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ALTITUDE AND MOOD DISTURBANCES : PERU
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Epidemiology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024My research examines the association between the altitude of the participant's residence and the presence of an actively depressed mood, explicitly examining whether individuals experienced a depressed mood during the four weeks before an interview assessment during a population-based epidemiological survey. I explore this association at the community and individual levels. Additionally, I investigated whether using coca leaves might moderate the observed relationship between altitude and depressed mood. In this dissertation, my epidemiological estimates are from nine yearly cross-sectional epidemiological studies conducted in Peru. These studies encompassed 15 regions in Peru and included community residents in areas situated at different altitudes above sea level. The main results of my dissertation can be summarized as follows: Study 1: At the community level (i.e., district level), those populations located at higher altitudes also had higher estimated prevalence proportions of depressed mood. These estimates are from a comparison of direct estimates of survey data analysis, using standardized estimates (i.e., with direct adjustment for age and sex), and finally using estimators corresponding to the Small Area Estimation methodology (i.e., Fay-Herriot model). Study 2: Estimated at the individual level, an association between altitude and depressed mood was found and remained stable after logistic regression models adjusted for other covariates of interest (i.e., age, sex, mother tongue, marital status, and length of residency). By stratifying the analysis according to the length of stay in the current community, the findings suggested a causal possibility. The estimated effect of high altitude on a person's mood may be more pronounced after a minimum of two years of residing at such heights. Study 3: In assessing coca-leaf consumption as a moderator of the altitude-depression association, I found an absence of evidence that coca-leaf product use in the month before the survey modifies the relationship between altitude and depressed mood. In fact, if anything, individuals who use coca might be more likely to experience active depressive moods, even at higher altitudes. However, the study's cross-sectional nature prevents the evaluation of the temporal aspect of this association. As for limitations, the cross-sectional character of the data, with no specification of the age of onset of depressed mood relative to the time of residency at the altitude of the current dwelling, is a crucial limitation. Also, this study did not evaluate other community characteristics that might be covarying with the altitude-depression relationship. This new evidence on the altitude-depression association draws attention to a need for more research along these lines. The research might gain increased importance during the 21st century intervals of global warming and associated climate change. Given that an estimated 500 million individuals reside in high-altitude regions around the globe, the association that links altitude and the occurrence of depressed mood deserves continuing attention in our epidemiological research projects.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
GET ON THE BUS : BLACK COLLEGE TOURS AT INKSTER HIGH SCHOOL FROM 1978-2010
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024This qualitative study examines the Black college tours implemented at Inkster High School which exposed high school students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the midwest, south, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. While there is substantial grey literature that describes the Black college tour experience, there is limited empirical research which defines Black college tours, describes how they are designed and implemented, and how they inform the college choice process for participating students. I conducted a phenomenological case study comprised of interviews and document analysis to summarize the historic context of the Inkster High School Black college tour and synthesized the experience of teachers, students, and parent volunteers who participated in the tours over thirty-two years. I learned Black college tours\u2014as a cultural artifact\u2014helped students navigate the college choice process and shaped their ongoing perspective about HBCUs. Black college tours and similar experiences hold significance for former students, parents, and teachers who experienced school closures and grapple with institutional mourning. This study contributes an example of Black student college choice (Chapman et al., 2020) and draws from community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) and fugitive pedagogy (Givens, 2021) to situate Black college tours within existing literature on college choice. The study further acknowledges how a small predominantly Black local school district partnered with community to provide college access programming for its students.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
GRASSROOTS MODERNISM : COLLECTIVE FILM EDUCATION, POLITICS, AND AESTHETICS IN 1920s-1930s NEW YORK CITY
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. History - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024With attention to film studies as part of workers\u2019 education, this project explores how film studies developed within 1920s and 1930s US labor movements. It centers progressive, mainly communist, film collectives\u2019 educational projects in the US. Friends of Soviet Russia with Workers International Relief in the 1920s and the Film and Photo League and Film and Sprockets Society in the 1930s were key organizations that developed educational programs designed for workers and designed by workers. US. By producing their own films, exhibitions, print materials, and schools, they made classrooms around the city to reach working-class people. Their films included newsreels and documentaries capturing post-revolution Soviet conditions and, in America, they filmed 1930s hunger protests, police brutality, Hoovervilles, Scottsboro Trials, and City College of New York students. They screened films in union halls, rural schoolhouses, and coal mines around New York and throughout the Midwest. Their efforts illustrate how modern art institutions often began with independent, amateur, and activist organizations. Members were mainly working-class Jews from first-or-second-generation immigrant families. Facing ethnic and economic barriers to traditional cultural-intellectual institutions, they invoked these experiences to provide more accessible learning to folks in their neighborhoods and beyond. These were also projects to build mass mobilization for diverse workers\u2019 rights and to get more Americans interested in film. Formal film studies as a field did not exist, nor did film schools or sustained courses. Self-teaching and collaborative studying, therefore, allowed workers\u2019 film collectives to build knowledge of film techniques, theories, histories, and social issues. These alternative educational systems became central to underground institutions beyond WWII. I situate \u201cfilm studies\u201d in a wider working-class history and history of modernism. Collectives developed schools, journals, exhibitions, distribution networks, and documentaries from the ground up as independent, democratic, experimental learning spaces in the 1920s-1930s. Groups frequently worked alongside European and Soviet institutions. In charting this process, New York City emerges as a central cultural landscape that made mobility between transnational film collectives possible.Many involved, including Leo Hurwitz and Bernard Gordon, were Blacklisted in the McCarthy period. Despite this, several continued creating films independently or under pseudonyms and taught film in the 1960s-70s when radical politics and culture underwent changes. These 1920s-30s film activities influenced 1960s-70s documentary and avant-garde cinema cultures and film studies in US higher education. While most films are lost, through archival materials and oral histories, this project traces groups\u2019 creative dedication to elicit social change via film education.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Early-life phenotypic and fitness effects of flash drought and heat waves during embryonic development in two freshwater turtle species
Get PDFThesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Integrative Biology - Master of Science, 2024Climate change is causing rapid shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide, including more frequent extreme climate events (ECEs) such as flash droughts and heat waves. ECEs can have severe ecological impacts, as temperature and water availability play critical roles in the survival, growth, and functioning of living organisms. Environmental conditions experienced during embryonic development can have lasting phenotypic and fitness consequences, yet the effects of drought and heat waves at this key life stage are not well defined, particularly in vertebrates. Turtles (order Testudines) are particularly susceptible to early-life impacts of drought and heat waves. Embryos have little protection from unfavorable hydric and thermal conditions in the nest, and overall egg and hatchling mortality is high. In my thesis, I investigated the effects of flash drought and heat waves during embryonic development on offspring traits and survival in two freshwater turtle species. I chose to focus on common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) in order to compare taxa with contrasting life history traits. For my first chapter, I incubated C. serpentina eggs under varying hydric conditions to simulate flash drought at different embryonic stages and identified time-dependent effects on incubation time and hatchling size. I then conducted an experimental release in the field, which revealed that flash drought during late incubation decreased hatchling survival. For my second chapter, I examined the independent and interactive effects of flash drought and heat wave events during embryonic development in C. picta, finding effects on hatching phenology and body size. Moreover, survival increased with body size during dispersal from the nest. My findings shed light on the potential ecological consequences of extreme climate events in oviparous ground-nesting vertebrates.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
THE PSYCHE AGGRESSIONAL EXPERIENCES OF NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN EDUCATION
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024Building upon the literature concerning racial microaggressions, this dissertation explores the following two questions: 1) How have themes of blood quantum, tokenism, invisibility, and cultural appropriation manifested within the educational experiences of Native American students? and 2) How have those experiences affected their sense of Native identity? I analyze stories from interviews with five participants who self-identify as Native American. Paramount to this work is an intentional desire-based lens adhering to Tribal Critical Race Theory\u2019s tenet that stories are not separate from theory. More specifically, this work stipulates that \u201cstories often are the guardians of cumulative knowledges that hold a place in the psyches of group members, memories of tradition, and reflections on power...one must be able to feel the stories\u201d (Brayboy, 2005, pp. 429-430, 440). The five participants reflected in this dissertation provide palpable examples of how some Native students may come to experience microaggressions and how the intersectionality of their identities can affect and also be affected by those experiences. It is clear from their stories that microaggressions can shape-shift and fester hostile, unwelcoming environments for Native students as they navigate a social terrain where they are commonly tokenized yet rendered invisible. Findings illustrate how interconnected blood quantum, tokenism, invisibility, and cultural appropriation are to each other in their manifestation of racial microaggressions. Data clearly illuminate that the Native student experience is layered, complex, and deeply nuanced. Additionally, findings highlight an important intersection with white privilege for some Native students. The microaggressional experiences of these five Native individuals are not simply explained by terms like microinsults, microinvalidations, and microassaults. The layered nuances between each individual in this study illustrates that these experiences are more accurately described as aggressions towards their whole selves. As I consider new terminology for microaggressions, I draw a direct connection between microaggressions and what Patricia Williams (1991) first coined as \u201cspirit murdering.\u201d Williams describes spirit murdering as racism embodying \u201ccultural obliteration and genocide as some of its other guises\u201d (p. 73). Similarly, Bettina Love (2019) explains that spirit murdering robs us of our dignity and humanity and "leaves personal, psychological, and spiritual injuries" (p. 38). To that end, microaggressions carve away at a recipient's sense of validation, safety, and belonging. Pieces of one's sense of self are challenged and attacked when experiencing microaggressions. Whether it is a comment about one's phenotype, the cultural traditions held sacred, or our ancestor's historic trauma, microaggressions reduce the dignity and humanity experienced by the recipient. It is for this reason that I seek to name a more authentic, inclusive term for such suffering and distress of our spirit: psyche aggressions. It pays direct homage to Williams's (1991) notion of spirit murdering, refocuses the microaggressions back to the recipient rather than the perpetrator, and situates the totality of the experience using a holistic lens. The word "psyche" speaks to the soul, mind, spirit connection of each of our identities and names the holistic effects of microaggressions as affecting our whole self\u2014not just pieces of us. This study opens up the conversation to carry the work forward with a call for continued deeper inquiry. The stories from this study will hopefully raise questions for fellow researchers, scholars, teachers, and community members in terms of how we can best support, empower, and sustain Native students.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
CHARACTERIZATION OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH MAIZE PHENOLIC METABOLISM
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024Phenolics are one of the major groups of plant specialized metabolites. Within the plant, these metabolites have important roles in growth, adaptation, and defense, influencing agronomic traits and environmental interactions. While the core phenolic biosynthesis pathway is well known, many of the factors involved in controlling and synthesizing derivatives of the core structures remain to be identified. The goal of the present work is to comprehensively identify genes involved in phenolic formation. In this dissertation, I describe a comprehensive analysis of the maize genome, which revealed key genes accounting for 70% of the total mRNA accumulation for phenolic genes across 95 tissues and stress treatments. This candidate phenolic gene compendium provides a valuable resource for future studies. Furthermore, I explored natural variation of several phenolic compounds in a maize diversity panel and identified inbred lines show high or low accumulation of specific compounds; in some cases, this variation reflects loss-of-function mutants. Metabolite correlations across the population confirmed known substrate-product relationships and revealed potentially novel enzymatic conversions. A metabolite-Genome-Wide Association Study (mGWAS) identified Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to phenolic accumulation, including associations with multiple metabolites. From these SNPs, I tested candidate loci for potential involvement in the phenolic pathway. This research uncovers genetic factors influencing phenolic diversity in maize and underscores the potential of mGWAS in plant metabolic studies.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
ADVANCING FREEZE-THAW RESILIENCE IN ROADWAYS : PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WATER REPELLENTS, WICKING GEOTEXTILES, FROST HEAVE-THAW SETTLEMENT CHARACTERIZATION, AND FOUNDATION UNIFORMITY
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Civil Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024Freeze-thaw damage presents a critical and persistent challenge to roadways in cold regions. This damage is driven by the expansion of pore water during freezing, causing frost heave, followed by structural weakening and settlement during thawing. Seasonally frozen regions, encompassing approximately 55% of exposed land in the Northern Hemisphere and 37% of the earth\u2019s landmass, are particularly susceptible to these effects. Regions in the northern United States, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia experience elevated maintenance demands and repair costs due to freeze-thaw effects. The United States incurred $27.46 billion in road maintenance costs in 2019 alone, and freeze-thaw degradation is considered a major contributing factor to these expenses. Consequently, there is an imperative need for resilient roadway designs to effectively mitigate freeze-thaw effects, reduce maintenance costs, and extend service life. This dissertation investigates strategies to enhance freeze-thaw resilience in roadways through innovative water-repellent treatments and improved drainage using woven wicking geotextiles. It also explores methods for characterizing frost heave-thaw settlement in the field and highlights the importance of a uniform pavement foundation for long-term performance. Migrated water from the vadose zone is the primary contributor to frost heave. Water repellents can limit this influx by making the soil hydrophobic, thus reducing the freeze-thaw damage. The effectiveness of water-repellent treatments was evaluated through frost heave-thaw weakening tests in the laboratory. Silane, a water-repellent additive, was applied by spraying at varying concentrations to frost-susceptible soils from Iowa. The silane treatment resulted in a frost heave reduction of 57% to 80%. It was found that increasing the number of silane-treated layers was more effective than increasing the concentration, highlighting the importance of layered applications for optimal performance. Subsequent field study focused on the application of water-repellent treatments in granular roadways. Four Field test sections were constructed, including one control and three treated sections with two different water repellents and application methods, to evaluate the effectiveness of these treatments in mitigating freeze-thaw damage. Soil moisture content, frost heave-thaw settlement, temperature, and weather data were collected from the field test sections using sensors, and field performance tests were conducted seasonally. The treated sections demonstrated improved resistance to frost heave and reduced moisture accumulation during thaw periods. Additionally, the control section exhibited a significant stiffness reduction of 68% after winter, while treated sections showed lower reductions of 35%, 48%, and 53%, respectively. The role of woven wicking geotextiles in enhancing freeze-thaw resilience was investigated through both large-scale laboratory tests and field test sections. These geotextiles were installed at the subgrade-subbase interface to facilitate improved moisture drainage. Laboratory results showed a significant improvement in drainage efficiency and stiffness for the reinforced section with woven wicking geotextile compared to the control section. For field evaluation, one control and one reinforced section were constructed on Interstate I-94 at the Minnesota Road Research Facility (MnROAD) in a wet-freeze climate. Results demonstrated that the reinforced section maintained stable volumetric moisture content (VMC) in the subgrade and subbase layers, with reduced moisture accumulation during thawing and precipitation. Advanced monitoring techniques, including Shape Array (SAA) sensors and LiDAR, were evaluated to characterize frost heave and thaw settlement in the field. The displacement profiles from SAA were in good agreement with temperature, moisture, and matric potential measurements, validating the reliability of the SAA data. Accurate measurement of these displacements is essential for transportation agencies to make informed decisions on spring load restrictions and maintenance planning, ensuring roadway stability and safety. Lastly, the influence of initial stiffness and foundation uniformity on long-term pavement performance was analyzed for six test sections at MnROAD. Probabilistic analysis, complemented by semivariograms and distress mapping, demonstrated a correlation between foundation uniformity and long-term pavement performance. The regions with increased nonuniformity exhibited localized cracking and accelerated deterioration due to stress concentrations and differential movement during freeze-thaw.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
three chapters in economics of education
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Economics - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024Chapter 1: Since the launch of the ConnectED initiative in 2013, there has been a significant surge in digital learning classrooms, driven by the Obama Administration's goal to provide 99% of schools with high-speed wireless broadband. This mission was later integrated into the E-rate program, a national initiative offering discounts to schools and libraries to facilitate internet access. In spite of the anticipated advantages, the educational impact of Wi-Fi integration in schools remains unclear. Utilizing school district-level Wi-Fi deployment data and student performance data, this paper investigates the effects of school district Wi-Fi investments on student academic and disciplinary outcomes. The findings suggest that, on average, the introduction of Wi-Fi in schools widens the achievement gap between racial groups, particularly negatively affecting disadvantaged subgroups. This effect is more pronounced in economically disadvantaged regions, including those with more rural schools or higher levels of racial segregation, as well as in technologically lagging areas characterized by larger household internet access disparities. When exploring potential mechanisms, this study finds evidence that Wi-Fi-equipped school districts did not necessarily invest more in supplementary resources to effectively utilize Wi-Fi, while student disciplinary problems arising from Wi-Fi usage seemed to be of lesser concern.Chapter 2: This study investigates the impact of third-grade retention policies across the United States, focusing on how these policies influence retention rates among Kindergarten to second-grade students and adjust kindergarten entrance ages. Since the implementation of such policies, starting with California in 1998, there has been a notable shift towards retaining students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade\u2014a critical transition point from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Utilizing data from the October Current Population Survey, the analysis reveals that the introduction of retention policies is associated with a decrease in retention rates for boys in kindergarten and second grade and a reduction in kindergarten entrance age for girls by approximately one month. These findings underscore the importance of considering both educational outcomes and the perspectives of children and parents in assessing the effectiveness of retention policies. This study highlights the varied impacts of these policies on students of different genders and from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and can guide improvements in how schools and families address early reading challenges.Chapter 3: Educators and policymakers have been concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial delays in learning due to disruptions, anxiety, and remote schooling. We study student achievement patterns over the pandemic using a combination of state summative and higher frequency benchmark assessments for middle school students in Michigan. Comparing pre-pandemic to post-pandemic cohorts we find that math and ELA achievement growth dropped by 0.20, and 0.03 standard deviations more than expected, respectively, between 2019 and 2022. These drops were larger for Black, Latino, and economically disadvantaged students, as well as students in districts that were at least partially remote in 2021-22. Benchmark assessment results are consistent with summative assessments and show sharp drops in 2020-21 followed by a partial recovery and potential stall-out in 2021-22.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
CONSTRUCTING MULTIETHNIC GERMANY : USING MIXED METHODS TO STUDY MEDIA NARRATIVES OF THE GERMAN MEN\u2019S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM FROM 2006 TO 2018
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. German Studies - Doctor of Philosophy, 2024This dissertation explores media narratives surrounding the multiethnic German men\u2019s national football team from 2006 to 2018, investigating how these narratives reflect and shape discourses of German national identity. The study spans thirteen years marked by major football tournaments, including the World Cups and European Championships, where the team served as mediums for discussions on belonging, inclusion, and diversity in Germany. Employing a mixed methods approach, this research examines how the national team and individual players, especially those with diverse ethnic backgrounds, were portrayed or vilified as embodiments of the evolving \u201cMultikulti\u201d (among a host of other terms) reality in Germany. The findings demonstrate the conditional nature of media acceptance of multiethnic players, often based on performance, and unveil deeper societal challenges related to ethnicity, race, and histories of migration within sports. This dissertation contributes to broader academic discussions on the role of sports in reflecting and shaping identity in contemporary Germany.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
TEST TAKERS\u2019 ATTENTION TO SPEAKERS\u2019 NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS IN AN INTEGRATED, VIDEO-BASED LISTENING TEST : AN EYE-TRACKING AND INTERVIEW STUDY
No full textThesis (M.A.)--Michigan State University. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Master of Arts, 2024This study investigates what specific nonverbal behaviors L2 language speakers attend to in a video-based listening test. Thirty-two participants from a large Midwestern university were recruited to participate in this study. They were asked to watch three short video-based lectures that contained different types of nonverbal behavior, complete a written free recall immediately after each video, and participate in an individual interview. Eye tracking results demonstrate that participants fixated mostly on the lecturers' faces (71.12%) while watching the video, then eyes (41.48%), mouths (13.63%), with gestures occupying the least of dwell times (2.03%). Interview data combined with free recall scores revealed that participants paid attention to gestures in varying degrees. Different types of nonverbal behaviors differentially affected how the participants engaged with the lectures. The study corroborates others that conclude that nonverbal behavior is a natural part of processing aural information and should be included as a part of L2 listening assessment.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references