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Advances in Variable Selection and Inference under the Cox proportional Hazards Model : Selective Inference, Ultra-high Dimensional Feature Selection and Multilayer FDR Control
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Statistics - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025In biomedical and epidemiologic studies, time-to-event outcomes arise frequently and are subject to censoring. High dimensional features generated from modern technologies pose significant challenges for both variable selection and valid statistical inference of survival models. This dissertation advances statistical methodology in three inter-connected areas.First, we develop a post-selection inference framework for the Cox model under interval censoring, enabling asymptotically valid p-values and confidence intervals conditional on a subset of predictors selected via lasso. As a by-product, we provide consistent estimation methods for the information matrix of the Cox model for interval-censored data.Second, we address ultra-high dimensional feature selection under the Cox model with interval-censored outcomes, proposing algorithms that scale to very large numbers of candidate covariates while ensuring the oracle property when the dimension of feature space grows exponentially with the sample size.Third, we introduce a multilayer false discovery rate (FDR) control procedure for large-scale inference of high dimensional Cox models under right-censoring, leveraging data-splitting and e-values to control FDR simultaneously at multiple structural layers (e.g., single-nucleotide polymorphisms and genes). The method enhances replicability and interpretability of feature discoveries in high dimensional settings.Through comprehensive simulation studies and real\u2010data applications, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods in terms of selection accuracy, inference validity, FDR control, and computational feasibility. This work makes both methodological and theoretical contributions to the field of survival analysis in high dimensional and complex\u2010censoring scenarios.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
The newsletter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England, Inc. (2025 Special)
No full textEssays on Health Insurance Regulation and Policy in The United States
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Economics - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation examines how health insurance market regulation and pharmaceutical cost-sharing policies influence insurer behavior, consumer welfare, and mortality outcomes. The first chapter examines the effects of rating area redesign in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange market, where insurers are mandated to offer uniform premiums to individuals of the same age within a given geographic rating area. This pricing rule and the design of the rating areas are crucial in determining market size, risk pools, and overall market dynamics. Leveraging a 2019 legislative change in Washington State as a source of exogenous variation, I investigate how rating area redesign (fragmentation) influences insurer participation, plan offerings, and premium setting. The results show a significant decline in the number of participating insurers and available plans following the redesign. Additionally, average premiums are influenced by changes in the health risk distribution caused by redrawn lines. Using comprehensive individual enrollment records, I estimate the impact on consumer welfare and find that reconfiguration of rating areas reduces average annual consumer surplus by 267 million in the post-2019 period.The second chapter is co-authored with my colleague Narae Park, who earned her PhD in economics from MSU a few years ago. We evaluate state-level insulin copay cap policies and their impacts on diabetes mortality. As rising insulin costs create financial burdens on diabetic patients, numerous states have implemented copay caps to improve affordability. We investigate whether these policies reduce diabetes mortality among the population under 65. We exploit variation in both the staggered timing of the policy adoption and cap levels across states, and use county-level mortality data from 2018-2023 for analysis. We find that copay caps are associated with meaningful reductions in diabetes mortality, though differences by cap amounts are not statistically significant. The mortality reductions concentrate in counties with high diabetes prevalence, high poverty rates, or limited physician access, while other counties experience little change. These results suggest that the local characteristics shape their effectiveness in reducing diabetes mortality.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
QUILTING MESSY RHETORICS : AN A/R/TOGRAPHIC INQUIRY INTO EMBODIED MULTIMODAL COMPOSING
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Rhetoric and Writing - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation introduces messy rhetorics as a framework that situates rhetoric as an embodied, material practice of making\u2014of craft, meaning, and culture. Grounded in intersectional feminist, queer, and crip theories, messy rhetorics frames feelings, relationships, and time as layered, dynamic rhetorical acts of multimodal composing. It invites risk-taking, experimentation, and community-building beyond normative expectations. Drawing on quilting as a method of inquiry and employing a/r/tography\u2014a methodology that blends artistic creation, research, and teaching\u2014I explore how embodied experiences shape composing practices. Through narratives of my quilting process, I reflect on my experiences as a queer woman navigating chronic illness, and on my teaching in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Michigan State University shooting. Both the storying and the visual quilting elements reveal how multimodal composing emerges from the fluid, messy entanglements of creative practice, scholarly inquiry, and pedagogy. While scholarship on multimodality often attends to the intersections of materiality, rhetoric, and composing, it primarily privileges textual and digital modes. My dissertation extends these discussions by emphasizing the embodied, material dimension of multimodal composing through both material creations and lived experiences. Messy rhetorics offers a way to embrace diverse ways of knowing and foster adaptability, care, and relational meaning-making across scholarly, pedagogical, and creative contexts.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
BUILDING BELOVED COMMUNITY : EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON NONVIOLENCE
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Social Work - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Over the last five years, in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter social movement, the political climate in the United States has grown more divisive around issues related to civil rights and discrimination. Social violence in the forms of hate crimes and oppressive legislation (i.e., voter suppression laws and anti-trans bills) has propagated at unprecedented levels, and anti-civil rights bills are increasing in number. At the same time, many college students, including social work students, have expressed a desire for transformative, anti-discriminatory education and skills, which align with nonviolence. To support students in developing nonviolent skills and addressing systemic inequities, several universities have instituted optional and required diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content. In social work, governing bodies responded by adding antiracism to the education and practice standards. Less than five years have passed and claims about the inefficacy of DEI content and its harm to white students are abundant. These concerns are also being raised in social work circles. However, productive discussions about the potential of antiracist DEI (ADEI) content to influence nonviolent skills and behaviors are complicated by the sparse nature of critical literature exploring the impacts of ADEI courses. Furthermore, there are gaps in the literature linking specific courses to nonviolent behaviors. This study used a quantitatively dominant mixed methods design with secondary data from the College and Beyond II (CBII) study to examine how individual traits, courses taken, and other college experiences influenced nonviolent behaviors 10 years post-graduation.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
INADVERTENT ENTRAINMENT AND SELECTIVE ATTENTION : AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF BACKGROUND RHYTHM ON TEMPORAL AND NON- TEMPORAL JUDGMENTS USING SIMPLE TONE SEQUENCES
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Psychology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025In complex listening environments with multiple sources of sound, the signals fromindividual sources that overlap in time reach the ear as one complex waveform. As a result, the auditory system faces the difficult task of parsing the auditory scene into its component parts and directing attention to the desired sound source. One characteristic of many sounds in our environment that might play a role in auditory selective attention is rhythm. Recent work investigating selective attention to speech in noise found that disrupting the natural rhythm of to- be-attended target speech worsens target speech recognition (a target rhythm effect), while disrupting the natural rhythm of to-be-ignored background speech improves target speech recognition (a background rhythm effect). These results were consistent with a selective entrainment hypothesis, which proposes that selective attention to speech in difficult listening situations is facilitated by the entrainment of attention by the rhythm of target speech but can also be disrupted by the inadvertent entrainment of attention by the rhythm of to-be-ignored background speech. The background rhythm effect, however, appears to depend on the nature of the background material and the extent to which it is similar to the target, raising questions about in what conditions and for what kinds of stimuli competing background rhythms may be disruptive. The goal of this dissertation was to extend this work on the selective entrainment hypothesis to non-speech auditory stimuli, focusing on the background rhythm effect and the idea of inadvertent entrainment. Toward that end, a series of five experiments were conducted. In Experiments 1-3, participants listened to isochronous sequences of tones comprised of standard interval durations and judged the relative duration of a final comparison interval. These sequences were either presented alone or with a competing to-be-ignored tone sequence of a different pitch. Experiment 1 used a three-choice (shorter/same/longer) task, while Experiments 2 and 3 used a two-choice (shorter/longer) task. Experiment 3 additionally varied the rhythm of the competing tone sequence to investigate the background rhythm effect. Consistent with the selective entrainment hypothesis, results from the first three experiments provide evidence that the tempo and relative timing of a competing, to-be-ignored rhythm can systematically distort temporal judgments, and this distortion can be eliminated by disrupting the timing of the competing rhythm. Thresholds, however, were relatively unaffected by the presence of a competing sequence regardless of its rhythmicity. In Experiments 4 and 5, participants attended to a target tone sequence and judged whether the final tone in the sequence was the same pitch or a different pitch than the earlier target tones, while ignoring a competing tone sequence of which the final tone could also deviate in pitch. The rhythm of the competitor sequence was manipulated. Experiment 4 used only one level of pitch separation between the target and competitor tones, while Experiment 5 varied pitch separation to evaluate the degree to which background rhythm interacts with the perceptual similarity between target and background material. Results reveal a modest background rhythm effect that depends on the similarity in pitch between the target and competitor sequences and seems to be driven primarily by a reduction in false alarms generated by the deviant competitor tones. Overall, this dissertation advances our understanding of auditory selective attention by demonstrating that even when a temporally regular stimulus is something to be intentionally ignored, its rhythm may draw attention and influence perception in subtle ways.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
RACE DIFFERENCES IN SPORTS RELATED CONCUSSION BALANCE AND COGNITIVE OUTCOMES UTILIZING THE SWAY MEDICAL BALANCE APPLICATION
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Kinesiology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025ABSTRACTBackground: Effective concussion management requires multifaceted assessment protocols, including cognitive, symptom-based, vestibular, and balance evaluations.1,2 While prior research has identified demographic modifiers (e.g., age, sex, concussion history) that influence sport-related concussion (SRC) outcomes,1 limited studies have examined racial differences in neurocognitive performance, and none to date have explored race-based disparities in balance outcomes following SRC in collegiate athletes. Purpose: This study investigates baseline and post-injury balance and cognitive outcomes among Division I collegiate athletes using data collected through the SWAY Medical Balance Application (SWAY), with particular focus on racial differences between Black and White student-athletes. Methods: All participants completed a baseline SWAY assessment prior to the competitive season. Concussed athletes were reassessed within seven days of SRC diagnosis. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare baseline and post-injury outcomes in balance and cognitive module scores across racial groups. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, medians, and standard deviations, were used to summarize demographic variables. Results: The final analytic sample included 1,176 collegiate student-athletes who self-identified as either Black or White. Significant racial differences were observed across several demographic variables at baseline and post-injury. While no significant racial differences were found in reported history of concussion or ADD/ADHD diagnosis in either sample. Significant differences emerged across baseline cognitive and balance domains. Black student-athletes demonstrated significantly poorer memory performance (p < .001), elevated inspection time scores (p = .039), and lower performance across four of five balance stances (all p < .05) compared to their White counterparts. Among the subset of 112 student-athletes assessed during the acute post-concussion phase, memory performance remained significantly lower in Black student-athletes (p = .031), although no statistically significant racial differences were observed in post-injury balance metrics. Conclusion: These results underscore the relevance of systematically examining race as a potential modifier of both baseline and post-concussion functional outcomes. More importantly, these outcomes were captured using the SWAY mobile assessment platform, a novel, portable technology that remains underutilized and under researched in SRC literature. SWAY enabled scalable, real-time data collection across a large and diverse athlete population, supporting its potential utility for integrated cognitive and balance screening in SRC protocols. However, continued validation across varied demographic subgroups is essential to ensure the psychometric integrity and clinical generalizability of its measures. Taken together, the findings underscore the need for intersectional and culturally responsive approaches in concussion assessment, while simultaneously advancing the case for mobile technologies like SWAY as valuable tools in future research and evidence-based SRC management.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
UNDERSTANDING THE EXTENT OF HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT AND ATTITUDINAL RESPONSES AMONG MIGRATORY PASTORALISTS IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYAS
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Fisheries and Wildlife - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a pervasive global challenge, particularly in developing nations, with significant implications for biodiversity, food security, and human well-being. This dissertation addresses critical knowledge gaps by providing a comprehensive, empirical understanding of HWC in the Trans-Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, India. The research moves beyond generalized assumptions to explore the nuanced dynamics of HWC through the distinct experiences of migratory pastoralist (Gaddi) communities. It highlights the need for context-specific and multifaceted approaches to foster human-wildlife coexistence in the fragile landscape of the trans Himalayas.Chapter 1 provides a broad introduction to HWC as a global phenomenon, narrowing the focus to India and the resource-scarce mountainous regions of the Himalayas where pastoral communities like the Gaddis coexist with wildlife. It establishes that HWC stems from diminishing human-nature connections, driven by increasing human and wildlife populations sharing landscapes, leading to negative interactions such as crop damage and livestock predation. The chapter defines HWC as "struggles that emerge when the presence or behaviour of wildlife poses an actual or perceived, direct, and recurring threat to human interests or needs, leading to disagreements between groups of people and negative impacts on people and/or wildlife". It emphasizes the significant ecological, economic, and social repercussions of HWC, including financial burdens, and human injuries, which undermine conservation efforts. The introduction also highlights the disproportionate impact of HWC on vulnerable communities and the complex interplay of factors that exacerbate these conflicts. Finally, it introduces pastoralism as a livelihood system heavily reliant on natural resources in shared landscapes, making pastoralists highly vulnerable to HWC. Chapter 2 builds a foundational understanding of the nature and extent of HWC through the lens of the Gaddi community's generations-old annual migratory route. The study reveals that black bears, brown bears, and feral dogs are the primary conflict species causing livestock depredation for Gaddis in the Trans-Himalayan region. The findings demonstrate the spatial and temporal dynamics of conflict, with incidents mainly reported in high-altitude pastures and along migratory routes where human and wildlife activities overlap. The research identifies systemic issues with existing government compensation schemes, such as a lack of procedural clarity, under-compensation, undervaluation of livestock, and high transaction costs, as major deterrents preventing Gaddis from utilizing these schemes. This highlights the inadequacy of current policies and the gap between their design and community-level implementation. The chapter concludes by recommending the promotion of the local wool industry as an alternative income source and the implementation of a technology-based compensation system, to address these issues. Chapter 3 delves into the underlying social and economic factors influencing the Gaddi community's attitudes toward wildlife. Despite incurring livestock losses, the findings reveal a tolerant outlook among Gaddis for wildlife welfare and a willingness to conserve charismatic megafauna like leopards and tigers. This suggests that cultural reverence and perceived ecological understanding can mediate negative attitudes, supporting existing literature on the impact of cultural values in conservation. Conversely, Gaddis exhibit lower tolerance and willingness to coexist with black and brown bears, species frequently involved in depredation and perceived as posing higher and more direct threats to their livelihoods. The study also finds a negative correlation between support for conservation, coexistence, and tolerance, and livestock ownership, particularly for larger animal herds, which aligns with resource dependence theories where economically vulnerable individuals perceive higher risks from wildlife. Notably, formal education does not show a statistically significant correlation with these attitudes, suggesting that conventional educational interventions alone may be insufficient to shift deeply rooted perceptions or overcome immediate livelihood pressures. The chapter emphasizes the complex interplay of perceived risk, cultural beliefs, values, and livelihood pressures in shaping attitudes towards coexistence. Chapter 4 provides a critical comparative perspective by contrasting the HWC experiences and perceptions of settled agrarian communities with those of the migratory Gaddi community. The findings unequivocally demonstrate that livelihood strategies fundamentally shape HWC profiles. Settled communities primarily contend with localized and seasonal conflicts, such as crop raiding by monkeys and bears, and livestock depredation by snow leopards in specific high-altitude zones (like Kinnaur). In contrast, Gaddis face pervasive livestock depredation from a wider range of species, including bears, leopards, tigers, golden eagles, jackals, and, significantly, a high rate of conflict with feral dogs. While both groups show reduced support for species directly threatening their livelihoods, their nuanced responses reflect different underlying reasons: settled communities often link conservation values directly to coexistence, demonstrating a practical understanding of ecosystem interdependence, whereas Gaddis are additionally influenced by cultural reverence. This comparative analysis strongly supports the argument for tailored conservation policies and management strategies that account for the socio-ecological diversity within shared landscapes. Chapter 5 synthesizes the overall findings, contributing significantly to both academic and policy realms of HWC and conservation. Academically, the dissertation fills a critical gap by focusing on the under-researched transhumant pastoralist group, the Gaddis, providing rich empirical data on their HWC dynamics. It refines existing theoretical frameworks by demonstrating how economic loss, aesthetic appeal, perceived risk, and cultural values intersect to shape and evolve attitudes and perceptions, emphasizing the complex human dimension of conservation science. The direct comparison between settled and migratory communities provides robust scientific evidence for the necessity of customized policy interventions, moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. From a policy standpoint, the dissertation proposes actionable solutions, including an offline mobile application for compensation claims to address systemic issues of accessibility, transparency, and timely payments. It advocates for localized, species-specific compensation rates to optimize resource allocation. Furthermore, it suggests non-lethal, livelihood-centric mitigation strategies such as promoting the local wool industry, using trained guard dogs, and employing solar-powered deterrents. The research emphasizes strengthening community participation and trust between communities and the forest department, promoting collaborative governance models that integrate traditional ecological knowledge and socio-cultural values. The dissertation also addresses emerging threats, particularly the consistent impact of feral dogs, calling for dedicated policy interventions. Ultimately, this study provides a robust, evidence-based roadmap for developing more effective, inclusive, culturally-resonant and acceptable, equitable, and sustainable conservation policies in the Trans-Himalayan region. Future research directions include longitudinal studies to track attitudinal shifts, in-depth qualitative research with the Gaddi community, ecological studies using advanced field techniques, and evaluation of climate change impacts on HWC patterns.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
UNEQUAL ATTENTION : HOW FENCE-LINE COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS SHAPE SYMBOLIC AND SUBSTANTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AT THE PLANT LEVEL
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Business Administration - Accounting - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This study investigates how the characteristics of fence-line communities influence plant-level environmental performance and disclosure decisions. Focusing on a 2014 regulatory change in North Dakota\u2019s upstream oil sector, the study leverages the attribute model of stakeholder salience to examine how a shift in the perceived urgency of community concerns affects two types of well-level environmental response: symbolic performance (self-reported emissions) and substantive performance (satellite-observed emissions). Drawing on stakeholder, legitimacy, and resource dependence theories, the study posits that local income, air quality monitoring, and social capital shape managers\u2019 perceptions of stakeholder power and legitimacy---key dimensions of salience. A difference(s)-in-differences research design compares changes in observed emissions, reported emissions, and misreporting around the regulation\u2019s announcement and implementation. The analysis uses data from VIIRS satellite imagery, operator reports, and community-level demographic and institutional sources. Findings show that wealthier fence-line communities are associated with greater reductions in both reported and actual emissions. Results are consistent with the suppositions that air quality monitoring enhances the legitimacy of lower-income communities\u2019 environmental claims and that social capital increases these communities\u2019 perceived power. Additionally, the findings suggest a close relationship between stakeholder legitimacy and substantive plant-level environmental performance and between stakeholder power and symbolic plant-level environmental performance. This research contributes to stakeholder salience theory by showing that managers\u2019 decision-relevant perceptions of non-financial stakeholders can be highly granular. The study also demonstrates one way income disparities shape environmental outcomes. The findings have implications for environmental justice, regulatory enforcement, environmental reporting, and firms\u2019 community engagement under granular reporting regimes.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
ASKING A LOT : UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS' PREPAREDNESS FOR DISABILITY INCLUSION
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Second Language Studies - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025While disability inclusion as a topic\u2013and as an area of educational need\u2013is appearingmore often in second language research, the language learning and teaching of disabled students remains an underrepresented subtopic within the field. Some disabled students incur challenges when learning additional languages, and disabled students report that instructors play a critical role in their inclusion (Scott et al., 2013). In this study, I examine instructors\u2019 readiness to teach disabled language learners from within a critical disability studies framework. Ten instructors from Big Ten institutions who teach seven different languages were interviewed about their general understanding about accessibility concepts, their experience interfacing with and supporting disabled students, and resources that can or do help them achieve increased inclusion in their classes. Data analyzed via critical content analysis revealed that some instructors who want to pursue accessibility and disability inclusion in their university language classes do not feel they are ready to meet the varied needs of their students. It appears that the readiness some instructors do have often comes (a) via ad hoc, on-the-ground exposure to disability generally (e.g., in their family) and (b) from any experience earned by attempting to meet students\u2019 accommodations needs. Among this group of ten participants, there is a lack of consensus regarding whose responsibility students\u2019 accessibility and accommodations are. It is illuminating that these instructors seem to have encountered and addressed inclusion on an individual basis, rather than having a knowledge and teaching-methodology base driven by training or institutional support. It may be that perceived readiness is shaped by the incidental nature of instructors\u2019 involvement and the lack of systemic structure behind their inclusion efforts. I explore pedagogical and administrative implications emerging from my interviews with these representative instructors, including suggestions for training and resources.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references