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LANDOWNERS\u2019 ACCEPTANCE OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE MANAGEMENT : IMPLICATIONS FOR ACCESS TO PRIVATE LAND
No full textThesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Fisheries and Wildlife - Master of Science, 2025Management of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is dependent upon landowner access to private property. When access is allowed, CWD management strategies such as targeted removals and recreational hunter harvest can decrease local prevalence, and surveillance strategies can improve knowledge. However, the decision to allow property access rests on the landowner\u2019s acceptance of wildlife management actions. I distributed a survey to landowners in six U.S. states, which varied by region, state CWD prevalence, and county CWD prevalence. In Chapter 1, I assessed landowners\u2019 acceptance of CWD management and research strategies on their private property and explored a range of attributes that may influence their decision. Results indicated that landowners were more supportive of targeted removals than recreational hunter harvest for managing CWD but were most likely to allow surveillance strategies overall. Additionally, management efforts led by government wildlife agents were more widely accepted than those involving recreational hunters. Acceptance of CWD management was influenced by a range of attributes, including demographics, geographic location, disease prevalence, risk perceptions, hunting status, trust in wildlife agencies, and property characteristics. In Chapter 2, I evaluated landowners\u2019 preferences for targeted removal attributes and quantified their willingness to accept (WTA) financial incentives for deer removals. To do so, I employed a discrete choice experiment (CE) with three attributes: (i) removal restriction, (ii) implementing agency, and (iii) payment mechanism. Results indicated that many respondents were against targeted deer removals on their property and were unlikely to accept a feasible financial incentive to change their minds. However, among those willing to permit removals, targeting antlerless deer conducted by a state wildlife agent was preferred, suggesting it may be the most viable strategy to implement on private land. Various factors, including landowner demographics, geographic region, state and county-level CWD prevalence, and hunting status, influenced acceptance of targeted removals. This research will help improve property access by identifying landowners most likely to allow CWD management efforts and accept financial incentives, enabling managers to better prioritize resources and therefore reduce local CWD prevalence more effectively.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THE EFFICACY OF LANDSCAPE BUFFERS AS A MICRO-SCALE STREETSCAPE DESIGN FACTOR FOR ENHANCING PERCEPTIONS OF WALKABILITY
No full textThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Environmental Design - Master of Arts, 2025Walking, as an active transportation method, has been highlighted in research for its numerous benefits to physical and mental health, environmental sustainability, and social connectivity (Ewing & Cervero, 2010; Pucher & Buehler, 2010; Sallis et al., 2016). A multitude of scaled factors in the built environment have been studied for their effects on walkability, but research on how landscape buffers, as a micro-scale variable, impact perceived walkability remains limited (Adkins et al., 2012; Harvey et al., 2015; Hollander & Anderson, 2020; Kweon et al., 2021; Muhammad Mulyadi et al., 2022). This study aims to understand how landscape buffer typologies and surrounding contexts influence pedestrian perception of walkability.This study employed an experimental design to examine the relationships among landscape buffer scenarios (planting design in the buffer), settings (urban or suburban), and pedestrian perception of walkability (measured by pedestrian comfort, sense of safety from cars or crime, aesthetic pleasure, and overall satisfaction), derived from established studies in walkability and environmental psychology (Adkins et al., 2012; De Vos et al., 2023; Fonseca et al., 2021; Harvey et al., 2015; Kweon et al., 2021). A second phase replicated the survey in an immersive environment to explore the influence of media on perceptions of walkability. Data from 95 participants showed significant interaction effects between landscape buffer scenario, setting, and perception of walkability (p < 0.001). Demographic factors, such as age or ethnicity, showed minimal impact and immersive media did not significantly alter perceptions. This research provides additional insight into how built environment features may interact to alter pedestrian perceptions of walkability. Further research is needed to create strategic recommendations for streetscape design principles that are sensitive to the surrounding context.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
EFFECT OF CONSERVATION-ORIENTED MANAGEMENT ON CARABID (COLEOPTERA : CARABIDAE) COMMUNITIES IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES
Full text linkThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Entomology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Agricultural landscapes in the last century have expanded to meet the global demands of food, fuel, and fiber necessary to support growing populations. Although the innovation of equipment, technology, and intensified agricultural practices have contributed to world food production, it has come at the cost of habitat loss through pollution or fragmentation, and a decline in global biodiversity, in particular, the decline of insect populations. Highly simplified agricultural landscapes have low habitat diversity, habitat amount, and simplified configuration that limits the dispersal of insects and their provision of ecosystem services that sustain crop yield via pollination, pest suppression, and nutrient-rich soils. As agriculture is a primary global land use, the threat of insect loss amid the uncertainty of changing climates will have lasting effects on global food security for generations to come. As such, it is necessary to shift from intensive systems dependent on high-input of pesticides, tillage, or monocultures, to agricultural landscapes that are multifunctional and support both human and ecosystem health and resiliency.Perennial prairie strips or prairie plantings are a conservation tool to enhance ecosystem service provision in simplified landscapes and provide alternative habitat and food resources for wildlife. Insects contribute to agriculture through necessary ecosystem services and may benefit from the establishment of non-crop prairie plantings in agroecosystems. This dissertation focused on ground beetles, or carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as beneficial predators of insect pests and weed seeds. Carabids are useful indicators for ground-dwelling arthropod diversity as they are sensitive to changes in agricultural management both above- and belowground, and benefit from the addition of native non-crop habitat within agricultural landscapes. In 2019, prairie strips were planted in two conservation-oriented treatments at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Main Cropping Systems Experiment (MSCE) in southwest Michigan. The two treatments include Reduced Input, using one-third the conventional application of pesticides, and Biologically Based, using no synthetic inputs. In this dissertation, I investigated a) the effects of long-term management and cropping treatment, before the addition of prairie strips, on carabid diversity and activity-density; b) how establishment of perennial prairie strips influenced carabid community composition in both the strip and adjacent row crop; and c) the spillover of predation services from the prairie strip into the row crop. In Chapter One, I broadly reviewed the literature on agricultural landscape simplification and agricultural intensification, including the current global biodiversity crisis. I further described historic and current conservation interventions to reduce biodiversity loss and augment ecosystem services within agriculture. The majority of the literature review focused on carabids as beneficial providers of pest and weed seed management, and the impact of various agricultural practices on the diversity and abundance of carabids within agroecosystems. In Chapter Two, I addressed questions raised in the literature review of the long-term impacts of agricultural management on carabids by comparing the 2019 carabid community at the KBS-LTER to a similar study conducted in 1994-95. I found a severe decline in carabid abundance and a turnover in carabid species from the previously dominant community. Although we did not determine a singular reason for the decline, innovation in pest and weed management over the last three decades, including the widespread application of pesticides, likely reduced prey abundance and compounded the effects of landscape simplification on resource availability. In Chapter Three I investigated the effects of prairie strip establishment on carabid community composition, including the spillover effects from the prairie strip into the adjacent row crop. Carabid activity-density doubled one year after seeding the prairie strip, and the response to prairie strips varied by cropping treatment. I also found that after four years, prairie strips contributed to increased biodiversity both within the strip and within the center of the row crop. Given the evidence for spillover of carabid community biodiversity from prairie strips, I further studied the potential for pest suppression services in Chapter Four. Using sentinel insect pests commonly found in Midwest, US agriculture and exclosures to limit predation to arthropods, I found relatively high pest suppression across treatments and a preference for prairie strips during early- and late-season when resources are scarce in agricultural landscapes. I conclude my findings in Chapter Five and discuss the broader implications of my dissertation research on conservation interventions for the prevention of biodiversity loss and ecosystem service provision, including key limitations or challenges of current sampling methods or experimental designs, and opportunities for future research in this field. Agriculture is not a closed system and neither is scientific research; in Appendix One I describe my community-engaged research project on prairie strip adoption. By conducting focus groups and partnering with Conservation Districts, I review farmer perspectives on challenges to the future of agriculture, and best practices for prairie strip establishment and maintenance in Michigan. By supporting ecosystem health in agricultural landscapes, we can also support the health and productivity of farming communities.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
PATHOGEN RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS IN PRE-HARVEST AND POST-HARVEST STAGES OF PRODUCE PRODUCTION
Full text linkThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Food Science - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Fresh produce can serve as a vehicle for foodborne pathogens, posing serious public health risks. These pathogens, including Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes, can contaminate agricultural environments through multiple pathways. The first part of the research includes the factors that affect the survival of STEC, S. enterica, and L. monocytogenes in soil extracts simulating flooded or stagnant water conditions. Chemical analysis revealed that high-nutrient extracts, characterized by elevated nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon levels, promoted pathogen persistence, whereas native microbiomes played a critical role in reducing pathogen populations. Microbiome analysis indicated higher microbial diversity in low-nutrient extracts, suggesting complex interactions that influence pathogen survival. Additionally, a long short-term memory (LSTM) model accurately predicted pathogen survival based on soil parameters, demonstrating the potential for predictive tools in food safety risk assessments. The second phase of this research examined the impact of cold storage on the survival and transition to physiological state of STEC O157:H7 on romaine lettuce. Lettuce harvested at 9 \ub0C and stored at 2 \ub0C for five days exhibited increased dormancy, transitioning into persister and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) states. STEC cell populations including persister cells showed reduced virulence, acid tolerance, and chlorine tolerance over time, underscoring the need to consider storage-induced physiological changes in microbial risk assessments. Finally, we investigated how enrichment time, strain variability, and persister cell populations influenced STEC O157:H7 detection using a commercially available qPCR-based system. Detection rates improved significantly with 24-hour enrichment compared to 8-hour enrichment, and the Yuma, AZ 2018 outbreak strain demonstrated higher detection rates than other strains. Additionally, samples with persister cell populations exceeding 68% were more likely to be detected, highlighting the importance of optimizing enrichment protocols to enhance detection reliability. This study underscores the significance of soil ecology, post-harvest storage conditions, and detection methodologies in improving microbial risk assessments in the fresh produce supply chain. Fresh produce can sometimes be contaminated with pathogens. These pathogens can be deadly and can contaminate produce by various means. The first part of the research includes the factors that affect the survival of STEC, S. enterica, and L. monocytogenes in soil extracts simulating flooded or stagnant water conditions. Chemical analysis revealed higher total nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon in high-nutrient extracts, which supported pathogen survival, whereas the presence of native microbiomes reduced pathogen levels. Microbiome analysis showed greater diversity in low-nutrient extracts, indicating distinct microbial interactions that influence pathogen persistence. A long short-term memory (LSTM) model effectively predicted pathogen survival based on soil parameters, underscoring the potential for predictive tools in food safety risk assessments. The second part of the research includes evaluation of the impact of cold storage on the survival and physiological state of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7 on romaine lettuce. Lettuce harvested at 9 \ub0C followed by storage at 2 \ub0C for five days exhibited increased transformation into dormant states, including persister and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells. These dormant cells showed reduced virulence, acid tolerance, and chlorine tolerance over time. These findings highlight the need to account for storage-induced physiological changes when assessing microbial risks in the food supply chain. Finally, we investigated how enrichment time, strain variability, and persister cell populations influence STEC O157:H7 detection using the commercially available qPCR-based detection system. Detection rates increased significantly with 24-hour enrichment compared to 8-hour enrichment and the Yuma, AZ 2018 outbreak strain exhibited higher detection rates than other strains. Samples with persister cell percentages exceeding 68% were more likely to be detected, emphasizing the importance of optimizing enrichment protocols to improve detection reliability. This study highlights the importance of soil ecology, storage conditions, and detection methods, for better risk assessment analysis.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Gender Attitudes and Identities in Kenya's Tech Sector
Full text linkThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Anthropology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Kenya\u2019s technology sector is one of the largest national tech sectors on the African continent and the premier tech sector in eastern Africa. As such, there is significant interest in those who work in Kenya\u2019s tech sector, especially with regard to the sector\u2019s reputation as being dominated by men. In eastern Africa, understanding the historical construction of either ethnicity or gender requires treating them as intertwined and overlapping, such that no single identity can be completely understood without its relation to the other. Far from essentialized categories of behavior and practices among distinct groups of people, gender and ethnicity represent meaningful identities individuals hold that have been made and remade through social and cultural processes over time. Prior to colonization, most communities adhered to and reinforced a gendered division of labor, which British authorities then exploited in their colonial conquests to justify dividing communities into distinct tribes (ethnicities) to facilitate their \u201cindirect rule\u201d over the region. At the endpoint of British occupation in December of 1963, there remained a significant gender disparity in Kenya with respect to ownership, agency, and economic activities available to men compared to women. During the post-colonization period, from 1964 to today, Kenyan conceptualizations regarding gender norms have in many ways remained stubbornly resistant to change, though in recent years have seen some movement. Within the context of Kenya\u2019s technology sector, the concept of gender and its shifting conceptualizations are impacted by tech development projects of governmental and nongovernmental international development projects, for-profit technology innovation initiatives, and online collectives of Kenyan women. In this dissertation I seek to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of identities held by members of Kenya\u2019s tech sector, their impact on the gender disparity in the sector how gender norms and attitudes may be shifting in recent years, and draw from the manuscripts presented here the methodological lesson about the building of communities of practice. I further argue for the importance of intersectionality and its applications to future research. I discuss how broadening gender-based research in the tech sector to include an intersectional approach to individuals\u2019 identities will produce a deeper understanding of how different aspects of one\u2019s identity affect that individual\u2019s attitudes and beliefs about gender norms. Crucial to intersectional feminism is in seriously pursuing all facets of oppression, rather than paying some attention to non-gendered oppressions only when doing so serves to benefit partial progress in reducing oppression of women. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to argue for incorporating intersectionality into the design, data collection methods, and analyses of research projects undertaken within the sector, in service of an intersectional feminist approach to development of the sector.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
EARLY TAU PATHOLOGY IN THE POSTMORTEM DEFAULT MODE NETWORK IN ALZHEIMER\u2019S DISEASE
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Cell and Molecular Biology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of two pathological hallmarks in brain areas mediating cognitive function: 1) extracellular senile plaques consisting of aggregated amyloid-beta peptides and 2) intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of fibrillar aggregates of the protein tau. Although NFT pathology is strongly linked to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in AD, several lines of evidence indicate that it is the soluble \u201cpre-tangle\u201d aggregates of tau formed prior to NFTs that are the neurotoxic species driving disease progression resulting in cognitive impairment. In this study, we aimed to quantify pre-tangle tau moieties in the cognitive brain regions that falter the earliest in AD to advance our understanding of disease mechanisms and test if pre-tangle tau pathology associates with cognitive decline. We examined postmortem tissue from three brain regions\u2013frontal cortex (FC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and precuneus (PreC)\u2013that form functionally connected Default Mode Network (DMN), which shows altered functional connectivity in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) as well as with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who later convert to frank AD. Immunohistochemical and biochemical quantification of pre-tangle tau by epitope-specific antibodies (pS422, TOC1, TNT2, and TauC3) indicated that pathological tau was present in the low Braak stages in the DMN, and its level significantly increased between the transition from Braak stage IV to Braak stage V. The pre-tangle tau pathology also demonstrated a tight and inverse correlation with several antemortem cognitive test scores, including those related to global cognition, episodic and semantic memory, as well as with postmortem neuropathological diagnostic scores. We also found possible regional differences in pre-tangle tau load among those three brain regions, with PCC showing higher pathology compared to its neighboring region, PreC. To further investigate the tau protein interactome that may underlie the regional difference in pre-tangle tau pathology burden, we performed a co-immunoprecipitation of pathological tau and its protein binding partners for mass spectrometric analysis. The results revealed that tau interactions within PCC and PreC were associated with different stress response to AD pathology, while PCC demonstrated abnormally elevated lipid metabolism and immune activation. Collectively, our findings contribute to the timeline of pre-tangle tau accumulation in the DMN network in AD with a potential regional difference for the pathology load between the two posterior hubs. We also found a close and inverse correlation between the pre-tangle tau and cognitive decline, emphasizing the potential of the study to develop effective disease-mitigating strategies.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THE IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE CONTACT VIA VIDEO GAMES ON BIASES AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION AMONG STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Full text linkThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Counselor Education and Supervision - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This study examined the impact of cooperative video gaming on disability-related biases and social exclusion using a treatment-only, explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Participants included two distinct groups: students studying disability services and students with disabilities. Both groups engaged in a structured cooperative video game intervention, with data collected at three time points: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Grounded in Allport\u2019s Intergroup Contact Theory, the study investigated whether cooperative gameplay could reduce explicit and implicit biases among disability services students and improve social connectedness among students with disabilities. Quantitative measures included the Multiple Disability Multidimensional Attitudes Scale (MDMAS), Disability Attitude Implicit Association Test (DA-IAT), Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (CDP), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Belonging Engagement and Self-Confidence Scale (BES). Follow-up interviews explored participants\u2019 experiences and perceptions of the intervention. Results showed that cooperative video gaming reduced explicit biases in some domains but had no significant effect on implicit bias. While short-term gains were observed in belonging and engagement, these effects diminished by follow-up, and loneliness scores remained unchanged. Findings suggest that while cooperative gaming may offer a promising approach to bias reduction, sustained or more intensive interventions may be necessary to promote lasting social inclusion for students with disabilities.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Autistic Adolescents\u2019 Views on Autism in Children\u2019s Books
No full textThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Communicative Sciences and Disorders - Master of Arts, 2025The following study was based on the limited research that has involved autistic voices about their portrayals in media, in particular, children\u2019s books, and was meant to expand the research that has already been done. We interviewed four autistic adolescents about their experiences with reading books about autism, and then asked them to create their own hypothetical story featuring an autistic character. These ideas are meant to influence authors and how they think about the future portrayals of autism they will create. Participants were also informed of current themes frequently seen in children\u2019s books that already exist, and asked to comment on them. These presented themes included agency, modes of communication, bullying, and superheroes and superpowers. Participants shared an overall desire for books and portrayals of autism to be realistic and respectful. They shared a preference for showing autism as a difference rather than a disability, while still showing it as something that comes with both strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, while split on whether authors should be autistic themselves, all participants shared the value of books being accessible to all audiences, including autistic and non-autistic readers. These findings are discussed throughout the paper and are meant to shed light on the conversation about what portrayals are appropriate and not, this time involving autistic voices.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Here to Negotiate Institutional Change : Exploring the Negotiation Styles of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation explores the negotiation styles of Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) in United States higher education. CDOs must work with various institutional stakeholders to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) within an educational community. Despite CDOs reporting the ubiquity of negotiation in their professional work, CDO scholars have given insufficient attention to how CDOs negotiate with institutional stakeholders to advance DEIJ efforts. Similarly, negotiation scholars have given some attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion in negotiation and to the role of negotiation in social justice movements. However, negotiation scholars have not yet turned their attention to diversity professionals like CDOs. This dissertation study begins to fill the void on CDO negotiations, in general, and CDO negotiation styles, in particular, by answering the following research question: How do CDOs understand and use their negotiation styles? Using generic qualitative methodology, I collected data through 11 participants completing Shell\u2019s (2006, 2018) negotiation style assessment and semi-structured interviews. Shell\u2019s (2001, 2006, 2018) five-style framework and critical race theory are employed as my conceptual framework. This dissertation study offers important contributions to the theory and practice of CDO negotiations, with significant practical implications for DEIJ in higher education.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
BECOMING ONE WITH OUR ANIMAL SELVES : ONE MOTHERHOOD AS METAMORPHOSIS
Full text linkThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Literature in English - Master of Arts, 2025This project simultaneously enters and tracks the liminal spaces and positions that the (non)human female body inhabits as it oscillates between human and animal corporeality, especially through the process of \u201cbecoming-mother.\u201d Turning to Rachel Yoder\u2019s Nightbitch (2021), K-Ming Chang\u2019s Bestiary (2020), and Emily Habeck\u2019s Sharkheart: A Love Story (2023)\u2013three contemporary feminist speculative fiction novels published in the past five years that effectively respond to the current social and political climate surrounding the instable discourse of women\u2019s reproductive and individual human rights\u2013I interrogate the ways in which humanity, animality, and motherhood fluidly coexist and permeate each other in alternative worlds that allow women to reclaim and explore the true power of their (non)human female bodies. By first examining the physical and psychological differences that exist between the pregnant and maternal body and how they then inform the intrinsic bond forged between a mother and her offspring, this project brings these three novels together to follow the female body along its corporeal process of becoming both \u201cmother\u201d and \u201canimal.\u201d Put in conversation with the critical theory coming out of posthumanism, animal studies, new materialism, feminist science and technology studies, and maternal feminist thought, these three novels celebrate the female body across human and nonhuman worlds to showcase women\u2019s ability to resist patriarchal capture and dismantle the cultural illusions of control that still work to define their corporeality and (non)human identity.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references