Search results

Title: Effect of suspect's gender on police use of physical force
Creator: Ishola, Oluwatobi Taiwo
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "Police use of force has received much research attention as researchers attempt to explain various predictors of this phenomenon. This topic is of great interest to police practitioners, policy makers, researchers, scholars, and criminal justice students. Several studies have examined various predictors of this behavior, including officer education, race, experience, age, and sex. However, most of these studies focused on either the officers' or suspect's sex, while research on the interplay...
Show more"Police use of force has received much research attention as researchers attempt to explain various predictors of this phenomenon. This topic is of great interest to police practitioners, policy makers, researchers, scholars, and criminal justice students. Several studies have examined various predictors of this behavior, including officer education, race, experience, age, and sex. However, most of these studies focused on either the officers' or suspect's sex, while research on the interplay between suspect's sex and officer sex as a predictor of police use of force is lacking. Drawing on criminal threat theory and research on chivalry, this study will examine how the interplay between officer and suspect sex influences the likelihood and severity of police use of physical force. Further, given the influence of social norms on chivalry, the study will further investigate whether the presence of bystanders moderates the influence of officer and suspect sex on use of physical force. The study is based on data from the 1996-1997 (ICPSR 3172) study titled 'Understanding the use of force by and against the police in six jurisdictions in the United States'."--Page ii.
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Title: Quantifying differences in otolith chemistry of Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan to determine natal origins
Creator: Maguffee, Alexander C.
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Previous research has indicated that a substantial amount of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migrate from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, likely due to greater foraging opportunities in Lake Michigan, indicating the potential for wild Chinook salmon to exhibit similar movement patterns. Thus, an increased priority has been placed on quantifying the movement of wild Chinook salmon from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The goal of this research was to determine the...
Show morePrevious research has indicated that a substantial amount of hatchery-reared Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migrate from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, likely due to greater foraging opportunities in Lake Michigan, indicating the potential for wild Chinook salmon to exhibit similar movement patterns. Thus, an increased priority has been placed on quantifying the movement of wild Chinook salmon from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The goal of this research was to determine the feasibility of quantifying inter-basin movement of wild Chinook salmon using otolith microchemistry techniques. Chinook salmon otolith pairs were extracted from juvenile and adult fish collected in 2015 and 2016 from tributaries in six predefined regions. Otoliths were analyzed using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA ICP MS) to determine trace metal concentrations, and various multivariate classification algorithms were evaluated for accuracy of classification. Juvenile data reclassified to their natal regions with classification success at a basin level comparable to previous Great Lakes otolith studies. Applying the juvenile-fit models to the adult data resulted in moderate success at a basin level. MANOVAs indicated significant differences in otolith microchemistry between juvenile year classes, and these differences negatively affected classification accuracy. These findings suggest that otolith microchemistry can be used to estimate wild Chinook salmon inter-basin movement, and that classification accuracy will be much higher if the model is developed from the same year class as the assessment sample.
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Title: Intra-household human capital measures and child and maternal health : evidence from Zambia
Creator: Faas, Simone Margaret
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Zambia has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world. Traditional health production functions model that good health quality for young children is dependent on the necessary inputs of parental influences, including parental health, parental education, and household wealth. Using data from a Feed the Future survey from rural Zambia and the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, I examine the relationship between several measures of spousal human capital and the health...
Show moreZambia has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world. Traditional health production functions model that good health quality for young children is dependent on the necessary inputs of parental influences, including parental health, parental education, and household wealth. Using data from a Feed the Future survey from rural Zambia and the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, I examine the relationship between several measures of spousal human capital and the health outcomes of young children and women of child-bearing age. I find the ability to read and write of both spouses is highly correlated with positive changes in children's and women's health outcomes. Literacy and education campaigns which target both boys and girls should be heavily emphasized among rural and disadvantaged communities in southern Africa, as men's literacy and education as well as women's literacy are both important to improving future health outcomes for children and adults.
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Title: The strengths and needs of Palestinian youth : perspectives of youth service providers in Bethlehem, Palestine
Creator: Al-Zoughbi, Lucas
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Background: Palestinian youth are subject to a reality predicated on political and social injustice. The extant literature tends to view these youth through a deficit lens without adequate contextualization. This study aims to address this gap by documenting Palestinian youth strengths, challenges, and root causes according to youth-service providers. Methods: We conducted interviews with youth-service providers in the Bethlehem area. Interviews were followed by a member-checking survey to...
Show moreBackground: Palestinian youth are subject to a reality predicated on political and social injustice. The extant literature tends to view these youth through a deficit lens without adequate contextualization. This study aims to address this gap by documenting Palestinian youth strengths, challenges, and root causes according to youth-service providers. Methods: We conducted interviews with youth-service providers in the Bethlehem area. Interviews were followed by a member-checking survey to improve accurate capture of their experiences. Results: Utilizing Graneheim and Lundman's (2004) pragmatic qualitative data analysis, we extracted nuanced themes that mapped onto the analytical categories. We identified five analytical categories: educational, societal, political, economic, and individual. Discussion: Our findings suggest a complex and nuanced perspective of Palestinian youth according to youth service providers in the Bethlehem area. We discuss implications for practitioners and researchers interested in youth development and well-being in the Palestinian context.
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Title: The role of affect in binge eating phenotypes : an examination of individual differences in emotion experience and interactions with ovarian hormones
Creator: Mikhail, Megan Elizabeth
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Ovarian hormones significantly influence dysregulated eating in females. However, most women do not develop appreciable disordered eating, suggesting that ovarian hormones may not affect all women equally. In the first study of this thesis, I examined whether individual differences in trait negative affect (NA) moderate ovarian hormone-dysregulated eating associations in 446 women who provided saliva samples for hormone measurements and ratings of NA and emotional eating daily for 45...
Show moreOvarian hormones significantly influence dysregulated eating in females. However, most women do not develop appreciable disordered eating, suggesting that ovarian hormones may not affect all women equally. In the first study of this thesis, I examined whether individual differences in trait negative affect (NA) moderate ovarian hormone-dysregulated eating associations in 446 women who provided saliva samples for hormone measurements and ratings of NA and emotional eating daily for 45 consecutive days. Women were at greatest risk for emotional eating when they had high trait NA and experienced a hormonal milieu characterized by low estradiol or high progesterone. While effects were significant in all women, the combination of high trait NA and high progesterone was particularly risky for women with a history of clinically significant binge eating episodes. These findings provide initial evidence that affective and hormonal risk interact to promote dysregulated eating, and that effects may be amplified in women with clinically significant binge eating.Low emotion differentiation (the tendency to experience vague affective states rather than discrete emotions) is associated with psychopathology marked by emotion regulation deficits and impulsive/maladaptive behavior. However, research examining associations between emotion differentiation and dysregulated eating is still nascent. In the second study, I therefore examined associations between several measures of emotion differentiation and binge eating phenotypes across a spectrum of severity.
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Title: Juvenile-justice and dual system-involved youth : the role of primary caregiver monitoring habits on adolescent offending
Creator: Fredericks, Alyssa
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Adolescence is a period in which youths experience rapid physical, psychological, emotional and social changes and a desire to be autonomous and engage in adult-like behaviors. The desire for independence among adolescents can create a challenge for parents to effectively monitor their children's behavior. Although delinquency peaks adolescence, parental monitoring habits have been found to decrease juvenile offending. However, adolescents who experience child welfare system contact are at an...
Show moreAdolescence is a period in which youths experience rapid physical, psychological, emotional and social changes and a desire to be autonomous and engage in adult-like behaviors. The desire for independence among adolescents can create a challenge for parents to effectively monitor their children's behavior. Although delinquency peaks adolescence, parental monitoring habits have been found to decrease juvenile offending. However, adolescents who experience child welfare system contact are at an increased risk for engaging in juvenile delinquency, particularly when the child welfare system contact occurred during adolescence. Using a secondary dataset including 532 male first-time juvenile offenders from Orange County, California, the present study assessed whether parental or primary caregivers' effort, knowledge, and monitoring remain protective factors against juvenile delinquency regardless of child welfare system contact, and whether, among dual system youth with contact with both systems, the timing of child welfare system contact moderates the relation between primary caregiver effort, knowledge, and monitoring and juvenile delinquency. Results indicated that knowledge and monitoring were protective against adolescent offending regardless of whether a youth had prior involvement in the child welfare system, but that effort was positively associated with offending. Results also suggested that the timing of child welfare system contact was not significantly related to adolescent offending. Implications for parenting and juvenile justice system practice are discussed.
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Title: How do neighborhood, familial, and school disadvantage alter the etiology of children's antisocial behavior?
Creator: Carroll, Sarah, 1994-
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Disadvantaged contexts come in myriad forms and are widely known to predict antisocial behavior, including both physical aggression and non-aggressive rule-breaking. These predictions go beyond simple phenotypic associations, with research now indicating that genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior also vary as a function of neighborhood disadvantage. These findings are typically interpreted as evidence of a bioecological genotype environment interaction (GxE), such that...
Show moreDisadvantaged contexts come in myriad forms and are widely known to predict antisocial behavior, including both physical aggression and non-aggressive rule-breaking. These predictions go beyond simple phenotypic associations, with research now indicating that genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior also vary as a function of neighborhood disadvantage. These findings are typically interpreted as evidence of a bioecological genotype environment interaction (GxE), such that genetic influences may be most strongly expressed in 'average, expectable environments' while environmental influences are strongest in impoverished contexts. Because extant studies are limited in their conceptualization of disadvantage, however, it is unclear whether the findings related to neighborhood disadvantage also apply to familial and school disadvantage. The current study sought to fill this gap in the literature by examining multiple forms of disadvantage as etiologic moderators of aggressive and non-aggressive antisocial behavior, respectively, in a sample of 1,030 pairs of school-aged twins enriched for disadvantage. It was hypothesized that each measure of disadvantage would independently and synergistically moderate the etiology of antisocial behavior in ways consistent with the predictions of the bioecological model. Two factors underlay the indicators of disadvantage included in the current study. Proximal disadvantage comprised two familial indicators and moderated the etiology of rule-breaking behavior in a way that was consistent with a diathesis-stress model, amplifying the additive genetic variance. Contextual disadvantage, by contrast, comprised one school and two neighborhood indicators and augmented the effect of the shared environment on rule-breaking, as predicted by the bioecological model. Follow-up nuclear twin family model analyses further indicated that this increase in shared environmental influence represented a true environmental effect, rather than an increase in passive gene environment correlation or assortative mating. The two indicators of disadvantage had comparatively little effect on the etiology of aggression and did not interact with one another as etiologic moderators. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
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Title: Barriers and facilitators to the utilization of the ACT SMART implementation toolkit in community agencies : a qualitative study
Creator: Sridhar, Aksheya
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Evidence-based practices (EBPs) have been shown to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Wong et al., 2015). Research suggests that the utilization of these practices in community settings is varied (Paynter & Keen, 2015; Pickard, Meza, Drahota, & Brikho, 2018); however, the utilization of implementation guides may bridge the gap between research and practice (Drahota et al., 2017). The Autism Community Toolkit: Systems to Measure and Adopt Research-Based...
Show moreEvidence-based practices (EBPs) have been shown to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Wong et al., 2015). Research suggests that the utilization of these practices in community settings is varied (Paynter & Keen, 2015; Pickard, Meza, Drahota, & Brikho, 2018); however, the utilization of implementation guides may bridge the gap between research and practice (Drahota et al., 2017). The Autism Community Toolkit: Systems to Measure and Adopt Research-Based Treatments (ACT SMART Toolkit; Drahota, Meza, & Martinez, 2014) is a web-based implementation toolkit developed to guide ASD implementation teams through the phases of EBP implementation in community agencies. This study examined the barriers and facilitators (collectively termed "determinants") to the utilization of this toolkit, based on the perspectives of implementation teams at six ASD community agencies. Two independent coders utilized the adapted EPIS model (Drahota et al., 2017; Moulin et al., 2019) and the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008), to guide thematic analyses of participant interviews. Salient determinants were identified, and analyses highlighted two themes: (a) Inner Context Determinants to use of the toolkit (e.g., funding), and (b) Innovation Determinants (e.g., facilitation teams). Finally, determinants that differed across adapted EPIS phases of the toolkit were identified. Findings highlight areas of improvement for the ACT SMART Implementation Toolkit, as well as factors to facilitate the use of this implementation guide. Additionally, findings may inform the development, refinement, and utilization of implementation guides with the aim of increasing the uptake of evidence-based practices in community agencies providing services to children with autism spectrum disorder.
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Title: The influence of early life undernutrition on mouse maximal treadmill running capacity in adulthood
Creator: Pendergrast, Logan Alan
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Introduction: Undernutrition during early life causes chronic disease with specific impairments to the heart and skeletal muscle. Purpose: To determine the effects of early-life undernutrition on adult exercise capacity as a result of cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Methods: Pups were undernourished during gestation (GUN) or lactation (PUN) using a cross-fostering nutritive mouse model. At postnatal day 21 (PN21), all mice were weaned and refed a control diet. At PN67, mice performed a...
Show moreIntroduction: Undernutrition during early life causes chronic disease with specific impairments to the heart and skeletal muscle. Purpose: To determine the effects of early-life undernutrition on adult exercise capacity as a result of cardiac and skeletal muscle function. Methods: Pups were undernourished during gestation (GUN) or lactation (PUN) using a cross-fostering nutritive mouse model. At postnatal day 21 (PN21), all mice were weaned and refed a control diet. At PN67, mice performed a maximal treadmill test. Echocardiography and Doppler velocity analysis was performed at PN72, following which skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and fiber type were determined. Results: Maximal running capacity was reduced (Diet: P=0.0002) in GUN and PUN mice. Left ventricular mass (Diet: P=0.03) and posterior wall thickness during systole (Diet*Sex: P=0.03) of GUN and PUN mice was reduced, causing PUN mice to have reduced (Diet: P=0.04) stroke volume (SV). Heart Rate (HR) of GUN mice showed a trend (Diet: P=0.07) towards greater resting values than other groups. PUN mice had greater CSA of SOL fibers. PUN had a reduced (Diet: P=0.03) proportion of type-IIX fibers in the EDL and a greater (Diet: P=0.008) percentage of type-IIB fibers in the EDL. Conclusion: Gestational and Postnatal undernourishment impairs exercise capacity.
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Title: Willingness to pay for processed grains in Dakar, Senegal : an analysis using discrete choice experiments
Creator: Chase-Walsh, Sarah Victoria
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This article studies consumer preference for processed traditional and non-traditional grains in Dakar, Senegal. While much attention has focused on substitution between traditional and nontraditional grains, less has shown how consumers make tradeoffs among processed products. Using an exit-interview method and two discrete choice experiments, I obtain marginal values of willingness to pay for processed grains. In this paper, I measure willingness to pay for domestically produced millet,...
Show moreThis article studies consumer preference for processed traditional and non-traditional grains in Dakar, Senegal. While much attention has focused on substitution between traditional and nontraditional grains, less has shown how consumers make tradeoffs among processed products. Using an exit-interview method and two discrete choice experiments, I obtain marginal values of willingness to pay for processed grains. In this paper, I measure willingness to pay for domestically produced millet, maize, rice, and sorghum. I also measure willingness to pay for a second stage processed millet product. The results of this study show that consumers are willing to pay a premium for domestically produced processed grains, both traditional and non-traditional, save sorghum. Consumers are only willing to pay a positive premium for imported rice. The results also suggest that consumers are willing to pay a premium for fresh and bulk second stage processed millet.
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Title: The power paradox : intimacy and masculinity in American football
Creator: James, Riley
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This thesis examines how intimacy-both physical and emotional-in American football affects masculinity. This research is important because it questions the role of masculinity in a sport considered the most popular in terms of participation, attendance at games, and broadcast viewership (Miaschi, 2017). Theories such as hegemonic masculinity theory and inclusive masculinity theory are used to explain how masculinity is constructed through football. Using naturalistic observation, interviews...
Show moreThis thesis examines how intimacy-both physical and emotional-in American football affects masculinity. This research is important because it questions the role of masculinity in a sport considered the most popular in terms of participation, attendance at games, and broadcast viewership (Miaschi, 2017). Theories such as hegemonic masculinity theory and inclusive masculinity theory are used to explain how masculinity is constructed through football. Using naturalistic observation, interviews with seven Michigan State University (MSU) football players, and an analysis of photographs, I found these football players have more intimate relationships with other players on their team when compared to relationships they have with other men outside their sport. Some surprises I found during interviews was that injury during football is not treated as harshly as it once was and one player views being emotional as an important part of being a man. I visually present the intimate aspects of football I witnessed in photographs I created as an employee of Big Ten Network during MSU football games during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and I offer my analysis of intimacy and masculinity in this sport that includes and explains the meaning behind the power paradox.
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Title: Assessing farmers' willingness to pay for quality seeds using bidding experiment mechanism : evidence from Myanmar
Creator: Win, Myat Thida
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "In most developing countries the use of quality seeds of self-pollinated crops like pulses is low because of economic and biological factors. The purpose of this study was to better understand the market potential for private sector-led seed system for two important pulse crops-chick pea and green gram in the Central Dry Zone region of Myanmar. I used the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak bidding experiment mechanism to estimate farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for seeds with different quality...
Show more"In most developing countries the use of quality seeds of self-pollinated crops like pulses is low because of economic and biological factors. The purpose of this study was to better understand the market potential for private sector-led seed system for two important pulse crops-chick pea and green gram in the Central Dry Zone region of Myanmar. I used the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak bidding experiment mechanism to estimate farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for seeds with different quality attributes and to assess the impact of seed packaging, branding, traceability, and labeling on farmers' WTP a premium for these quality-signaling attributes. For green gram, I also collected detailed cost data for producing seed and grain. Results indicate that providing information on the identity of the seed source, packaging, branding, traceability, and labeling had no statistically significant effect on farmers' WTP a premium for these attributes. I also found that visual inspection of seeds' physical attributes was an important determinant of farmers' WTP. Comparing the results with the cost analysis suggests that about 40% of the farmers' WTP for certified seed produced by the local seed producers and 65% of farmers' WTP for the company seed, which was perceived to be of highest quality was above the cost of seed production, which did not include storage, transport, and marketing costs. Results of this study suggest potential market demand exists for quality seed but more research is needed to better understand the cost structure and bring the total cost of producing and marketing seed below the WTP price for a large number of farmers."--Page ii.
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Title: Terminal stage of a dying rift
Creator: LaVigne, Andrew
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: While most continental rifts progress toward rupture and eventual oceanic spreading, in certain circumstances, the rift may fail. Failed rifts provide a window into the transition from continental rifting to the formation of a passive margin, which in successful rifts is occluded by thick post rift sedimentary packages. Among the best-preserved failed rifts is the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR) in North America. Within the MCR, the final stage of magmatism is preserved on Michipicoten Island....
Show moreWhile most continental rifts progress toward rupture and eventual oceanic spreading, in certain circumstances, the rift may fail. Failed rifts provide a window into the transition from continental rifting to the formation of a passive margin, which in successful rifts is occluded by thick post rift sedimentary packages. Among the best-preserved failed rifts is the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR) in North America. Within the MCR, the final stage of magmatism is preserved on Michipicoten Island. Here I present a geochemical and isotopic study of the Michipicoten Island Formation to probe conditions in the crust and mantle during the final stage. My results show that the volcanic units on Michipicoten Island have undergone magma mixing between rhyolitic and basaltic magma, dominating magmatic processes within the crust. During previous eruptive periods in the MCR, during which this observation has been made, the rhyolitic endmember has been interpreted to have experienced significant contribution from the Achaean crust based on profoundly unradiogenic Nd values. In contrast, the Michipicoten Island Formation exhibits some of the most radiogenic Ndi values in the MCR, indicating that the source of evolved melts in the MCR changes from melting of existing Archean crust to juvenile material. The isotopic data from Michipicoten Island also shows that the depleted mantle is the single largest contributor of any geochemical reservoir. In the absence of a strong thermal plume component, melting of the depleted mantle requires decompression. The Michipicoten Island Formation was erupted during the geophysically-defined post-rift phase. My results require plate thinning to have continued during this late stage, with the implication that plate deformation persisted even though the crustal structure may not have recorded this deformation.
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Title: AN INVESTIGATION OF INEFFECTIVE ALLY BEHAVIORS
Creator: Collier, Lauren A.
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Previous investigations of allyship more broadly make the assumption that allies are unilaterally helpful. Through conducting three survey studies, I aimed to (1) examine the effects of effective and ineffective ally behavior on psychological outcomes for members of marginalized groups, (2) examine the perceptions marginalized group members had of effective and ineffective allies, (3) determine whether there were specific ally motivations that predict effective and ineffective allyship...
Show morePrevious investigations of allyship more broadly make the assumption that allies are unilaterally helpful. Through conducting three survey studies, I aimed to (1) examine the effects of effective and ineffective ally behavior on psychological outcomes for members of marginalized groups, (2) examine the perceptions marginalized group members had of effective and ineffective allies, (3) determine whether there were specific ally motivations that predict effective and ineffective allyship behavior and (4) determine whether there were specific individual differences that predict effective ally behavior. The results revealed that ineffective ally behavior was negatively related to psychological safety and positive affect and positively related to anxiety and negative affect for marginalized group members. An inverse set of relationships was revealed for effective ally behaviors. In addition, internal motivation to respond without prejudice and social dominance orientation emerged as robust predictors of ally behavior. Specifically, internal motivation to respond without prejudice was negatively related to ineffective ally behaviors while social dominance orientation was positively related. These variables exhibited an inverse relationship with effective ally behavior. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.
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Title: Antimicrobial and biodegradable food packaging films with chitosan-based N-halamine structures to prevent contamination by drug susceptible and resistant strains of Salmonella typhimurium
Creator: Thekkudan Novi, Vinni
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Contamination of food samples with antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium has become a cause for concern due to difficulty in treating infections caused by this pathogen. In one approach, chitosan/PVA-based N-halamine (CPN) film was developed and tested for its efficacy in inactivating drug susceptible and ampicillin resistant Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The CPN film significantly (100%) inactivated the growth of both strains during the antimicrobial sandwich assay when tested for...
Show moreContamination of food samples with antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium has become a cause for concern due to difficulty in treating infections caused by this pathogen. In one approach, chitosan/PVA-based N-halamine (CPN) film was developed and tested for its efficacy in inactivating drug susceptible and ampicillin resistant Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The CPN film significantly (100%) inactivated the growth of both strains during the antimicrobial sandwich assay when tested for five days since film preparation, while the CH/PVA films showed around one log reduction (p<0.05). CPN films reduced the drug resistant strain's growth on cheddar cheese slices by 5-6 logs at 25°C and 3-4 logs at 4°C when packaged and stored over a period of five days unlike CH/PVA films that did not show significant reduction. The second approach involves the synthesis of a stronger chitosan N-halamine-based coating on plasma treated polycaprolactone film (CH-NX/PCL film). The FTIR peaks obtained for chitosan coated PCL film (CH/PCL) showed characteristic peaks of both PCL and chitosan, specifically at 1720 cm-1 and 3354 cm-1, respectively. The tensile strength of the PCL was higher, while the Young's modulus value was higher for CH/PCL. CH/PCL film showed better barrier against water and oxygen compared to PCL. The antimicrobial efficacy of the CH-NX/PCL film was 100% against both strains of Salmonella Typhimurium when compared to PCL and CH/PCL, indicating that this fabricated film has promising applications in food safety.
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Title: Monte-Carlo simulations of the (d,²He) reaction in inverse kinematics
Creator: Carls, Alexander B.
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Charge-exchange reactions offer an indirect method for the testing of theoretical models for Gamow-Teller strengths that are used to calculate electron-capture rates on medium-heavy nuclei, which play important roles in astrophysical phenomena. Many of the relevant nuclei are unstable. However, a good general probe for performing charge-exchange reactions in inverse kinematics in the (n,p) reaction has not yet been established. The (d,2He) reaction in inverse kinematics is being developed as...
Show moreCharge-exchange reactions offer an indirect method for the testing of theoretical models for Gamow-Teller strengths that are used to calculate electron-capture rates on medium-heavy nuclei, which play important roles in astrophysical phenomena. Many of the relevant nuclei are unstable. However, a good general probe for performing charge-exchange reactions in inverse kinematics in the (n,p) reaction has not yet been established. The (d,2He) reaction in inverse kinematics is being developed as a potential candidate for this probe. This method uses the Active-Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) to detect the two protons from the unbound 2He system, and the S800 spectrograph to detect the heavy recoil. The feasibility of this method is demonstrated through Monte-Carlo simulations. The ATTPCROOTv2 code is the framework which allows for simulation of reactions within the AT-TPC as well as digitization of the results in the pad planes for realistic simulated data. The analysis performed on this data using the ATTPCROOTv2 code shows the techniques that can be done in experiment to track the scattered protons through the detector using Random Sampling Consensus (RANSAC) algorithms.
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Title: Informal settlements and the geography of vulnerability - a spatial case study of Hidalgo County, Texas
Creator: Huang, Huiqing (Graduate of Michigan State University)
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "More than 2,000 colonias and more than 800 model subdivisions have been developed in unincorporated areas across the state of Texas. Since the 1980s, a substantial body of research has documented the poor housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure in these informal settlements in the United States. However, very little research has focused on the geographic vulnerability, such as exposure to environmental risks and the lack of access to amenities. This study adopts two Geographic...
Show more"More than 2,000 colonias and more than 800 model subdivisions have been developed in unincorporated areas across the state of Texas. Since the 1980s, a substantial body of research has documented the poor housing conditions and inadequate infrastructure in these informal settlements in the United States. However, very little research has focused on the geographic vulnerability, such as exposure to environmental risks and the lack of access to amenities. This study adopts two Geographic Information System (GIS) methods (overlay analysis and proximity analysis) to investigate the vulnerability of informal settlements in Hidalgo County, Texas. This research finds that informal settlements experience more spatial vulnerability than formal neighborhoods as they are further away from the urban center, the job center, and other critical amenities. However, the prevalence of property crime in informal settlements is significantly lower. Within the informal settlements, colonias are still in need of basic infrastructures. Besides, this study finds that state-designated colonias are less vulnerable than newer model subdivisions that have developed largely without acknowledgment by the state.These findings suggest the need for state and local governments 1) to make more targeted investments to provide water and wastewater service; 2) to develop public transportation system; 3) to reduce vulnerability by expanding access to amenities or services and 4) to partner with private entities and communities themselves to address the needs in informal settlements."--Page ii.
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Title: Effects of a multi-strain Bacillus subtilis-based direct-fed microbial on weanling pig growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immunity markers, intestinal morphology, and microbial communities
Creator: Lewton, Jaron R.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of a multi-strain Bacillus subtilis-based direct-fed microbial (DFM) on weanling pig growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immunity markers, intestinal morphology, and microbial communities. A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that DFM supplemented pigs would have greater nutrient digestibility and improvements in specific indicators of health status. Eighty pigs, of equal number of barrows and gilts (initial BW: 7.0 ...
Show moreThe objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of a multi-strain Bacillus subtilis-based direct-fed microbial (DFM) on weanling pig growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immunity markers, intestinal morphology, and microbial communities. A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that DFM supplemented pigs would have greater nutrient digestibility and improvements in specific indicators of health status. Eighty pigs, of equal number of barrows and gilts (initial BW: 7.0 ± 0.60 kg), weaned at 21 ± 1 days of age were randomly allotted to sixteen pens, with five pigs per pen. Two dietary treatments were implemented, a basal control (CON) and a control plus DFM (DFM). Both diets were corn, soybean meal, and distillers dried grains based and were formulated to meet or exceed all nutrient requirements and manufactured on site. Diets were fed for 42 days. Growth performance was recorded on a weekly basis. On d 21 and 42 of the experiment, one pig per pen was randomly selected and euthanized, with equal number of males and females represented. Blood samples were collected prior to euthanasia for assessment of plasma concentrations of immunoglobin A (IgA) and intestinal fatty acid binding protein. Segments of the gastrointestinal tract including duodenum, jejunum, ileum, ascending and distal colon were removed for analysis of nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, microbial communities, and concentrations of interleukin 6, interleukin 10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Overall growth performance did not differ between DFM and CON. Overall means ± SD were 0.51 ± 0.05 kg/d, 0.79 ± 0.05 kg/d and 0.66 ± 0.05 for ADG, ADFI, and G:F, respectively. Compared to pigs fed CON, overall digestibility of AA within the jejunum tended to be greater for tryptophan (P = 0.06), methionine (P = 0.10), and cysteine (P = 0.12) for pigs fed DFM. The pH of contents in ascending colon, a possible indicator of varied fiber digestion, did not differ. Apparent total tract nitrogen and energy digestibility did not differ between DFM and CON on d 21 or 42. Compared to CON, overall jejunal villus height was greater (P = 0.02) (422 vs. 385 ± 10 [mu]m, respectively) and ascending colon crypt depth tended to be greater (P = 0.10) on d 21 (373 vs. 337 ± 14 [mu]m, respectively). Compared to CON, DFM tended to increase IgA (P = 0.06) on d 21 (0.34 vs. 0.54 ± 0.07 mg/mL, respectively) and tended to increase IL-10 (P = 0.12) on d 42 (133 vs. 237 ± 49 pg/mL, respectively). Addition of a multi-strain Bacillus subtilis-based DFM appears to impact select amino acid digestibility within the jejunum. Improvements in digestibility may be related to the DFMs benefit on weanling pig health status, observed via differences in intestinal morphology and specific immunity markers.
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Title: Equity and inclusion in the garden : factors that facilitate immigrants and refugees participation in a community garden network in Lansing, MI
Creator: García Polanco, Vanessa
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Lansing, Michigan, is a Mid-Michigan city with a growing urban agriculture system, including over 100 community gardens facilitated by the Greater Lansing Food Bank Garden Project (GLFBGP). It is also a place with a large refugee resettlement population. Twenty percent of the gardeners in 18 Lansing gardens directly managed by the GLFBGP are refugees and immigrants. These numbers are echoed across the state: there are over 500 community gardens in Michigan and 7 % of the population is foreign...
Show moreLansing, Michigan, is a Mid-Michigan city with a growing urban agriculture system, including over 100 community gardens facilitated by the Greater Lansing Food Bank Garden Project (GLFBGP). It is also a place with a large refugee resettlement population. Twenty percent of the gardeners in 18 Lansing gardens directly managed by the GLFBGP are refugees and immigrants. These numbers are echoed across the state: there are over 500 community gardens in Michigan and 7 % of the population is foreign born. But little is known about the role of community gardening in the immigrant and refugee experience. Further exploration of how urban agriculture spaces like community gardens can function as spaces for belonging and inclusion is needed. We conducted an engaged research project in three GLFBGP gardens with high refugee and immigrant enrollment which included ethnographic interviews and drawings with refugee and immigrant gardeners and a focus group with garden leaders from 6 highly-enrolled immigrant and refugee gardens. We set out to better understand: 1) the motivations of immigrants and refugees to engage in community gardening and 2) the ways the community garden experience facilitates belonging and inclusion both in the food system and in the local community. Our results illuminated four factors that facilitate inclusion and belonging of immigrant and refugee gardeners in the community garden network: (1) Social cohesion facilitated by altruistic activities and community building; (2) The process of replicating and adapting knowledge and being able to learn and teach; (3) Diverse incentives to recruit immigrant and refugee gardeners; and (4) Place based vision and resources that facilitate inclusion and belonging. In this presentation, we will share the history of the GLFBGP, the steps it has taken to support immigrants and refugee gardeners, and the results from our research with refugee and immigrant community gardeners in the GLFBGP network. This research and the practices of the GLFBGP highlight steps to create a more inclusive and welcoming community gardening and urban agriculture spaces, as well as inform best practices for the alternative food systems movement.
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Title: Making errors and visualizing success : effects on training transfer
Creator: Brucher, Nathan T.
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Error management training and symbolic rehearsal are two training techniques that have been shown to affect training transfer. Previous studies have looked at these two techniques in isolation, however the effects have never been examined together. The current study attempts to examine the effects on training transfer. Using a software training paradigm, error management training with an added symbolic rehearsal component was hypothesized to contribute to better adaptive transfer, declarative...
Show moreError management training and symbolic rehearsal are two training techniques that have been shown to affect training transfer. Previous studies have looked at these two techniques in isolation, however the effects have never been examined together. The current study attempts to examine the effects on training transfer. Using a software training paradigm, error management training with an added symbolic rehearsal component was hypothesized to contribute to better adaptive transfer, declarative knowledge, and mental models than an error management training alone condition. Results indicated there was no significant difference between conditions. Exploratory analyses confirmed relationships found in past research. Discussion, implications, and limitations of the current study are included.
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