguity can influence perception of ambiguous stimuli, but that this influence is relatively minor. This discrepancy between current findings and past work is discussed.
Show less

Title: BLAME JUDGEMENTS FOR PAST ACTIONS OF GROUPS
Creator: Vallabha, Shree
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Historically, groups have committed innumerable atrocities, including genocide and slavery. I tested if people blame current groups for the actions of their past members and what underlies this blame. Current models of blame overlook the dimension of time and therefore have difficulty explaining this phenomenon. I hypothesized that perceiving higher (a) connectedness between past and present perpetrator groups, (b) unfulfilled obligations of perpetrator groups, (c) continued privilege of...
Show moreHistorically, groups have committed innumerable atrocities, including genocide and slavery. I tested if people blame current groups for the actions of their past members and what underlies this blame. Current models of blame overlook the dimension of time and therefore have difficulty explaining this phenomenon. I hypothesized that perceiving higher (a) connectedness between past and present perpetrator groups, (b) unfulfilled obligations of perpetrator groups, (c) continued privilege of perpetrator groups, and (d) continued harm of victim groups would facilitate higher blame judgements against current groups for the past. In a survey (N=518) using real events, I find results consistent with all the four hypotheses and some preliminary evidence for group differences in these relationships. I find that factors that link the present group to the past explain why groups are blamed for their past actions. These findings bring to light the deficiencies in existing theories of blame – calling into question its assumptions and incomplete criterion of judgement.
Show less

Title: Evaluation of Operational Performance and Environmental Impact of a Commercial Scale Anaerobic Digester Utilizing Multiple Feedstocks
Creator: Dwilaksono, Fahmi
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Food waste and livestock manure become some of major sources that contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. Utilizing manure and food wastes as biogas feedstocks through anaerobic digestion (AD) process can improve renewable energy production while reducing the impact of climate change due to GHG emission from untreated organic wastes. This study evaluated the operational performance of Michigan State University’s commercial South Campus Anaerobic Digester (SCAD) as well as the...
Show moreFood waste and livestock manure become some of major sources that contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. Utilizing manure and food wastes as biogas feedstocks through anaerobic digestion (AD) process can improve renewable energy production while reducing the impact of climate change due to GHG emission from untreated organic wastes. This study evaluated the operational performance of Michigan State University’s commercial South Campus Anaerobic Digester (SCAD) as well as the environmental impact during its operation in 2014-2020. Evaluation of feedstock supplies quantity and output parameters of SCAD was conducted to understand the operational performance of the digester. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was done to know the environmental impact of SCAD by comparing it to the conventional waste management methods. Technoeconomic analysis was conducted to know the financial feasibility of SCAD as a commercial digester. The result shows that during its operation from 2014 to 2020, SCAD has processed 159,145 metric tons of feedstock from 18 different organic wastes to produce 15,165,156 kWh of electricity for MSU community. LCA results show that AD system possesses fewer environmental burdens in both global warming potential (GWP) and water eutrophication potential (WEP) compared to the conventional system. Technoeconomic analysis reveals that SCAD needs 21.5 years to accomplish its payback time, which is considered quite economically competitive.
Show less

Title: Evaluation of potential therapeutics for non-small cell lung cancer using 3D tumor spheroid models
Creator: Stoub, Hayden Eric
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The development of novel and improved therapies for cancers requires robust means of investigation that both effectively recapitulate tumor biology while also utilizing resources efficiently. 3D tissue culture methods, namely spheroids and organoids, have emerged as an effective bridge between conventional in vitro methods and in vivo animal models in cancer research. This thesis provides background into lung cancer and the current landscape of 3D in vitro models of cancer, as well as...
Show moreThe development of novel and improved therapies for cancers requires robust means of investigation that both effectively recapitulate tumor biology while also utilizing resources efficiently. 3D tissue culture methods, namely spheroids and organoids, have emerged as an effective bridge between conventional in vitro methods and in vivo animal models in cancer research. This thesis provides background into lung cancer and the current landscape of 3D in vitro models of cancer, as well as detailing two studies in which multicellular tumor spheroids were used to investigate the therapeutic potential of candidate compounds. The first study uses an NCI-H358 multicellular tumor spheroid to investigate three compounds: Apigenin, a plant derived flavonoid; MSU42011, a novel retinoid x receptor (RXR) agonist; and CEP-1347, a mixed lineage kinase (MLK) inhibitor. It was found that Apigenin alone decreased the viability of spheroids, and that the combination of Apigenin and CEP-1347 synergistically decreased viability and increased cell death within the spheroids.The second study uses a murine lung adenocarcinoma tumor spheroid model to investigate the effects of MSU-71, a novel inhibitor of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2) pathway, on macrophage-induced invasion and migration. This compound blocked both migration in conventional experiments along with spheroid invasion, indicating its potential efficacy in preventing LUAD progression. This study also adapted the spheroid invasion model for use in multiple human LUAD cell lines and THP-1 conditioned medium. The findings presented herein demonstrate the versatility and value of 3D tumor spheroid models in the cancer drug development field.
Show less

Title: PERCEPTIONS OF VOICE PRODUCTION IN HEALTHY FEMALES IN REGARDS TO AGE AND PROFESSIONALISM : AS QUANTIFIED BY ACOUSTIC AND PERCEPTUAL MEASURES
Creator: Nizami, Hafsaah Fatima
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: PURPOSE: This study aims to research the perception of voice as it relates to aging and professionalism in an individual. The production of voice varies in accordance with various factors. These variations often provide an insight into a listener’s perceptions of a speaker’s vocal characteristics and these perceptions may vary across settings. METHODS: This study required four components. The first component required college aged participants to rate perceptions of age and health in regards...
Show morePURPOSE: This study aims to research the perception of voice as it relates to aging and professionalism in an individual. The production of voice varies in accordance with various factors. These variations often provide an insight into a listener’s perceptions of a speaker’s vocal characteristics and these perceptions may vary across settings. METHODS: This study required four components. The first component required college aged participants to rate perceptions of age and health in regards to young and old female vocalists. The second section required college aged participants to rate professionalism in regards to young and old female vocalists. Speech Professionals were asked to participate in the third component of this study, in which they rated listeners among the GRBAS scale. The last component required a quantification of results using a standard acoustic measure like cepstral peak prominence. RESULTS: Strong positive correlations were found between estimated age and actual age, strong negative correlations were found between older women and professionalism; moderately positive correlations were found between younger women and professionalism; moderate to strong correlation was found between age and GRBAS; and moderate negative correlations were found between age and CPPS. DISCUSSION: The following results were found: College-aged students were able to distinguish between the younger and older females. Older women were perceived as less professional. As age increases, GRBAS scores also increase. As age increases, CPPS ratings will decrease. CONCLUSION: Further research may require completion of surveys in a controlled environment, and inclusion of pitch-related measures as they relate to the workplace. Keywords: Aging voice, biological sex differences, perception of voice, professional voice, acoustic measures
Show less

Title: LAKE TYPE AND CONNECTIVITY PREDICT ZEBRA MUSSEL (DREISSENA POLYMORPHA) PRESENCE
Creator: Matuszak, Danielle
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Studies that differentiate between lake type or origin, i.e., natural lakes and reservoirs, or that focus solely on reservoirs are rare, especially at broad scales. These facts lead to reservoirs being less well understood compared to natural lakes. It is known that adding dams/impoundments alters the flow regime of the original water body and changes surface water connectivity. However, the impact of these alterations on invasive species dispersal is widely unknown. Reservoirs are also...
Show moreStudies that differentiate between lake type or origin, i.e., natural lakes and reservoirs, or that focus solely on reservoirs are rare, especially at broad scales. These facts lead to reservoirs being less well understood compared to natural lakes. It is known that adding dams/impoundments alters the flow regime of the original water body and changes surface water connectivity. However, the impact of these alterations on invasive species dispersal is widely unknown. Reservoirs are also thought to have higher levels of human disturbance, which can provide opportunities for non-native species such as the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) to invade and establish. Surface water connections allow zebra mussel larvae to flow from one waterbody to another. Additionally, trailering of recreational boats among lakes can promote overland dispersal of zebra mussels through live wells and boating equipment. Although such connectivity promotes zebra mussel spread, we do not yet know how zebra mussels vary according to lake type nor the relative roles of surface and human connectivity and lake type. Taking a data-intensive approach at the macroscale, we ask: Are zebra mussels more common in reservoirs than in natural lakes? How does surface water and human connectivity influence the presence of zebra mussels in reservoirs and natural lakes? To answer these questions, we used 907 lakes within a 17-U.S. state extent and data from a variety of sources. Water quality, surface water connectivity, and human disturbance data were from the LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal (LAGOS) database, public lake access sites were from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and zebra mussel presence data were from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. We characterized surface water connectivity using six unique lake connectivity classes. We characterized human connectivity two ways: watershed road densities measured in meters per hectare and, for a 3-state subset of the study extent, the presence of public access sites on lakes. We characterized surface water connectivity using a lake connectivity classification based on lake and stream inflow(s)/outflow(s). Using logistic multiple regressions and controlling for region and lake chlorophyll a concentrations, we found that a higher proportion of reservoirs have zebra mussels compared to natural lakes for the 17-state extent. At this same spatial extent, we found that more highly connected lakes, both by humans and surface waters, were more likely to have zebra mussels present, regardless of lake type. Finally, at the 3-state extent, lakes with a public access site were more likely to have zebra mussels than those without, regardless of lake type. We conclude that not all ‘lakes’ are equally likely to have zebra mussels present and that both surface water and human connectivity are important predictors of zebra mussel presence. This study improves the understanding of how natural lakes and reservoirs differ and the extent to which reservoirs disproportionately harbor the invasive zebra mussel, which can improve management and prevention. For example, these results suggest that legislation and management focused on uninvaded reservoirs that are highly connected may help slow the spread of this invasive species.
Show less

Title: Emotions and Teaching Practices
Creator: Brown, Danielle Denise
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis is an autoethnography which explores the relationship between the emotions and teaching practices of a novice language teacher throughout one semester of teaching. It addresses two questions: (a) What emotions related to teaching were experienced throughout that semester? and (b) How did those emotions affect their teaching practices? Reflective journaling was practiced to document emotions experienced throughout the semester. An analysis of reflective journal entries revealed...
Show moreThis thesis is an autoethnography which explores the relationship between the emotions and teaching practices of a novice language teacher throughout one semester of teaching. It addresses two questions: (a) What emotions related to teaching were experienced throughout that semester? and (b) How did those emotions affect their teaching practices? Reflective journaling was practiced to document emotions experienced throughout the semester. An analysis of reflective journal entries revealed five emotions that affected the instructor’s teaching practices: fear, guilt, shame, exhaustion, and joy. These five emotions were found to affect the instructor’s teaching practices in a variety of ways, with some effects being more positive or negative than others. The refined model of teacher emotion (Chen, 2021) is used to describe the antecedents and consequences of each emotion.
Show less

Title: 2B4 IS A CHECKPOINT MOLECULE FOR iNKT CELL ANTI-TUMOR RESPONSE
Creator: Bahal, Devika Naresh
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are robust cytotoxic effectors and immune modulators, which makes them ideal candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the use of iNKTs for cellular therapy against cancer has been limited due to their transient response in pre-clinical trials. Although TCR-CD1d interactions are generally required for iNKT cell cytotoxicity, the receptors and signaling mechanisms that co-operate with the TCR to promote maximal anti-tumor responses are poorly...
Show moreInvariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are robust cytotoxic effectors and immune modulators, which makes them ideal candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the use of iNKTs for cellular therapy against cancer has been limited due to their transient response in pre-clinical trials. Although TCR-CD1d interactions are generally required for iNKT cell cytotoxicity, the receptors and signaling mechanisms that co-operate with the TCR to promote maximal anti-tumor responses are poorly understood. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms that regulate anti-tumor responses is critical for the development of effective iNKT-based therapies. Our efforts have shown that 2B4, a SLAM receptor, when expressed on iNKTs reduces their cytotoxic response against lymphoma cells. Surprisingly, 2B4 is not expressed on resting iNKTs but gets rapidly upregulated via stimulation through the TCR. 2B4 has two isoforms, which are splice variants of each other, of which the inhibitory long form is predominantly expressed in activated iNKTs. Our data show that 2B4 is a checkpoint molecule and has an inhibitory role in iNKT cell cytotoxicity. Indeed, when we overexpressed 2B4 in an iNKT cell hybridoma, the killing capacity of the iNKT cell line was abrogated. Moreover, 2B4 can be converted to a potent activating receptor by swapping its intracellular domains with proline motifs, which drastically augments tumor cell lysis. Taken together, this study highlights the important role of 2B4 in iNKT cell cytolysis and broadens the knowledge of immunoregulatory receptors in iNKT cells for future applications in cancer therapy.
Show less

Title: INVESTIGATION OF BACTERIOPHAGE AS A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL FOR BACTERIAL CANKER OF SWEET CHERRY
Creator: Lauwers, Erin M.
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Bacterial canker of sweet cherry trees, caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (PSS), is an economically important disease in Michigan and effective disease management is not available. For these reasons, bacteriophages (phages) are being investigated as a potential biological control of bacterial canker. A cocktail of Pseudomonas bacteriophage was tested as a biological control in Michigan sweet cherry orchards during bloom in 2021 and 2022. Populations of antibiotic-marked...
Show moreBacterial canker of sweet cherry trees, caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (PSS), is an economically important disease in Michigan and effective disease management is not available. For these reasons, bacteriophages (phages) are being investigated as a potential biological control of bacterial canker. A cocktail of Pseudomonas bacteriophage was tested as a biological control in Michigan sweet cherry orchards during bloom in 2021 and 2022. Populations of antibiotic-marked pathogenic PSS strains were tracked for the duration of the flowering period. Establishment of PSS populations greater than 5 log10 CFU g-1 flowers were detected on all water treated flowers during the experiment. In one field replicate on sweet cherry variety ‘Benton’, the PSS population on flowers treated with the phage cocktail was lower (P<0.05) 48 hrs after treatment. Environmental conditions during this field experiment were different compared to the other replicates including higher precipitation, higher relative humidity, and lower Daily Light Integral. These observations could indicate conditions in which phage may be an effective biological control. It also corroborates the need for reducing phage degradation by UV in the field. Kaolin clay was tested as a protectant against UV irradiation in vitro and in vivo. A rate of 4.8 mg ml-1 kaolin clay was shown to effectively protect phage from UV degradation in vitro but was not observed when the phage cocktail was supplemented with kaolin clay in the field. This work gives us a better understanding of the potential of phage as a biological control of bacterial canker under field conditions.
Show less

Title: Documenting the geomorphic impacts of high lake level on freshwater coastal wetlands using topobathymetric surveys : a case study from Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron
Creator: Castro, Megan Grace
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: There has been extensive research connecting vegetative processes in coastal freshwater wetlands and water level fluctuations. However, there is little work on changes to wetland geomorphology, what those transformations may be, and how they impact the wetland. This paper aims to identify changes in wetland geomorphology and decern any correlation between water level and vegetation extents. Data for this study spans from 2012 to 2021, capturing the most recent period of rising water levels....
Show moreThere has been extensive research connecting vegetative processes in coastal freshwater wetlands and water level fluctuations. However, there is little work on changes to wetland geomorphology, what those transformations may be, and how they impact the wetland. This paper aims to identify changes in wetland geomorphology and decern any correlation between water level and vegetation extents. Data for this study spans from 2012 to 2021, capturing the most recent period of rising water levels. Vegetation extent imagery and topobathymetric data were collected during field excursions in the summer of 2021 and compared to NAIP imagery acquired from USGS Earth Explorer and topobathymetric LiDAR data from NOAA Data Access Viewer. Imagery from 2021 was collected using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter drone and 2021 topobathymetric data utilized an RTK-GPS antenna and Seafloor Systems SonarMite single-beam echosounder to conduct boating, kayaking, and wading surveys at each study site. Studies took place at Wigwam Bay and Quanicassee State Wildlife Areas located in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. Findings show water level had a variable impact on vegetation extent and suggest that erosion of sediment occurred during high water levels at both sites. Results show observable changes in geomorphology adjacent to the wetlands. Changes to geomorphology could potentially impact the size, health, and ecosystem services of coastal wetlands. This initial study has limitations due to the nature of available historical data but is intended as a first step towards further understanding the role of geomorphology in coastal freshwater wetland systems.
Show less

Title: PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS, OPIOID USE DISORDERS, AND OPIOID DEATHS ACROSS 21 OECD NATIONS
Creator: Siddiqui, Zehra Jabeen
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Since the 1990s, the United States has seen increased prescription opioid consumption (POC) and an increase in the prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and the opioid disorder death (ODD) rate. This paper examines three factors that may have fueled the opioid crisis: increased supply of prescription opioids, increased demand for opioids because of pain and economic related despair. A regression analysis of twenty-one OECD nations was used to examine the determinants of and the...
Show moreSince the 1990s, the United States has seen increased prescription opioid consumption (POC) and an increase in the prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUD) and the opioid disorder death (ODD) rate. This paper examines three factors that may have fueled the opioid crisis: increased supply of prescription opioids, increased demand for opioids because of pain and economic related despair. A regression analysis of twenty-one OECD nations was used to examine the determinants of and the relationships between POC, OUDs, and ODDs. Over 1991-2019, consumption did not have a significant effect on OUDs or ODDs, but over 2003-2019 it had a positive significant effect on both. These results held if the US was removed from the sample, supporting some supply side effect across the panels after 2003. Furthermore, OUDs have a large, positive and significant effect on ODDs, indicating two possible pathways direct (straight from consumption) and indirect (through an effect on opioid use disorders) that POC relates to increased ODDs. One model estimates that 39% of the increase in US opioid fatalities is attributable to increased POC between 2003-2010.
Show less

Title: INTENSITY IN TEACHING : DEVELOPING AN AFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR WRITING INSTRUCTORS
Creator: Chapman Ball, Cadaxa
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This qualitative research project aims to develop an affective framework for writing pedagogy through analyzing narrative data collected over the course of one semester teaching MSU’s first-year writing course, WRA 101: Writing As Inquiry. The narrative data consists of journal entries and reflections remarking on my own affective states in the writing classroom. Through analyzing these writings, this thesis reveals how and why affect theory has useful applications in writing pedagogy; namely...
Show moreThis qualitative research project aims to develop an affective framework for writing pedagogy through analyzing narrative data collected over the course of one semester teaching MSU’s first-year writing course, WRA 101: Writing As Inquiry. The narrative data consists of journal entries and reflections remarking on my own affective states in the writing classroom. Through analyzing these writings, this thesis reveals how and why affect theory has useful applications in writing pedagogy; namely, that instructors who attend to their own affective responses have the opportunity to better understand the changes they need to make to their teaching practices as well as the systems in which they teach.
Show less

Title: MONITORING AND MODELING ECOHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES IN VEGETATED WATERSHEDS
Creator: Pham, Leo Triet
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Ecohydrology links ecological and hydrological processes and considers interactions between water resources and ecosystems. Modeling tools are not only important for studying the mechanisms of ecological patterns and processes but also for assessing the effects of environmental change on hydrological and ecological processes, providing insights and solutions to issues in water management. This thesis explores various data-driven approaches to monitor and model these processes at 95 watersheds...
Show moreEcohydrology links ecological and hydrological processes and considers interactions between water resources and ecosystems. Modeling tools are not only important for studying the mechanisms of ecological patterns and processes but also for assessing the effects of environmental change on hydrological and ecological processes, providing insights and solutions to issues in water management. This thesis explores various data-driven approaches to monitor and model these processes at 95 watersheds in western USA using a combination of seasonal and annual climate, hydrometric, and remotely sensed vegetation data. In one analysis, we show that a trend in earlier peak in spring vegetation activity may be a linked to reduced runoff availability during drought years compared to non-drought years. We also provide evidence that increase drought severity is consistent with a decrease in runoff ratio in forested catchments through regression analysis, supporting the hypothesis that the relationship among water-balance components may shift during drought events. In another analysis, we show that the type and amount of vegetation coverage, among other catchment characteristics, can affect the accuracy of data-driven runoff models. These results suggest that a better understanding of the ecohydrologic processes and characteristics is vital to development of effective long-term strategies to improve the resilience of watersheds.
Show less

Title: LIFE IS NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE : THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CLASS CUES ON RACE IN AN AFFECT MISATTRIBUTION PROCEDURE
Creator: Carrillo, Alejandro
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Indirect measures of racial bias, such as the Affect Misattribution Procedure, Evaluative Priming Task, and the Implicit Association Task, have been used to provide evidence of stereotypical associations and valenced evaluations towards different racial categories. However, a common limitation shared across these tasks is the tendency to use simplistic racial stimuli that do not capture or account for the multiple categories people may belong to. That is, it is unlikely that people are...
Show moreIndirect measures of racial bias, such as the Affect Misattribution Procedure, Evaluative Priming Task, and the Implicit Association Task, have been used to provide evidence of stereotypical associations and valenced evaluations towards different racial categories. However, a common limitation shared across these tasks is the tendency to use simplistic racial stimuli that do not capture or account for the multiple categories people may belong to. That is, it is unlikely that people are perceived and evaluated along a single feature (i.e., race) but rather at the intersections of multiple categories (i.e., race, age, attractiveness, social class, etc.). Social class, in particular, is a strongly evaluated category and has been shown to share stereotypic associations with race (Moore-Berg & Karpinski, 2019). Thus, this thesis investigated the effects of social class on racial evaluations in an AMP task. Social class was manipulated using occupational clothing in Study 1 and residential areas in Study 2, while race was limited to Black and White men. Across two studies, participants demonstrated a consistent, unexpected pro-Black bias. In addition, an effect of social class was only found in Study 2 such that high-class primes were associated with positive responses. Regarding social class, the results suggest that the manipulations chosen may play an important role in categorization; however, future research is needed to examine just how different class representations impact evaluation.
Show less

Title: A STUDY OF MARGINALIZED NEWS PUBLICATION COMMENTERS AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF LGBTQIA+ NEWS FORUMS
Creator: Kim, Soojeong
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The majority of news comment studies focus on elite news publications such as The New York Times. These studies typically arrive at one of two conclusions: (a) news comment forums are uncivil spaces and (b) White men dominate the conversation spaces on news websites. Yet we know little about how marginalized news commenters on alternative news publications’ online comment forums perceive news spaces and participate in them. Therefore, 22 commenters active in commenting on marginalized (i.e.,...
Show moreThe majority of news comment studies focus on elite news publications such as The New York Times. These studies typically arrive at one of two conclusions: (a) news comment forums are uncivil spaces and (b) White men dominate the conversation spaces on news websites. Yet we know little about how marginalized news commenters on alternative news publications’ online comment forums perceive news spaces and participate in them. Therefore, 22 commenters active in commenting on marginalized (i.e., LGBTQIA+) publications were interviewed to investigate news commenters’ perceptions and motivations. The Social Identity and Bounded Generalized Reciprocity theoretical frameworks suggest these news comment forums should be perceived as safer and more civil spaces due to their homogenous nature. Social Identity Theory suggests that commenters should behave in a more community-oriented way because of in-group favoritism, while Bounded Generalized suggests individuals’ commenting motivations might be driven by the reciprocal expectation that in-group members will positively reciprocate their comments and support their reputational standing. The interview results rooted in the SIT and BGR theoretical lenses provided support for those commenting motivations: (1) perceived similarity, (2) reciprocity, and (3) reputation acknowledgment, which led them to perceive that interactions are civil and safe on LGBTQIA+ news forums.
Show less

Title: Memory-efficient emulation of physical tabular data using quadtree decomposition
Creator: Carlson, Jared
Date: 2022
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Computationally expensive functions are sometimes replaced in simulations with an emulator that approximates the true function (e.g., equations of state, wavelength-dependent opacity, or composition-dependent materials properties). For functions that have a constrained domain of interest, this can be done by discretizing the domain and performing a local interpolation on the tabulated function values of each local domain. For these so-called tabular data methods, the method of discretizing...
Show moreComputationally expensive functions are sometimes replaced in simulations with an emulator that approximates the true function (e.g., equations of state, wavelength-dependent opacity, or composition-dependent materials properties). For functions that have a constrained domain of interest, this can be done by discretizing the domain and performing a local interpolation on the tabulated function values of each local domain. For these so-called tabular data methods, the method of discretizing the domain and mapping the input space to each subdomain can drastically influence the memory and computational costs of the emulator. This is especially true for functions that vary drastically in different regions. We present a method for domain discretization and mapping that utilizes quadtrees, which results in significant reductions in the size of the emulator with minimal increases to computational costs or loss of global accuracy. We apply our method to the electron-positron Helmholtz free energy equation of state and show over an order of magnitude reduction in memory costs for reasonable levels of numerical accuracy.
Show less

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

Enabled Filters

Pages

Pages

MSU Libraries

Digital Repository

You are here

Search results

Pages

Pages