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Investigating the consilience between the needs of caregivers of children with medical complexities and the training experiences of pediatric residents : A mixed-methods, multi-phase exploration
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Human Development and Family Studies - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Children with medical complexities (CMC) are a population of children who have one or more chronic health conditions and require high utilization of healthcare (estimated 86% of charges in US children\u2019s hospitals; Berry et al., 2013). Recent advancements in medical technology have increased survival rates for CMC, propelling the emergence of the field of complex care. Study 1 in this dissertation investigates caregivers\u2019 experiences with their CMC in medical, home, and community settings within a psychosocial care lens. Study 1 utilized an explanatory sequential mixed method design via surveys (n = 149) and follow-up in-depth interviews (n = 26). Descriptive and inferential quantitative analysis strategies as well as qualitative thematic and content analysis techniques were used to analyze the survey and interview data. Findings from Study 1 included insights into the frequent need to access medical care/specialists; the demand and emotional process of caring for CMC; the risk of pediatric medical trauma and stress; the unique impact of COVID-19 on this population; challenges navigating medical insurance; the impact of the medical provider and system qualities on overall experiences; caregiver coping and advocacy; and suggestions for improving care for CMC. A major theme that emerged from Study 1 regarded how caregivers often felt dismissed, undervalued, or unsupported by medical practitioners and the medical system in general. This theme catalyzed the need for a follow up study investigating the training experiences of medical practitioners. Thus, Study 2 explored the training experiences of pediatric residents in Michigan in regard to working with children with disabilities and medical complexities, their perception of the disability culture at their institutions, and elicited training suggestions. Study 2 also utilized an explanatory sequential mixed method design with surveys (n = 58) and follow up interviews (n = 12). Data analysis mirrored that of Study 1, utilizing descriptive and inferential quantitative analysis strategies in addition to qualitative thematic and content analysis techniques. Findings revealed important insights into the variable nature of medical training on disability and complexity; variations in the disability culture at institutions across Michigan; challenges navigating a fragmented healthcare system; a desire for additional training on disability and complexity; and recognizing the expertise of caregivers of CMC. These two studies together provide a comprehensive view of the healthcare experiences of CMC, their caregivers, and the medical practitioners supporting them, as well as the systemic barriers that inhibit the care of CMC. Several meta-inferences emerged during triangulation of Studies 1 and 2, revealing shared challenges and experiences between caregivers and pediatric residents navigating supporting CMC. These studies emphasize the need to invest in research, practices, and policies that more holistically support children with medical complexities, their caregivers, and the medical practitioners supporting them.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
When Realities Clash : The Impact of Augmented Reality Beauty Filters
Get PDFThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Media and Information--Master of Arts, 2025In an era dominated by technological evolution, identity construction and mental wellbeing are increasingly shaped by new digital tools. Among the most powerful and widely accessible are augmented reality (AR) beauty filters. Grounded in Self-Discrepancy Theory (SDT) and viewed through the lens of Self-Presentation and Social Comparison Theories, this study examines how motivations to present an ideal self can influence the use of AR beauty filters and the downstream effects that use has on online-offline identity consistency (self-concept clarity), self-discrepancy gaps, mental wellbeing, and future social media and AR beauty filter engagement. A cross-sectional survey (N = 289) was conducted using validated and adapted measures. Results showed that motivation for ideal self-presentation significantly predicted greater use of AR beauty filters for ideal/false self-presentation, which in turn predicted lower identity consistency. While lower identity consistency was associated with mental wellbeing, the results suggest a more complex relationship where short-term benefits may bypass or dampen the effects. Consistent with SDT, larger gaps between the actual-ideal selves reduced mental wellbeing, and AR-related discrepancies influenced this relationship. Self-esteem emerged as a strong moderator of the effect AR filter use has on the discrepancy gaps, narrowing the gap for low self-esteem users and widening it for high self-esteem users. Finally, contrary to the hypothesized direction, individuals with higher mental wellbeing showed greater future intent to use AR beauty filters and social media. These findings reveal a nuanced and complicated relationship between AR beauty filters, identity, and mental wellbeing. Further, these findings offer important insights for designers, educators, policymakers, and future research on AR beauty filters and online self-presentation.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN POSTSECONDARY FACULTY BELIEFS ABOUT COURSE DESIGN AND THEIR CURRICULAR DECISIONS
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025The postsecondary curriculum lies at the heart of disciplinary and institutional politics, embodying the identity, values, and vision of both academic fields and educational institutions. Postsecondary faculty members hold significant power in designing courses, a critical aspect of their professional responsibilities. However, little is known about how faculty navigate the processes of course planning, teaching, and revising. This study employs qualitative methodology and the Contexts for Agency framework (Landy et al., 2022) to explore the following research question with nine faculty participants: In a Science-focused Residential College (SRC), how do science faculty beliefs about course design interplay with their curricular decisions? The analysis revealed five key dimensions that shape the interplay between faculty beliefs and curricular decisions: 1) perceived organizational context, 2) faculty\u2019s goal for student learning, 3) sources of faculty\u2019s passion in teaching, 4) evolution of faculty\u2019s curricular decisions, and 5) institutional settings. The discussion highlights the intellectual stimulation faculty derive from course design and emphasizes the importance of institutional trust in empowering faculty to make meaningful curricular decisions.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
AI-Enabled Knowledge Transfer and Learning for Nondestructive Evaluation Toward Intelligent and Adaptive Systems
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Electrical Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Critical infrastructure integrity and reliability, from composites to high-voltage feeder pipes and railway tracks, demands precise, robust, and explainable nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. In this thesis, the growing need for accurate damage detection, localization, and characterization under conditions involving high-speed inspections, varying sensor positions, and electromagnetic interference is addressed through a suite of data-driven, physics-informed, and domain-adaptive methodologies. The proposed framework integrates deep learning, advanced signal processing, and multi-fidelity modeling to address key challenges such as limited and unbalanced experimental datasets, mismatched simulation-to-field conditions, and signal distortion from environmental noise. First, a novel hybrid deep learning architecture is introduced that combines Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) with Inception-based neural networks for coordinate-based Acoustic Emission (AE) source localization. This method achieves significant reductions in localization estimation errors, enabling reliable single-sensor monitoring. Complementing this effort, explainable deep convolutional neural network models are proposed for AE signal classification. Guided by physics-informed signal segmentation and advanced visualization techniques such as Class Activation Mapping (CAM) and Gradient-weighted CAM (Grad-CAM), these models illuminate the underlying mechanisms of Lamb wave mode interactions, thereby instilling trust and interpretability into the machine learning pipeline. Domain adaptation and transfer learning are central to this work. Specifically, the gap between abundant simulated data (source domain) and limited experimental measurements (target domain) is bridged to ensure that feature representations learned from large-scale synthetic datasets can be effectively transferred and fine-tuned. By integrating physics-informed constraints and knowledge transfer, the resulting models exhibit higher accuracy, are less prone to overfitting, and maintain interpretability in varied scenarios. A multi-fidelity Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) strategy is further presented for motion-induced eddy current testing (MIECT) to manage both forward (signal prediction) and inverse (defect estimation) problems under in-service inspection, sensor motion, and environmental noise. These GPR-based surrogates fuse low-fidelity finite element simulations with high-fidelity experimental data, accurately predicting sensor responses at inspection speeds exceeding typical laboratory conditions and enabling robust inverse estimations of defect geometries. In parallel, a novel auto-compensation algorithm for Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) inspections is developed to address electromagnetic interference in feeder lines carrying high currents, significantly improving thickness estimation accuracy and reducing false-positive indications in underground pipeline applications.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Sensemaking in Place : A Qualitative Analysis of Rural Superintendents' Social Emotional Learning Program Implementation Journey
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. K-12 Educational Administration - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation examines how the rural place mediates Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program implementation in rural northern Michigan school districts. The lack of a clear, universally understood definition of SEL and the politicization of SEL has created variation in how educators and the public understand and perceive SEL programming. This variation in how educators and other stakeholders make sense of SEL is further complicated by the mediating effect of place and prior experience in rural educators\u2019 sensemaking of SEL. This study interrogates how rural district leaders define, select and implement SEL programs and communicate these programs to stakeholders within their communities. The findings reveal that SEL implementation in rural districts is widely variant in definition, implementation, and in communication across stakeholder groups, which further confounds the development of a common understanding of SEL. This dissertation contributes to the literature on SEL implementation by highlighting the centrality of place in rural program implementation and leadership decision-making. Recommendations are provided for policymakers, SEL program developers, and rural district leaders, emphasizing the importance of considerations of the impact of the rural place and rural identity in SEL program implementation.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
A CARETAKER\u2019S FARM DOES NOT DIE : INSTITUTIONAL, SOCIAL, AND ECOLOGICAL STRUCTURES OF COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Sociology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Chocolate is a widely enjoyed luxury that people indulge in for personal pleasure. Although it is consumed in large quantities worldwide, few people think about its origins, or the conditions under which cocoa trees are cultivated for cocoa beans. African smallholder farmers, who utilize sharecropping and caretaking systems to employ migrant workers, cultivate 90% of the world's cocoa. For instance, in 2021, two countries in West Africa, Ghana and C\uf4te d\u2019Ivoire, produced more than 60% of the global cocoa bean supply. With a decline in cocoa production, attributed to climate change and other factors, many have raised concerns regarding the necessity of changes to farming practices. Using my FPEAR framework (integrating concepts of abjection and everyday resistance, with feminist political ecology theory), I examine how the quest to increase cocoa production influences relations among migrant laborers, host communities, and institutions in Ghana. This research using in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, shows that changes in agricultural production and climate change affect not only migrant-host-institutional relations in cocoa production but also the implementation of alternative practices. The analysis reveal that global cocoa market is characterized by a concentration of power in the hands of large-scale private sector actors from the global North, contrasting sharply with the comparatively weak position of smallholder cocoa farm owners and caretakers in the global South. For sustainable farming changes, cocoa stakeholders must prioritize strategies that meet the needs of local cocoa producers, especially caretakers.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
MONITORING POST-CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE USING ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT THROUGHOUT CONCUSSION RECOVERY
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Kinesiology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Background: Affective post-concussion symptoms negatively impact psychological health-related quality of life (HRQoL), contributing to anxiety and depression symptoms in athletes. Additionally, daily fluctuations in these symptoms remain unclear. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) methodologies allow subjects to repeatedly report their experiences and perceptions in real-time. Recovering Concussion Update on Progression of Symptoms (ReCoUPS), a mobile, web-based EMA platform that administers daily symptom surveys via text messages, is a reliable and feasible tool for monitoring concussion symptoms in real time. However, this tool has yet to be used to track psychological HRQoL following a concussion.Purpose: This dissertation aimed to: 1) investigate the psychometric properties of momentary psychological HRQoL inventories and a post-concussion symptom checklist via ReCoUPS to healthy participants, 2) assess the feasibility for ReCoUPS for montoring traditional post-concussion affective symptoms and psychological HRQoL throughout concussion recovery, and 3) compare changes in affective symptoms and psychological HRQoL throughout concussion recovery using ReCoUPS between concussed college-aged athletes and healthy controls. Methods: For Aim 1, healthy participants (ages 17-30) completed momentary assessments of post-concussion symptoms and psychological HRQoL via ReCoUPS daily for 7 days, with recalled versions administered at the study closure to assess evidence of test-retest reliability and construct validity. For Aims 2 and 3, college-aged athletes diagnosed with a concussion were enrolled within 3 days post-injury and completed ReCoUPS daily survey text messages daily until the study closure (i.e., within 48 hours after full medical clearance). Healthy matched controls (age, sex, sport) followed the same procedures. All participants completed demographics, injury/ medical history information, and enrolled in the ReCoUPS platform at the acute visit. The SCAT6 Symptom Checklist, PROMIS-SF Anxiety, and PROMIS-SF Depression were completed via ReCoUPS text messages daily throughout recovery. Recovery information and recalled psychological HRQoL were collected at the study closure visit. Results: For Aim 1, 93 college-aged healthy athletes (mean age: 21.37\ub12.63 years; 64 female, 29 male) completed the study with 86.02% (n=80) completing over 70% of daily ReCoUPS surveys. Momentary PROMIS-SFs demonstrated moderate-to-excellent agreement with recalled measures and acceptable reliability. Both PROMIS-SFs were strongly correlated with affective symptoms. For Aim 2, we enrolled 36 college-aged athletes with a concussion (mean age: 20.36\ub11.25 years; 23 female, 13 male), with 66.67% (n=24) completing over 70% of daily surveys. Both momentary PROMIS-SFs were strongly correlated with affective symptoms. Descriptive statistics and heat plots demonstrated variability in outcome measures throughout concussion recovery. For Aim 3, in addition to concussed participants, 34 healthy controls (mean age: 20.35\ub11.37 years; 21 female, 13 male) were enrolled. Multi-level mixed-effects models revealed that concussed athletes reported significantly higher symptoms than healthy matched controls. Symptom variance was explained by within-athlete and between-athlete differences. Conclusion: Among healthy college-aged athletes, momentary assessments of psychological HRQoL via ReCoUPS demonstrated evidence of strong reliability and validity. ReCoUPS was a feasible, usable, and effective method of tracking psychological HRQoL and affective symptoms throughout concussion recovery in injured athletes. Concussed athletes reported significantly higher affective symptom and psychological HRQoL scores than healthy controls, with both between-athlete and within-athlete symptom variability. These results support ReCoUPS as a remote symptom monitoring tool, allowing clinicians to make timely and targeted treatment decisions. Further, we support variability in concussion symptoms daily throughout recovery.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
NEGOTIATING GENDER EQUALITY IN TRADE AGREEMENTS
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Political Science - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Over the past decade, gender provisions have emerged as a new frontier in the design of trade agreements. Yet their presence and substance remain highly uneven. This dissertation investigates the political drivers behind the inclusion and depth of gender provisions in trade agreements, shifting attention from structural or economic explanations to political agency\u2014particularly executive leadership and gendered power dynamics. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines semi-structured interviews, a descriptive case study, and large-N statistical analysis, I argue that political leaders are more likely to prioritize gender issues in trade negotiations when pro-gender equality norms gain influence within the executive. The dissertation introduces a two-stage theoretical framework: first, explaining how gender provisions enter the negotiation agenda and second, how their depth is shaped by the political costs and reputational incentives faced by negotiating states. Empirical analysis of trade agreements from 1990 to 2021, using original measures of gender provision depth, shows that women\u2019s presence in powerful executive roles is a significant predictor of the inclusion of gender provisions. Furthermore, deeper provisions are more likely when negotiating states face credibility risks or have reputational incentives to signal commitment to gender norms. The findings advance our understanding of how trade agreements serve as instruments of norm diffusion, demonstrate the importance of gendered leadership in international negotiations, and highlight the ways trade policy has become an arena for institutionalizing social norms beyond market liberalization.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
EXAMINATION OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND CEREBROSPINAL FLUID DYNAMICS IN HYPERTENSIVE OLDER ADULTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE MANAGEMENT AND POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CEREBRAL VASCULAR TISSUE DAMAGE
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Biomedical Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025ABSTRACTAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by cognitive decline and memory loss due to the accumulation of Amyloid-Beta plaques and hyperphosphorylated Tau tangles. Recent research has implicated vascular dysfunction as a significant contributor to AD onset and progression, with mid-life Hypertension (HT) being an important modifiable risk factor. One possible mechanism underlying this association is the increased pulsatility of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in HT, which leads to small vessel disease, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) waste clearance. This hypothesis is supported by strong associations between HT and White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH), considered biomarkers of small vessel disease, and studies demonstrating that arterial pulsations drive CSF glymphatic movement. However, the effects of blood pressure management on cerebrovascular health and CSF flow are not fully understood due to the complex interplay between vascular structural changes and mechanisms of cerebral blood flow (CBF) regulation. An examination of changes in CBF pulsatility, CSF flow, and markers of small vessel disease in hypertensive older adults after one year of blood pressure management can provide insights into the effectiveness of BP treatment in improving CBF and CSF flow dynamics, as well as reducing the risk of vascular disease. The first aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the dynamic relationship between CBF and CSF flow in adults with normal blood pressure and those with HT before and after one year of blood pressure management. Volumetric flow data were acquired using CINE Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a novel semi-automatic algorithm was developed to improve the reliability of vessel segmentation for flow analysis. Mean pressure gradient waveforms were estimated using spatial CSF velocities based on a previously validated method that utilizes a simplified Navier-Stokes equation. Parameters of mean pressure gradient, CBF, and CSF flow waveforms were analyzed both cross- sectionally and longitudinally, alongside additional clinical risk measures. Significantly increased pulsatility of blood flow in Internal Carotid Arteries was found in HT, which was potentially driven by significantly reduced diastolic CBF. This finding did not improve after one year of blood pressure management, suggesting it is due to permanent vascular changes. No significant differences were found in any aqueduct CSF parameters or spinal CSF flow parameters, but significantly larger cranial, caudal, and peak-to-peak pressure gradients were found in spinal CSF of adults with HT. Future work is needed to determine how increased pressure gradients in spinal CSF can affect waste clearance in the distal CSF regions. The second aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the performance and versatility of several novel algorithms for the automatic segmentation of WMH, compare them against currently widely used algorithms, and analyze the results of the top-performing algorithm in relation to the findings of the first aim. All algorithms were evaluated for their total segmentation volumes and their similarity and percent volume difference from manual labels on a publicly available high WMH burden testing dataset with 110 FLAIR images. Three blinded independent reviewers evaluated algorithm performances for overall quality, False Positives, and False Negatives on 100 FLAIR images without Fat Saturation and 20 FLAIR images with Fat Saturation with equal distribution of low, medium, and High WMH burden. Two novel algorithms from the 2017 MICCAI WMH challenge, PGS and FMRIB TrUE-Net 2, were identified for superior performance across three datasets and recommended for automatic WMH segmentation in cross- sectional studies. PGS was used for cross-sectional examination of 90 FLAIR images for the HIPAC clinical trial, and Logarithmic periventricular WMH volumes showed significant correlations with age, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and ventricle volume. No associations were found for diastolic CBF or spinal pulse pressure gradients. Future work is needed for longitudinal comparisons of WMH volumes.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Generalizing Monocular 3D Object Detection
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Computer Science - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Monocular 3D object detection (Mono3D) is a fundamental computer vision task that estimates an object\u2019s class, 3D position, dimensions, and orientation from a single image. Its applications, including autonomous driving, augmented reality, and robotics, critically rely on accurate 3D environmental understanding. This thesis addresses the challenge of generalizing Mono3D models to diverse scenarios, including occlusions, datasets, object sizes, and camera parameters. To enhance occlusion robustness, we propose a mathematically differentiable NMS (GrooMeD-NMS). To improve generalization to new datasets, we explore depth equivariant (DEVIANT) backbones. We address the issue of large object detection, demonstrating that it\u2019s not solely a data imbalance or receptive field problem but also a noise sensitivity issue. To mitigate this, we introduce a segmentation-based approach in bird\u2019s-eye view with dice loss (SeaBird). Finally, we mathematically analyze the extrapolation of Mono3D models to unseen camera heights and improve Mono3D generalization in such out-of-distribution settings.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references