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Title: LATE-GESTATION METABOLIC STRESS IN DAIRY CATTLE : ASSOCIATION WITH COLOSTRUM YIELD AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN CONTENT
Creator: May Rossi, Renato
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Despite improvements made in the dairy industry and advances on heifer management, calf morbidity and mortality are still high. Calves rely on colostrum ingestion for acquisition of passive immunity, and provision of insufficient quantity of colostrum may lead these animals to failure of transfer passive immunity, hence leading to higher risks of morbidity and mortality. Many farms do not have sufficient colostrum available at times to feed their calves. Synthesis of colostrum starts few...
Show moreDespite improvements made in the dairy industry and advances on heifer management, calf morbidity and mortality are still high. Calves rely on colostrum ingestion for acquisition of passive immunity, and provision of insufficient quantity of colostrum may lead these animals to failure of transfer passive immunity, hence leading to higher risks of morbidity and mortality. Many farms do not have sufficient colostrum available at times to feed their calves. Synthesis of colostrum starts few weeks before calving and it is at the time when cows are experiencing augmented metabolic adaptations due to increasing nutrient demands for fetal growth, colostrogenesis, and preparation for the onset of lactogenesis. The study described in Chapter 2 aimed to compare the metabolic status of dairy cows during the last 6 wk of gestation based on colostrum volume and Ig content across seasons during a year. The results in the latter study suggest that greater availability of antioxidants might support the production of higher volumes of colostrum. Therefore, the study reported in Chapter 3, aimed to evaluate whether administering a dietary antioxidant supplement during the last 3 weeks of gestation improves colostrum volume and immunoglobulin content. Our results showed that DATS increased colostrum volume. However, despite finding higher volume of colostrum in treatment group with statistical differences compared to control, the distribution of colostrum volume between groups are relatively the same, as well for IgG, IgM, and IgA.
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Title: FUSARIUM SPP. ASSOCIATED WITH PERENNIAL SPECIALTY CROPS
Creator: Getson, Sara
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The genus Fusarium comprises an array of soilborne plant pathogens capable of causing crop significant loss of quality and yield. For perennial crops with significant start-up costs, infection by pathogenic Fusarium spp. can also reduce plant longevity which can be especially costly. Our objective was to determine the incidence and pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. associated with asparagus crowns and ginseng seed and roots. Fusarium causes root rot on asparagus decreasing the crop yield and...
Show moreThe genus Fusarium comprises an array of soilborne plant pathogens capable of causing crop significant loss of quality and yield. For perennial crops with significant start-up costs, infection by pathogenic Fusarium spp. can also reduce plant longevity which can be especially costly. Our objective was to determine the incidence and pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. associated with asparagus crowns and ginseng seed and roots. Fusarium causes root rot on asparagus decreasing the crop yield and plant longevity. Root lesions on ginseng root from Fusarium decreases the crop’s quality and value. Species identification was achieved via DNA extraction, PCR using EF-1 and EF-2 primers, and Sanger sequencing. Asparagus crown (491) samples were collected from commercially popular cultivars and included ‘Jersey Supreme’ (100), ‘Guelph Millennium’ (258), and ‘Guelph Eclipse’ (133). ‘Guelph Millennium’ crowns included those grown in soils fumigated pre-plant with metam sodium (131) or not fumigated (127). Seven Fusarium species were identified from asparagus crowns; F. oxysporum (92%) was most abundant. Fusarium spp. were isolated from ‘Jersey Supreme’ (39%), ‘Guelph Eclipse’ (47%), and ‘Guelph Millennium’ (30%). Fusarium spp. were isolated from 36% and 25% of the crowns grown in non-fumigated or fumigated soils, respectively. Pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum isolates (51) differed signficantly. Ginseng seed (1,216) and roots (222) were obtained from 11 growers. Fusarium spp. were rarely recovered from seed (5%) or roots (2%). Eight Fusarium species were isolated including F. avenaceum (62%), F. solani (11%), and F. oxysporum (10%). Pathogenicity of select isolates was tested on seedlings and fresh roots and significant differences were noted. Results will be used to develop strategies to limit Fusarium spp. affecting these perennial crops.
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Title: ANALYSIS OF SEQUENTIAL MEDIATORS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MISTT INTERVENTIONS AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF STROKE PATIENTS
Creator: Bridges, Michael
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) is a pragmatic, un-blinded, 3-group randomized controlled trial conducted in 3 Michigan hospitals and designed to compare patient recovery under one of two interventions, (1) social worker case management (SWCM) and (2) social worker case management in addition to an online stroke recovery resource (VSSP), relative to usual care (UC). Using a difference-in-differences approach, and comparing outcome measures at 90-days post-discharge to outcomes...
Show moreThe Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) is a pragmatic, un-blinded, 3-group randomized controlled trial conducted in 3 Michigan hospitals and designed to compare patient recovery under one of two interventions, (1) social worker case management (SWCM) and (2) social worker case management in addition to an online stroke recovery resource (VSSP), relative to usual care (UC). Using a difference-in-differences approach, and comparing outcome measures at 90-days post-discharge to outcomes at 7-days post-discharge, MISTT found significant positive outcomes in PROMIS physical health (p = 0.002) and Patient Activation (p = 0.06) in the VSSP treatment arm relative to UC. We hypothesized that emotional support and patient activation acted as sequential mediators in the pathway between randomly assigned treatment and physical and mental health. We estimated the direct and indirect effects of the interventions using an adapted version of the weighted approach. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing observations and bootstrapping was used to construct standard errors. We found no statistically significant (p < 0.05) mediation effects. That said, we observed a sizable positive natural direct effect of the VSSP treatment relative to usual care on patient physical health (+1.40, 95% CI: –0.56, 3.35). In addition, there appeared to be a negative partial natural indirect effect of the SWCM treatment on both mental and physical health which acted through patient activation, not emotional support. We report no mediated effects of statistical significance; however, some sizable effects bear further study. In particular, neither of our hypothesized mediators appeared to fully explain the positive effect of VSSP treatment on physical health shown in the MISTT primary results; and the lack of change in mental health found in MISTT might be explained by a decrease in patient activation found in the SWCM treatment arm.
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Title: EFFECTS OF PRESENTATIONS OF ASSESSMENT ROUNDS ON PREFERENCE STABILITY
Creator: Thomas, Alexandria
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Behavior interventions have been found to be the most effective treatments for behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children diagnosed with ASD tend to experience barriers in terms of communication, thus communicating wants and needs during treatment may be difficult. As a result, clinicians have used preference assessments to identify potentially reinforcing stimuli to use during behavior interventions to increase the likelihood of desired behaviors occurring again in...
Show moreBehavior interventions have been found to be the most effective treatments for behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children diagnosed with ASD tend to experience barriers in terms of communication, thus communicating wants and needs during treatment may be difficult. As a result, clinicians have used preference assessments to identify potentially reinforcing stimuli to use during behavior interventions to increase the likelihood of desired behaviors occurring again in the future. Previous research on preference assessments has looked at evaluating brief preference assessments and stability of responding across time and assessments. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent to which responding is stable across rounds within a single MSWO for children aged 3-5 with a diagnosis of ASD. Results showed that overall; stability in responding across rounds of a single MSWO varied across participants regardless the type of stimuli used during the assessment (all edible or all tangible stimuli).Keywords: autism, preference assessments, stability
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Title: EFFECTS OF TEACHING ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY-BASED STRATEGIES ON IMPROVING ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION FOR STUDENTS IN AN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS MASTER’S PROGRAM
Creator: Dunnigan, Mikeya Renee
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) comes with rigorous work expectations and demands. ABA practitioners who are also graduate students must balance the extensive workload of educational and work expectations. Given these demands, graduate students providing ABA services to clients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) need strategies to maintain their own positive mental health in order to maintain high academic achievement and to prevent burnout. Using a multiple baseline design this...
Show moreThe field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) comes with rigorous work expectations and demands. ABA practitioners who are also graduate students must balance the extensive workload of educational and work expectations. Given these demands, graduate students providing ABA services to clients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) need strategies to maintain their own positive mental health in order to maintain high academic achievement and to prevent burnout. Using a multiple baseline design this study examined whether teaching 6 graduate students enrolled in an ABA master's program who were also working as part-time practitioners providing ABA services to individuals with ASD to use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based strategies impacted their engagement and active participation during an online synchronous class. Changes in psychological flexibility, stress, and values-behavior were also examined. Although there was no functional relation between the training on using ACT-based strategies and the dependent variables, the lack of effects is likely because the participants enrolled in the study did not have baseline levels that indicated a need for intervention. Additionally, it is hypothesized that competing factors and stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic likely outweighed the impact of the training to use the ACT-based strategies. The results are discussed more in as well as implications for future research. Keywords: graduate students, behavior technician, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, psychological flexibility, stress, value driven behavior.
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Title: Toward Stress-Aligned Lattice Design
Creator: Gao, Qiren
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: A novel approach to designing lattice structures is presented in which lattice members are aligned with the principal stress directions, and the lattice spacing and member sizing are optimized simultaneously to obtain an optimized design. By allowing both the lattice layout and the member sizes to vary during a multi-level design optimization process, this approach allows a greater flexibility in searching the design space and finding potentially higher performing designs than standard...
Show moreA novel approach to designing lattice structures is presented in which lattice members are aligned with the principal stress directions, and the lattice spacing and member sizing are optimized simultaneously to obtain an optimized design. By allowing both the lattice layout and the member sizes to vary during a multi-level design optimization process, this approach allows a greater flexibility in searching the design space and finding potentially higher performing designs than standard topology or triangularization methods. Example applications amply illustrate the capability of this approach to produce high quality designs.
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Title: EFFECTS OF AMINO ACID AND FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTATION ON PRODUCTION RESPONSES OF LACTATING COWS
Creator: Negreiro, Ariana Nicole
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Addition of fatty acids (FA) and amino acid (AA) supplements to dairy cow diets is becoming common practice due to the growing demand to increase milk fat and milk protein yields. This thesis contains two studies that evaluate the effects of supplemental palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (cis-9 C18:1) acids, and methionine (Met) and lysine (Lys), on lactating dairy cows. The first experiment used a product containing 80% C16:0 + 10% cis-9 C18:1 supplied at 1.5% diet dry matter (DM) and supplemental...
Show moreAddition of fatty acids (FA) and amino acid (AA) supplements to dairy cow diets is becoming common practice due to the growing demand to increase milk fat and milk protein yields. This thesis contains two studies that evaluate the effects of supplemental palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (cis-9 C18:1) acids, and methionine (Met) and lysine (Lys), on lactating dairy cows. The first experiment used a product containing 80% C16:0 + 10% cis-9 C18:1 supplied at 1.5% diet dry matter (DM) and supplemental Met and Lys in low forage diets (LF) and a control diet with no added FA or AA at typical midwestern forage content (CON). Compared with CON, LF increased dry matter intake (DMI), milk fat yield, milk protein yield, energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield, and body condition score (BCS). In the second experiment, different ratios of palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (cis-9 C18:1) acid were supplemented in basal diets containing high CP without supplemental AA (HP) or low CP with supplemental AA (LP). FA treatments were products consisting of 80% C16:0 + 10% cis-9 C18:1 (PA) and 60% C16:0 + 30% cis-9 C18:1 (OA) supplemented at 1.5% diet DM and a non-FA supplemented control diet (CON). No interactions were observed between basal diet and FA treatment for the yields of milk or milk components. Compared with HP, LP decreased milk urea nitrogen and blood urea nitrogen concentrations, and did not impact milk, milk fat, or milk protein yields. FA treatments decreased DMI and increased milk yield, fat yield, ECM yield, and feed efficiency. Results from this work can provide information that can be used as a foundation for future studies and to guide feeding decision to maximize performance and farm income.
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Title: CHARACTERIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURES IN CANNABIS SOLVENT EXTRACTS
Creator: Abraham, Otyllia Ruth
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Cannabis solvent extracts comprise of a variety of products formed through the isolation and concentration of cannabinoids from either marijuana or hemp using organic solvents. Marijuana and hemp represent two broad classes of Cannabis sativa plants and are distinguished based on the concentration of the psychoactive cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). A common marijuana solvent extract is butane hash oil, which uses butane to extract and concentrate Δ9-THC and its naturally...
Show moreCannabis solvent extracts comprise of a variety of products formed through the isolation and concentration of cannabinoids from either marijuana or hemp using organic solvents. Marijuana and hemp represent two broad classes of Cannabis sativa plants and are distinguished based on the concentration of the psychoactive cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). A common marijuana solvent extract is butane hash oil, which uses butane to extract and concentrate Δ9-THC and its naturally occurring acidic form, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9-THCA). Hemp solvent extracts, however, typically isolate cannabidiol (CBD). This work aimed to comprehensively characterize marijuana and hemp-derived solvent extracts using optical and chemical techniques. Optical analysis via polarized light microscopy (PLM) was performed to characterize crystalline materials present in both subsets of extracts and indicated the possibility to differentiate marijuana and hemp extracts based on optical differences. Chemical characterization through infrared spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction provided the identification of the crystalline component (THCA for marijuana extracts and CBD for hemp extracts) and supported the PLM findings. Additionally, the derivatization procedure (focusing on reaction temperature, reaction time, and solvent ratio) for THCA using a common silylation reagent was optimized using full factorial experimental design to allow for the analysis of the solvent extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
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Title: AGGREGATE PLANNING IN MANUFACTURING OF REUSABLE CONTAINERS
Creator: Tao, Jinli
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Aggregate production planning (APP) is a method to make several decisions simultaneously on production, inventory, and workforce levels over a finite time horizon, aiming to maximize the profit or minimize the cost while meeting fluctuating demands. Building mathematical models that reflect real-world problems is often difficult, as the constraints are usually intricate and may interact with each other. Decomposing the interconnected system into a number of independent phases could simplify...
Show moreAggregate production planning (APP) is a method to make several decisions simultaneously on production, inventory, and workforce levels over a finite time horizon, aiming to maximize the profit or minimize the cost while meeting fluctuating demands. Building mathematical models that reflect real-world problems is often difficult, as the constraints are usually intricate and may interact with each other. Decomposing the interconnected system into a number of independent phases could simplify the problem; however, it may not guarantee the optimality of the best solutions due to the missed constraints between stages. In this study, two mixed integer programming models for the manufacturing of reusable plastic containers are presented. One is based on the flow of the material and the other is based on the level of the workforce at each period. The proposed models are able to (i) deal with varying demand, (ii) reflect various regulations and restrictions of public and private warehouses for storing materials, and (iii) identify the importance of subcontracting when demand increases dramatically. Both mathematical models are implemented in the case of packaging manufacturing. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis has been conducted on different parameters of the problem to test the effect of parameter changes. To sum up, the general framework of the mathematical models not only can be used for reusable container manufacturing but also the manufacturing of any type of product with a similar supply chain network.
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Title: A proposal to investigate the roles of maternal inflammation and diet in associations of maternal paraben concentrations with gestational length
Creator: Pacyga, Diana C.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The proposed research will fill a public health need by providing information about the roles inflammation and dietary interventions play in associations of maternal paraben concentrations with shorter gestation. Specifically, this study proposes to investigate the maternal inflammatory pathways linking parabens with shorter gestation, as well as the potential intervening effect of a maternal anti-inflammatory diet on shorter gestation in response to parabens. The central hypothesis is that...
Show moreThe proposed research will fill a public health need by providing information about the roles inflammation and dietary interventions play in associations of maternal paraben concentrations with shorter gestation. Specifically, this study proposes to investigate the maternal inflammatory pathways linking parabens with shorter gestation, as well as the potential intervening effect of a maternal anti-inflammatory diet on shorter gestation in response to parabens. The central hypothesis is that higher paraben concentrations are associated with shorter gestation due to elevated maternal inflammation and that an anti-inflammatory maternal diet mitigates these relationships. The proposed study will test this central hypothesis in 482 pregnant women enrolled in the Illinois Kids Development Study (I-KIDS), which is an ongoing prospective pregnancy and birth cohort with the primary goal of evaluating the impacts of prenatal chemical exposures on infant neurodevelopment. The feasibility of testing these hypotheses has been determined by conducting several preliminary studies in a sub-sample of 294 I-KIDS women. Overall, findings from this study will inform future research and clinical practice about the biological targets of parabens during pregnancy and guide prenatal healthcare professionals to make effective dietary recommendations to their pregnant patients.
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Title: Scaling Up Production of Local Salad Mix for Retail Grocery Markets : A Feasibility Study in Southeast Michigan
Creator: Gerhart, Jennifer A.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Changes to the supermarket supply chain over the last few decades have “squeezed out” local and small farmers in place of more consolidated and global suppliers. As a result, local farmers have turned to more direct to consumer markets for farm sales, which capture a higher price point but also bear higher marketing costs. Previous research has revealed saturation and lack of profitability in this market type. As a result, researchers have explored strategies for “scaling up” local farmers...
Show moreChanges to the supermarket supply chain over the last few decades have “squeezed out” local and small farmers in place of more consolidated and global suppliers. As a result, local farmers have turned to more direct to consumer markets for farm sales, which capture a higher price point but also bear higher marketing costs. Previous research has revealed saturation and lack of profitability in this market type. As a result, researchers have explored strategies for “scaling up” local farmers into intermediary supply chains, such as grocery retail, and have tested the profitability of hybrid marketing strategies with positive results. However, none of this research has used production costs to test market feasibility and this component is critical for a small farmer’s willingness to “scale up” into intermediary markets. Using salad mix as a test crop and Southeast Michigan as a sample region, this research uses farmer-generated production costs for four production methods to examine the feasibility of previously identified strategies for scaling up into intermediary supply chains. The data reveal that central processing has the greatest impact on lowering both the farmgate cost of production and the output price for the buyer. In addition, the minimal costs of organic certification for small farmers justifies the price premium received in grocery retail markets. Lastly, hydroponic production was found to be infeasible at a small scale but could potentially meet retailers price preferences at larger scales. Based on these findings, further research on the realistic costs for centralized processing, distribution, and marketing for this crop type to be sold to grocers is recommended.
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Title: EFFECT OF ALUMINUM OXIDE ON THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF CHITOSAN FILMS
Creator: Konda, Akhil Sai
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Chitosan is the one of the most abundant naturally occurring polymer in the world and has applications in a lot of different fields, including flexible packaging films. Aluminum oxide in the form of nanoparticle have good mechanical strength, barrier, thermal and antimicrobial properties which, when added to a polymer, can improve its properties significantly and increase its applications considerably. This research attempts to develop a biodegradable film with chitosan added with aluminum...
Show moreChitosan is the one of the most abundant naturally occurring polymer in the world and has applications in a lot of different fields, including flexible packaging films. Aluminum oxide in the form of nanoparticle have good mechanical strength, barrier, thermal and antimicrobial properties which, when added to a polymer, can improve its properties significantly and increase its applications considerably. This research attempts to develop a biodegradable film with chitosan added with aluminum oxide and study its effect on the functional properties of the chitosan film. The functional properties taken into consideration were tensile strength, % elongation at break, water vapor permeability (WVP), oxygen permeability (OP), antimicrobial and thermal properties. There can be potential novel applications in packaging if these composite films have improved requisite properties. The oxygen permeability of the films was not affected after adding aluminum oxide and decreased only by 6% after adding 2% Al2O3. On other hand, the water vapor permeability values increased significantly (p<0.05) by around 30% after adding 2% Al2O3, which is not desired. The tensile strength decreased from 40 MPa to 36 MPa and the % elongation at break reduced significantly (p<0.05) from 98% to 83%. There was no change observed in the thermal properties of the films, and there was no inhibition zone seen when tested for its antimicrobial properties after the addition of aluminum oxide. These results suggest that the properties of this composite material formed using chitosan with aluminum oxide were not affected in some aspects such as tensile strength and oxygen barrier property; and additional work is required to conclude the hypothesis of generating a composite chitosan film with aluminum oxide as nanoparticles for improved properties.
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Title: THE VALUE OF HABITAT DATA FOR CONSERVING STREAMS WITH CHANGING CLIMATE : PROMOTING GREATER USE FOR MORE EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
Creator: Betances, Samantha J.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: North America’s rivers and streams support a diversity of fish species that provide significant ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and spiritual benefits, and the quality and quantity of habitat in streams directly supports fish diversity. Because rivers are products of the landscapes they drain, features of the landscape like land use, geology, and climate control habitat. Based on these relationships, it stands that anticipated changes in climate will lead to changes in stream fishes...
Show moreNorth America’s rivers and streams support a diversity of fish species that provide significant ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and spiritual benefits, and the quality and quantity of habitat in streams directly supports fish diversity. Because rivers are products of the landscapes they drain, features of the landscape like land use, geology, and climate control habitat. Based on these relationships, it stands that anticipated changes in climate will lead to changes in stream fishes through changes in habitat. While natural resource management agencies collect habitat data to help conserve streams into the future, stream habitat data are not always used as intended, in part because some managers may have an incomplete understanding of interactions between rivers and the landscapes they drain. To fully address the impacts of climate change on stream fishes, managers must better understand how climate affects stream habitat and incorporate these concepts into management decision-making processes. This thesis addresses that need. In Chapter 1, we identify ways to increase use of stream habitat data by natural resource management agencies to better conserve fishes from current and future stressors. In Chapter 2, we investigate influences of multiple landscape factors on physical stream habitat, including climate factors. Collectively, outcomes of this research offer managers information and strategies for using stream habitat data to conserve stream habitats and the fishes they support with changing climate.
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Title: PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS AND INNOVATIONS FOR PLANT BREEDING RESEARCH
Creator: Hugghis, Eli
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Major technological advances are necessary to reach the goal of feeding our world’s growing population. To do this, there is an increasing demand within the agricultural field for rapid diagnostic tools to improve the efficiency of current methods in plant disease and DNA identification. The use of gold nanoparticles has emerged as a promising technology for a range of applications from smart agrochemical delivery systems to pathogen detection. In addition to this, advances in image...
Show moreMajor technological advances are necessary to reach the goal of feeding our world’s growing population. To do this, there is an increasing demand within the agricultural field for rapid diagnostic tools to improve the efficiency of current methods in plant disease and DNA identification. The use of gold nanoparticles has emerged as a promising technology for a range of applications from smart agrochemical delivery systems to pathogen detection. In addition to this, advances in image classification analyses have allowed machine learning approaches to become more accessible to the agricultural field. Here we present the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for the detection of transgenic gene sequences in maize and the use of machine learning algorithms for the identification and classification of Fusarium spp. infected wheat seed. AuNPs show promise in their ability to diagnose the presence of transgenic insertions in DNA samples within 10 minutes through colorimetric response. Image-based analysis with the utilization of logistic regression, support vector machines, and k-nearest neighbors were able to accurately identify and differentiate healthy and diseased wheat kernels within the testing set at an accuracy of 95-98.8%. These technologies act as rapid tools to be used by plant breeders and pathologists to improve their ability to make selection decisions efficiently and objectively.
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Title: IMPROVING GAS BARRIER PROPERTIES OF SUGARCANE-BASED LLDPE WITH CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS
Creator: Natarajan, Madhumitha
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This study was aimed at improving the gas barrier property of sugarcane-based LLDPE using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Specifically, this study evaluated the effect of testing methods (isostatic versus gravimetric) on CO2 permeability coefficient (PCO2) and/or O2 permeability coefficient (PO2) of various bio-PE grades with different densities (LLDPE, LDPE, and HDPE) as well as the effect of CNC content on crystallinity, tortuosity factor, and gas barrier properties of bio-LLDPE sheets and...
Show moreThis study was aimed at improving the gas barrier property of sugarcane-based LLDPE using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Specifically, this study evaluated the effect of testing methods (isostatic versus gravimetric) on CO2 permeability coefficient (PCO2) and/or O2 permeability coefficient (PO2) of various bio-PE grades with different densities (LLDPE, LDPE, and HDPE) as well as the effect of CNC content on crystallinity, tortuosity factor, and gas barrier properties of bio-LLDPE sheets and films. The isostatic and gravimetric methods yielded similar PCO2, irrespective of PE grade. However, the PCO2 negatively correlated with PE density. All nanocomposites showed considerable improvement in gas barrier irrespective of the CNC content. The PCO2 of LLDPE sheets decreased by 36% by adding 10 wt.% of CNCs into the sheet. Similarly, a significant decline in both PO2 (about 50%) and PCO2 (about 33%) of LLDPE films was obtained by adding 2.5 wt.% of CNCs into the films. Nevertheless, no correlation was established between gas permeability and percent crystallinity of LLDPE sheet since the PCO2 decreased almost linearly with increasing CNC content whereas the percent crystallinity of LLDPE increased only up to 2.5% CNC content and remained constant thereafter. In contrast, the tortuosity factors calculated from the diffusion coefficients increased almost linearly with CNC contents and correlated well with the gas permeability improvement in the bio-LLDPE-based nanocomposites. Consequently, the enhanced gas barrier in the nanocomposite was assigned to the tortuosity effect created by the impermeable cellulose nanocrystals rather than the changes in percent crystallinity.
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Title: AN EVALUATION OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION’S TOOL FOR OPERATIONS BENEFIT/COST ANALYSIS
Creator: Herin, Gabrielle Christine
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Traffic congestion is increasing as more people travel for work-related and other reasons. Through transportation projects called active traffic management (ATM) strategies, transportation agencies work to alleviate the pressures of congestion on the roads. Transportation agencies analyze these project’s effectiveness through a cost-benefit analysis spreadsheet tool called the Tool for Operations Benefit-Cost Analysis (TOPS-BC). In this study, the TOPS-BC tool is compared to cost-benefit...
Show moreTraffic congestion is increasing as more people travel for work-related and other reasons. Through transportation projects called active traffic management (ATM) strategies, transportation agencies work to alleviate the pressures of congestion on the roads. Transportation agencies analyze these project’s effectiveness through a cost-benefit analysis spreadsheet tool called the Tool for Operations Benefit-Cost Analysis (TOPS-BC). In this study, the TOPS-BC tool is compared to cost-benefit analysis best practices. The US-23 Flex route, an 8.5 mile stretch of Michigan’s US-23 from Ann Arbor to Whitmore Lake, will be used as an example project. The missing categories found in the literature were impacts on road ecology and nearby housing values. These missing categories will help lead to a more accurate benefit-cost ratio of projects like the Michigan US-23 Flex route.
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Title: EVOLUTION OF AEC PROJECT NETWORKS : AN AGENT-BASED MODELING APPROACH
Creator: Pidiha, Nishchay
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, projects call for collaboration between different expertise areas. To improve collaboration and knowledge transfer between different stakeholders, an in-depth understanding of the communication network structure is crucial. While Social Network Analysis (SNA) shows promise in analyzing communication network structures, the AEC literature to date shows its use mainly in a cross-sectional manner. A recent longitudinal case study...
Show moreIn Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, projects call for collaboration between different expertise areas. To improve collaboration and knowledge transfer between different stakeholders, an in-depth understanding of the communication network structure is crucial. While Social Network Analysis (SNA) shows promise in analyzing communication network structures, the AEC literature to date shows its use mainly in a cross-sectional manner. A recent longitudinal case study shows that these networks are not static and can evolve overtime. However, due to fast-paced delivery of any AEC project, researchers often arrive at missing data, sometimes depriving them from concluding statistically significant results in a longitudinal study. Hence, there is a need for further investigating the evolution of AEC project teams network structures through a simulation that emulate certain aspects of a social network structure evolution over time.In response to this need, the study aims to explicate, how real-world size AEC project networks evolve over project delivery based on similarity of node characteristics (e.g., homophily) and node behaviors in networks (e.g., node’s popularity). To do so, the study adopted selection model, and simulated multiple agent-based models basing its initial condition on an empirical case study. The evolutions of the network structures were analyzed overtime. Finally, the study compared the results with recent similar works. Deliverables include an improved understanding of AEC project network structures and characteristics, and practical implications relating to team collaboration and coordination considering project characteristics such as team size, and complexity.
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Title: TEACHING STAFF TO IMPLEMENT MAND TRAINING WITH CHILDREN WITH ASD THROUGH TELEHEALTH
Creator: Rosalik, Shelby R.
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Telehealth services have increased substantially in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, though little research exists to empirically evaluate the efficacy of direct ABA telehealth treatment or more specifically, how behavior technicians can be trained to implement such treatment. The present investigation utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the use of an online behavioral skills training (BST)...
Show moreTelehealth services have increased substantially in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, though little research exists to empirically evaluate the efficacy of direct ABA telehealth treatment or more specifically, how behavior technicians can be trained to implement such treatment. The present investigation utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the use of an online behavioral skills training (BST) approach to teach behavior technicians to implement 20-min mand training sessions via telehealth with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The training phase of the study consisted of both role-play with feedback as well as feedback during sessions with the child participant. Results showed increases in behavior technician’s percentage of accurate implementation and rate of fully correct trials implemented following the training. Child participants also showed increased rates of independent mands following the BST implementation. Thus, BST may be an effective approach to teach behavior technicians to deliver mand training via telehealth.
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Title: CHARACTERIZING THE SOCIAL GAP IN UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR ENERGY
Creator: Crawford, Jessica Alex
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Many consider utility-scale photovoltaic solar power to be an essential component of decarbonizing the United States power sector and mitigating climate change. This technology is well accepted by the public in general surveys, yet often faces local resistance during project siting. This phenomenon is known as the “social gap.” Using social gap theory from the wind energy literature as a foundation, this study examines the causes of and offers recommendations for addressing the solar social...
Show moreMany consider utility-scale photovoltaic solar power to be an essential component of decarbonizing the United States power sector and mitigating climate change. This technology is well accepted by the public in general surveys, yet often faces local resistance during project siting. This phenomenon is known as the “social gap.” Using social gap theory from the wind energy literature as a foundation, this study examines the causes of and offers recommendations for addressing the solar social gap in Michigan. The study relied on 33 semi-structured interviews with citizens, government officials, and developers across four Michigan communities, each facing a prospective utility-scale solar project. Through thematic analysis, I show that the solar social gap can be attributed to both a vocal minority that dominated community sentiment and project proposals that failed to meet the community’s standards for acceptable development. The gap was exacerbated by the presence of organized opposition groups as well as decision-makers relying on ineffective public processes to engage citizens. This research makes it clear that government officials and developers need to adopt practices that enhance community representation, process transparency, and decision-influence. Though decision-making strategies are not the only factor that affects community acceptance, implementing improved procedures could help close the solar social gap.
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Title: Learning to Exploit : The Socialization of Animal Science Undergraduates
Creator: Poirier, Nathan
Date: 2021
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Animal scientists work closely with the animal agriculture industry and often perform research, influence policy, and create information that is eventually disseminated to the public. While the public generally seems concerned about animal welfare, animal scientists also have internal motivations to care about animal welfare. Welfare measures may impact the tradition and profits of animal agriculture, creating contradictory pressures on animal scientists. This paper, based on observations of...
Show moreAnimal scientists work closely with the animal agriculture industry and often perform research, influence policy, and create information that is eventually disseminated to the public. While the public generally seems concerned about animal welfare, animal scientists also have internal motivations to care about animal welfare. Welfare measures may impact the tradition and profits of animal agriculture, creating contradictory pressures on animal scientists. This paper, based on observations of an introductory animal science course on-site at a land-grant university’s farming facilities, examines how animal welfare is constructed in order to socialize students into a discipline and eventual occupation. Attention is paid as to how animal scientists construct animal welfare through various forms of pedagogy that juxtapose welfare with captivity, confinement, research interests, profit, and social acceptability. Observations suggest that animal welfare is constructed as control over animals and the assurance that this control is humane. The dual mechanisms of control and comfort socializes students to raise animals for slaughter and not see this process as violent.
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