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EXAMINING THE DEMAND FOR PROCESSED FOODS AND THE ROLE OF FOOD PROCESSING ENTERPRISES IN WEST AFRICA
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025The demand for processed convenience foods and ready-to-eat foods has increased globally in recent decades with increases in household income and urbanization. This increase in demand for processed convenience foods has led to an expanded supply of these foods, but little is known about these suppliers, their business choices, and the viability of their enterprises. In this dissertation, I first seek to understand how West African households change their food consumption in response to changes in income and food prices. Then, I provide a characterization of small and medium-sized food processing enterprises (SMEs) in West Africa, analyzing their performance and efficiency to provide insight into the characteristics of successful food processing SMEs. Understanding how changes in household income and food prices affect dietary composition is key to improving food and nutrition security. Utilizing Mali\u2019s 2018 Harmonized Survey on Households Living Standards, Chapter 1 estimates demand for food by food group and by processing level through the calculation of price and expenditure elasticities for 3,847 rural households and 2,745 urban households. A two-stage Working-Leser and Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS) model is employed to calculate elasticities for rural and urban households of different income levels. Following the estimation of the demand system, I estimate the amount a household would need to be compensated to restore their original utility under hypothetical price shocks to different food groups. Findings indicate that both rural and urban Malians are increasing their food consumption, in value terms, as they increase their total household expenditure. Within a household\u2019s food budget, the consumption in value terms of animal products, fruits, and vegetables increases as household food expenditure increases. The budget share of cereals declines as expenditure increases but remains relatively high across rural and urban households. Additionally, households demand more processed foods as their incomes grow. Simulated price shocks to cereals and animal products have stronger impacts on household utility than any other food groups. Policymakers should focus on supporting and expanding sustainable food supply chains, particularly for cereals and animal products.Shifting focus to the supply side, in Chapter 2, I utilize a unique dataset of 320 processed food vendors in 82 open-air markets across Senegal in 2021 to examine what factors contribute to a market food vendor\u2019s decision to process cowpea and the quantity they process. In addition to being locally produced, cowpea is a nutritious food source that can be processed for convenience. I provide a characterization of market processed food vendors, then employ a double hurdle model to examine how various regional, sociodemographic, market, business, and product portfolio characteristics affect the probability of processing cowpea and the expected value of cowpea processed by a vendor each week, allowing the factors that affect the participation decision to differ from those that affect the intensity of participation. I find that vendors of processed food products in open-air markets in Senegal are mostly women. The results indicate that vendors in rural markets are more likely to process cowpea and to process more, on average, than urban market vendors. Results from postestimation analysis indicate that nearly two-thirds of the processors most likely to process cowpea operate out of physical structures compared to only a quarter of the processors least likely to process any cowpea. This could be related to the risk of pest infestation for improperly stored cowpea grain. Overall, this study highlights the importance of cowpea processing as a channel for entrepreneurial women to start small businesses and earn income to support their families, warranting further research and investment into this sector.In Chapter 3, I describe the second-stage grain processing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across urban areas of Senegal, estimate their technical efficiency (TE), and examine the factors that contribute to higher levels of technical efficiency using a Stochastic Frontier Analysis. I employ a dataset collected in 2018 under the Agricultural Policy Support Program that includes information on 552 grain processing street vendors and 200 semi-industrial enterprises. I find that women own and operate the majority of both of these types of grain processing SMEs. Additionally, both types of enterprises rely heavily on manual processing methods, exhibiting low levels of adoption of mechanized processing technologies. I estimate efficiencies separately for both groups of food processors and find the mean TE score of semi-industrial enterprises to be 0.642 and the mean TE score of street vendors to be 0.637. I find that street vendors relying on shared resources are less efficient. I also find that semi-industrial processors are more efficient if they are connected to formal networks through membership in a processor\u2019s organization, providing evidence that policies that improve access to and provide support for processor\u2019s organizations may effectively reduce inefficiency of second-stage grain processing SMEs.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THROUGH THE ETHERNET : MAUS, MULTIMODALITY, AND DIGITAL RADICAL CHANGE THEORY
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation builds upon Dresang's (1999) Radical Change Theory (RCT) and Norris's (2004) Multimodal Interaction Analysis (MIA). It also develops and employs two new analytical tools: Digital Radical Change Theory (DRCT) and Multimodal Literary Analysis (MLA). Through close reading and multimodal analysis, this research investigates how multiple modes of communication by digital tools influence a reader\u2019s meaning making. While previous scholars like Dresang (1999), Kress (2003), Jewitt (2008), among others, have examined multimodality in print texts, this study specifically addresses this concept and its use in digital literature. This dissertation examines how multimodal elements within a digital or electronic work of literature impact meaning-making through a case study of Art Spiegelman's Maus II: A Survivor's Tale - And Here My Troubles Began, Chapter 2: Auschwitz (Time Flies) as it appears in the DVD MetaMaus. This digital version of Maus represents an early attempt at incorporating the newly available tools of the mid-1990s. The findings suggest that meaning emerges not only from individual modes, but also through their complex interactions and layering, requiring readers to actively engage in meaning-making across multiple semiotic domains, as theorized by Gee (2004) and the New London Group (2000). By examining what Bucher (2017) identified as the "two basic problems of multimodality" (p. 92)\u2014compositionality and reception\u2014this research contributes new methodological and theoretical frameworks for analyzing electronic texts and demonstrates how digital elements both complicate and clarify textual understanding. The study addresses a significant gap in scholarly approaches to studying digital literature (2006, 2007) while responding to calls from scholars like Moje (2009) for more research on how new media forms impact literacy practices.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THEORETICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES OF A LIQUID ENTERING A NETWORK OF PORES
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Mechanical Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Modeling the rate of fluid penetration into capillaries due to surface tension forces is often based on the Poiseuille flow solution. However, this model does not apply to short capillaries due to non-fully developed conditions at the entrance and exit regions. Improved models are needed for small capillary systems, which are crucial in processes such as oil droplet removal from water using thin membranes. Previous research has addressed deviations from Poiseuille flow near the entrance and moving meniscus, including the use of momentum conservation equations and inertia forces in kinetic models for infinite flow entering capillary tubes. Some studies have considered finite reservoir infiltration, assuming parallel flow lines, but neglected local acceleration due to inertia and gravity effects. This study presents a novel analysis focusing on the dynamic behavior of droplets in pores. It models a finite flow reservoir associated with a droplet and includes drag forces at the capillary channel entrance. The mathematical model incorporates pressure losses due to sudden contraction and viscous dissipation at the tube entrance, which can be significant in low Reynolds number flows. Additionally, it considers energy dissipation due to contact angle hysteresis. The model addresses an apparent anomaly posed by Washburn-Rideal and Levin-Szekely, and is applied to various liquids including water, glycerin, blood, oil, and methanol. It is tested with different geometries and cases, including numerical simulations, showing close agreement with experimental data. Deviations are observed when comparing infinite reservoir flow to finite droplet flow.A parametric study evaluates the effects of dimensionless numbers such as capillary, Reynolds, Weber, and Froude numbers. Results suggest the Weber number's importance over the Capillary number in droplet dynamics. The study also examines finite flow and film penetration in single pores versus pore networks. Computational simulations using ANSYS-FLUENT 23 R2 provide 2D results, using User Defined Functions (UDF) to capture liquid-gas interfaces. These simulations corroborate the mathematical model. Contrary to previous findings, this study demonstrates that contact angle effects are significant in the initial stages of capillary penetration. The proposed solution is valid for very short initial times, applicable to printing, lithographic operations, and filtration systems dealing with oil droplet removal from water using membranes.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Higher Education in Prison : A Case Study Analyzing the Development and Launch of a New Undergraduate Program
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Higher education in prison (HEP) in the United States has a long and varied history, largely tied to changing legislation regarding Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals. Recent legislation has fully restored Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals which has caused a subsequent rise in the number of HEP programs nationally. Previous HEP literature focuses almost exclusively on the outcomes of HEP, and with the number of HEP programs increasing, scholars and practitioners would benefit from scholarship analyzing HEP programs themselves with an organizational lens. To that end, this dissertation utilizes a qualitative case study approach to analyze the development and launch of an undergraduate HEP program, ultimately answering the question: how do HEP programs develop? The Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) was selected as a common case and data was collected through interviews with 12 participants involved in the program\u2019s creation. Data were analyzed through a critical realist frame by implementing a two-cycle coding process, borrowing components of new venture creation theory and process theory to analyze and organize themes. Themes were constructed under four broad dimensions: (a) process, the steps taken to develop the CPI; (b) individuals, the people involved in the CPI\u2019s creation; (c) organization, the characteristics and structures of the CPI at its launch; and (d) environment, the external influences on the program\u2019s development. The study\u2019s findings and their implications will benefit practitioners by providing critical information about program development and scholars by providing a foundational study to begin analyzing HEP programs as organizations.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Teaching Beyond Borders : A study of transnational Chinese language educators' experiences in the United States
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025The increasing demand for bilingual and world language education in the United States has led to the expansion of Chinese-English dual-language immersion (DLI) programs, heightening the need for transnational Chinese teachers (TCTs). Despite their essential contributions, TCTs encounter substantial challenges in navigating the U.S. educational system, including issues of professional legitimacy, pedagogical adaptation, cultural negotiation, and immigration-related precarity. Existing research often overlooks the discursive and structural barriers that specifically shape TCTs\u2019 experiences, particularly within the context of alternative certification pathways. This study addresses these gaps by examining how institutional discourses influence the professional identities and pedagogical beliefs of TCTs in U.S. K\u201312 educational settings.Framed by transnationalism theory (Levitt & Glick Schiller, 2004), cultural capital theory (Bourdieu, 1986), and neoliberal governmentality (Foucault, 1991), this qualitative case study investigates two primary research questions: (1) What dominant discourses shape the professional experiences of transnational Chinese teachers (TCTs) in the U.S.? (2) How do these discourses influence their professional identity and pedagogical beliefs? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, reflection journals, and teaching artifacts from five TCTs who completed a World Language Teacher Certification Program (WLTCP) in a Midwestern U.S. state. Findings reveal that TCTs must continuously negotiate their professional legitimacy, often being positioned as instructional assistants rather than lead educators. Monolingual English ideologies and the lack of standardized Chinese curricula further marginalize TCTs, requiring them to engage in extensive curricular innovation and advocacy. Despite institutional challenges, TCTs demonstrated agency by adopting student-centered pedagogies, leveraging translanguaging practices, and building professional communities to support curriculum development. Moreover, immigration policies, particularly reliance on H-1B visas, exacerbate professional precarity, constraining TCTs' career mobility and stability. Family obligations and cultural expectations further complicate their decision-making regarding long-term professional engagement in the U.S. Through these complex negotiations, TCTs reconstruct their professional identities, balancing transnational cultural resources with the demands of U.S. schooling contexts. This dissertation contributes to the literature on bilingual education, transnational teacher identity, and dual-language program sustainability. It calls for policy reforms that recognize the cultural capital TCTs bring, support bilingual pedagogical flexibility (e.g., through acceptance of translanguaging practices), and address visa-related employment barriers. Additionally, it advocates for the development of research-based Chinese language curricula and targeted mentorship programs to support TCTs\u2019 professional integration. Overall, by foregrounding TCTs' lived experiences, this study provides critical insights into the structural and discursive forces shaping transnational teaching in the U.S., offering practical implications for improving teacher preparation, program development, and educational equity in multilingual contexts.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Southern Vietnamese Reduplication : An Optimality Theory Analysis
Get PDFThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Linguistics - Master of Arts, 2025This thesis offers a unified account of reduplication in Southern Vietnamese, concentrating on two under-documented polysyllabic patterns --- triplication and AABB --- and on the avoidance effects that block certain base\u2013reduplicant combinations. Earlier studies describe these facts, but either restrict attention to disyllables or cannot capture how tone, avoidance, and reduplicant shape interact.This study addresses these gaps through three main contributions. First, it provides substantial new data on previously under-documented reduplication patterns that (1) enhance Vietnamese linguistic documentation and (2) provide a robust empirical foundation for formal analysis. Second, it offers a description of the identical patterns avoided across reduplication types, previously sparsely covered in the literature. Third, I offer a formal analysis of the polysyllabic reduplication types --- triplication and AABB --- using tools from Optimality Theory (OT). Although the analysis draws on OT for formalization, it remains framework-neutral and broadly applicable.A key claim of this thesis is that the so-called triplication in Vietnamese results from the attachment of two distinct reduplicative morphemes, each with its own allomorphs, and not recursive reduplication. In this view, Vietnamese reduplication is best understood as the use of lexically specified reduplicant morphemes. Specifically, morphology selects an allomorph according to phonological properties of the base (notably tone); phonology then merely enforces its placement. High-ranking alignment constraints and Max-IO constraints keep the selected allomorph at its designated edge and preserve its lexical tone. Avoidance patterns therefore emerge from the selectional restrictions imposed by lexically specified allomorphs, thus avoiding theoretical issues such as ranking paradoxes.Rather than invoking multiple constraint rankings, all attested patterns can be captured within a single unified grammar in which lexically specified reduplicants select appropriate stems. This allomorphy-based analysis provides a principled account of complex reduplication patterns in Southern Vietnamese, addressing and resolving previous theoretical challenges.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Stuttering Reactions Mindset
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Communicative Sciences and Disorders - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Purpose: Mindsets are the thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs that a person has about themselves and their personal experiences. Research has not explored whether there are stuttering reactions mindsets, or inherent beliefs specifically about a person\u2019s reactions to stuttering. Research has also not yet explored whether a person\u2019s mindset, either growth or fixed, is related to the adverse impact of stuttering. This research involved three studies designed to: (a) explore the construct validity of a stuttering reactions mindset, (b) examine potential relationships between stuttering reactions mindsets and the adverse impact of stuttering, and (c) test the efficacy of a single-session mindset intervention aimed to increase growth mindsets of stuttering reactions as it relates to readiness to change.Method: Participants for all three studies were people who stutter. The first study (N = 160) established the construct validity of a stuttering reactions mindset through confirmatory factor analysis using a novel stuttering reactions mindset measure that was based on four previously validated mindsets and corresponding measures (intelligence, emotion, anxiety, personality). The second study (N = 64) assessed the predictive nature of a stuttering reactions mindset on the adverse impact of stuttering using linear regression modeling. The third study (N = 30) tested group mean differences in a person\u2019s readiness to change following a pilot intervention aimed to promote a growth mindset. Results: Stuttering reactions mindset emerged as a unique construct that is distinguishable from other established mindsets (e.g., anxiety). Relationships were found among all five mindsets measured, indicating that there is still a generalizability among different mindsets; having a growth mindset in one domain is related to having a growth mindset in another. Fixed mindset of stuttering was related to the adverse impact of stuttering in that having a growth mindset predicted reduced impact of stuttering. No differences were found between groups in their readiness to change following a brief growth mindset intervention. Conclusion: Understanding a person\u2019s stuttering reactions mindset may prove to be a meaningful addition to a comprehensive stuttering intervention, for it can provide clinicians with an easy-to-understand assessment of how a person views the controllability of their reactions to stuttering. Further, understanding a person\u2019s mindset, whether growth or fixed, may provide insight into how they approach speaking situation, either with an approach or avoidance response. The relationships found between mindset and the adverse impact of stuttering and qualitative responses from participants in the third study suggest that there may be value in applying mindset interventions that promote a growth mindset in order to reduce the adverse impact of stuttering.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Agricultural Productivity and Climate Adaptation : Insights from Pasture Technology and the Human Welfare Impacts of Rising Temperatures
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Productive sustainability and climate adaptation strategies in agriculture and development are key goals of global public policy. Understanding how agricultural technology can boost productivity in sectors like cattle ranching, and how rising temperatures directly and indirectly affect human well-being is essential for shaping effective policies in both developed and developing countries. The first chapter examines the impact of introduced pastures on lowland ranching productivity in Latin America. The final two chapters evaluate how rising temperatures influence human capital accumulation and crop yields in Colombia and the US, respectively, and how students' and farmers' behaviors modify these effects.The first chapter examines three critical questions about introduced pasture adoption in Colombian lowland ranching. First, it estimates the impact of using Brachiaria grass, a high-nutrient grass forage variety, on farm-level carrying capacity and livestock revenues. Second, it assesses whether combining complementary practices like fertilization and weed control boosts the impact of using these pastures. Third, it evaluates the potential reduction in land demands for cattle ranching attributable to introduced grasses. The study follows an instrumental variable framework, combining a cross-sectional representative sample of Colombian lowland ranchers, historical data on violence and weather, and spatial information on the location of R&D centers that disseminate knowledge about intensive grazing systems. The use of pastures significantly increases farms' carrying capacities, although at levels below those suggested by agronomic trials. In addition, our analysis suggests that gains from productivity are more significant when combined with complementary practices and that, in the absence of these introduced pastures, reaching similar output levels would have potentially required twice as much land as currently used.The second chapter studies the impact of exposure to increasing temperatures on human capital accumulation, with particular attention to the potentially differentiated effects between rural and urban settings. Combining rich microdata from a high-stakes, national-level high-school exit exam in Colombia (Saber 11) between 2014 and 2019 with weather-station-level information, we use a fixed-effect estimation to measure the effect of increasing average temperatures on student success. We find that a one degree Celsius temperature increase significantly decreases math and overall test scores in urban settings, while there is an apparent positive effect among rural students. Leveraging time-use data, we find evidence of individuals in rural areas responding to increases in temperature by reallocating time towards off-farm activities, which are human capital intensive. Finally, we use information from the announcement of a national scholarship program that introduced exogenous variation in the stakes of Saber 11, to find that the impact of the scholarship policy decreases as temperatures increase. Our analysis underscores how the effectiveness of incentive-based policies may be hindered in the context of a warming world.The third chapter explores the impacts of heat on crop yields and crop production decisions among sorghum farmers in Kansas, U.S. This analysis addresses a two-part question often overlooked in climate econometrics. Specifically, we examine whether (a) the unbalanced nature of yield panel data likely reflects strategic behavior by farmers when deciding whether to grow sorghum, and (b) whether this leads to estimation bias from sample selection. Our results suggest that (1) a farm\u2019s decision to produce sorghum in a given year is likely a climate-sensitive response, indicating an underlying climate adaptation strategy, and (2) accounting for this response as a driver of sample selection results in lower estimates of heat impacts on yields compared to the existing literature. Our results highlight the need to further consider how farm data discontinuity in long-term panels can affect the consistency of traditional fixed-effect estimates.In conclusion, livestock farming still needs to boost productivity, and the first chapter offers insights into how agricultural technologies, like introduced pastures, can help achieve this. Meanwhile, the second and third chapters emphasize the importance of accurately assessing the impacts of rising temperatures on human welfare---specifically in terms of human capital and food production--and contribute to the broader policy discussion on global climate adaptation strategies.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Food Environment and Gastric Cancer Risk
Get PDFThesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Epidemiology - Master of Science, 2025Background: Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with a disproportionate burden among populations living in poverty. Dietary patterns have been linked to gastric cancer risk and are often influenced by socioeconomic position. However, it is unclear whether the food environment in which people live, including proximity to healthy foods and socioeconomic factors that impede access to healthy foods, may contribute to socioeconomic disparities in gastric cancer incidence. Purpose: To examine associations between county level Food Environment Index (FEI) and gastric cancer incidence rates and assess whether associations vary by socioeconomic status and rurality. We also evaluated whether adding a measure of fast food outlets per capita to the FEI strengthens associations. Methods: Analyses for this ecologic study are based on 3,120 out of a total of 3,143 U.S. counties, for which FEI information was available and estimated age-adjusted gastric cancer incidence rates from 2016-2020. The FEI was defined based on indicators of socioeconomic status, unhealthy and healthy dietary options using county-level data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2011-2015). The FEI score was categorized into tertiles for analysis, with higher scores representing better quality. In secondary analysis, we evaluated the FEI incorporating an additional measure of the number of fast food restaurants per capita. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for associations of our exposure of county-level FEI and our outcome of county-level gastric cancer incidence rates, stratified by county rurality and socioeconomic status (SES). Results: The FEI was inversely associated with gastric cancer incidence after accounting for gastric cancer risk factors (OR (95% CI) for high vs. low FEI = 0.43 (0.3, 0.7) at high vs. low incidence). Findings were similar in models assessing the FEI incorporating fast food per capita (OR (95% CI) for high vs. low FEI2 = 0.43 (0.3, 0.7) at high vs. low incidence. We did not observe any significant variation in associations across rurality (pint=0.97) but we did observe slight variation by socioeconomic status (pint<0.05). Discussion: Higher quality food environment, both with and without incorporating fast food outlets per capita, were associated with lower gastric cancer incidence rates in this ecological study. Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of FEI components on gastric cancer risk, and to develop targeted policy recommendations to reduce cancer risk through improved healthy food access.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Exploring characteristics and predictors associated with lack of desire for volitional personality change
Get PDFThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Psychology - Master of Arts, 2025Personality research has recently seen an increasing interest in volitional personality change\u2014whether people can change their personality by their own will if they desire to do so. However, there exists a paucity of research regarding those who do not want to change. Further, evidence suggests the way researchers measure volitional personality change seeking (e.g., asking about desires versus goals) is important in estimation of change endorsement. The current thesis examined these issues further. First, I took an exploratory approach to examine the distribution of change seeking and whether there are individuals who truly do not want to change on any trait. I found that there are indeed individuals who report no change seeking, and the frequency of endorsement for change seeking depends on whether participants are asked about change desires or goals, and at the general or trait level. Second, I investigated the reasons individuals do or do not seek change. Participants largely reported not seeking change due to contentment with themselves, whereas those who did seek change reported doing so given low self-esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction. Third, I tested whether certain characteristics were associated with lack of change seeking, finding an association with higher socially desirable trait levels, self-esteem, unconditional positive self-regard, life satisfaction, perceived change difficulty, and lower vulnerable narcissism and expected success. Fourth, to address shared method bias and integrate an additional measurement approach, I explored these same associations using informant reports of whether targets should and want to change, finding that informant reports made similar predictions as self-reports. This study provides novel insight into reasons individuals seek or do not seek personality change and attributes associated with (lack of) change seeking, and highlights the importance of question framing when asking about volitional personality change.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references