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Economic Impacts Of Bus Rapid Transit In Southeast Michigan, Utpal Dutta, Jeff Henze

Mineta Transportation Institute

In recent years, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has generated great interest across the United States. There are more than 20 BRT systems in existence, and more are in the planning stage (including in Detroit). Within the next few years, BRT will be planned and implemented phase by phase in various parts of Southeast Michigan. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework to identify probable economic impacts of BRT in Southeast Michigan.

Taxable real estate values, injury and fatal crash data, and selected demographics of BRT users, including employment sector, age group, median income, and daily vehicle miles …

Plant Toxins Influence Diet Selection And Intestinal Parasites In A Specialist Herbivore, Marcella Rene Fremgen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Herbivores select plants and patches that generally maximize nutrient intake and minimize intake of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Protein is important for growth, reproduction and maintenance, but maximizing intake of protein is often limited by concentrations of PSMs that are potentially toxic to herbivores and energetically expensive to process. However, the consequences of ingesting PSM are often dose-dependent. At high doses, PSMs generally have negative physiological effects and are avoided, but some PSMs can be therapeutic against parasites at low doses and could therefore be selected. We used Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter, sage-grouse) to test how PSMs influence …

“Right From Hades”: Water And Politics In Boise, Idaho, Molly Lorraine May

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The western United States has, arguably, been shaped by water—both through its presence and its absence. This thesis examines the history of the artesian and geothermal water resources of Boise, Idaho. The development of these resources has taken a trajectory that is defined by busy periods of expansion punctuated by long stretches of inactivity or stasis. These stages of development closely align with major trends in environmental history. Beyond merely providing additional insight to the history of the region, the commoditization of nature in Boise provides further elucidation of national trends of conservation, environmentalism, and green energy. By examining the …

A Small Acoustic Goniometer For General Purpose Research, Michael Pook

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Understanding acoustic events and monitoring their occurrence is a useful aspect of many research projects. In particular, acoustic goniometry allows researchers to determine the source of an event based solely on the sound it produces. The vast majority of the acoustic goniometry research projects used custom hardware targeted to the specific application under test. Unfortunately, due to the wide range of sensing applications, a flexible general purpose hardware/firmware system does not exist for this research. This dissertation focuses on the development of such a system which encourages the continued exploration of general purpose hardware/firmware and lowers barriers to research in …

Effects Of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 And Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide On Collagen Xi During Skeletal Development, Neda Shefa

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Long bones develop via endochondral ossification, a process in which cartilage precedes bone. During endochondral ossification prechondrogenic cells undergo proliferation and apoptose as cells of the periosteum differentiate into bone. The process of endochondral ossification is regulated by a group of endocrine as well as paracrine molecules that includes bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP). Collagens are extracellular matrix molecules that are present in a spatiotemporal manner during endochondral ossification. Collagen XI alpha 1 (Col11a1) is a minor fibrillar collagen that is alternatively spliced during development and can result in up to eight different spliceforms. During endochondral …

Meet Me Monday: Case Study On A Community Health Program Through The Lens Of The Elaboration Likelihood Model, Joshua Schlaich

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This case study employs the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a framework for understanding one Idaho/Oregon Health System's community health program and weekly walking event. Meet Me Monday, a program started in 2013 due to many organizational and federal goals to improve patient population and community health, has been perceived to have struggled with influencing increased and sustained participation. This study focuses on the communicative efforts of the Meet Me Monday community health program, and looks to gain a fuller understanding of the influences and moderating variables to participation.

Utilizing data sources such as semi-structured interviews with program organizers, surveying of …

Investigations Into The Cross-Infectivity Of Nematode Parasites Of Cattle And Sheep, Eva Marie Wray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The existence of anthelmintic resistance is not singular in parasite species, host species or geographic region. It has become a problem of worldly stature, especially when considering sheep nematodes. Recommendations have been modified from chemical-based control to multipart, managerial intervention. Compared with nematodes of cattle, the worldwide resistance of sheep nematodes to anthelmintic remedies is much more pronounced and urgent. As the resistance to essentially all anthelmintic classes approaches a cautionary level, the implementation of non-chemical controls has grown increasingly essential. Six-6 to 8 month old Holstein steer calves, six-5 month old Katahdin ram lambs and eight-5 month old Suffolk …

Aesthetics And Performance Evaluation Of Post-Industrial Public Parks, Adel C. Vaughn

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Post-Industrial sites are often un-utilized and deserted places that are an aesthetic, social, ecological, and physical hindrance to the realm of the cities in which they lie, however they possess enormous potential. With respectful and transformative design, these new public parks gain a variety of benefits that extend well beyond the typical benefits exhibited by public parks due to their rich history, fascinating existing structures, high levels of visual and sensorial stimulation, one-of-a-kind traits, and opportunity for impactful change. By evaluating these post-industrial public parks, knowledge can be gained about what specific elements in the landscape contribute to their overall …

High-Speed Rail And Equine Issues, Peter J. Haas, Allie Scrivener

Mineta Transportation Institute

Community concerns have been raised about the possible negative impacts of high-speed rail (HSR) service on equestrian areas. Although much is known about the impact of aircraft noise on wild and domestic animals, relatively little information is available on the potential impact of HSR service on equine populations. This study will explore possible conflicts between HSR construction and operations in areas used for equestrian ranching, recreation, and related activities, and identify geographic areas where such conflicts could occur.

A Look At Commercial Building Energy Use And Energy Efficiency Technologies From 1980 To Present, Marvin M. Arroyo

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Energy consumption has increased considerably in the last fifty years as population rises. At the same time, design and efficiency of all equipment used in commercial buildings have changed as well. The purpose of this thesis is to explain how HVAC systems have changed and how they have affected energy consumption. Entities like the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) facilitate the data-gathering process by offering databases of energy information from actual monthly energy bills to promote public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. Moreover, in order to …

Deposition And Characterization Of Carbon Nanotubes (Cnts) Based Films For Sensing Applications, Amila C. Dissanayake

Dissertations

The advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has opened up lot of novel applications because of their unique electrical and mechanical properties. CNTs are well known material for its exceptional electrical, mechanical, optical, thermal and chemical properties. A single-wall nanotube (SWNT) can be either semiconducting, metallic or semi-metallic, based on its chirality and diameter. SWNTs can be used in transistor device as active channels due to high electron mobility (~10000 cm2/(V s), electrical interconnects, nano-scale circuits, field-emission displays, light-emitting devices and thermal heat sinks due to low resistivity, high current density (~109A cm-2) and high thermal conductivity (~3500 W m-1). Further, …

The Interaction Of Community Size And Perceived Local Political Efficacy Among Low-Income Individuals, Dylan Allen Brugman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the world’s population continues to urbanize, urban studies are increasingly important. Studying the social science behind the rise of the city and its effect on various social phenomena should be a priority for scholars in the field of politics, sociology, and communication, because of the reasonable assumption that the environment of the city alters the way that a person engages people and systems within the city. This is especially true for peripheral and marginalized populations that often lack access to the social institutions necessary to improve their livelihoods. Using Diffusion of Innovation and urban studies theories of Anomie, Gemeinschaft …

Coordinated Persuasion With Dynamic Group Formation For Collaborative Elderly Care, Budhitama Subagdja, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Ageing in place demands a new paradigm of inhouse caregiving allowing many aspects of daily lives to be tackled by smart appliances and technologies. The important challenges include the effective provision of recommendations by multiple parties of caregiver constituting changes of the user’s behavior. In this multiagent environment, interdependencies between agents become major issues to tackle. This paper presents an approach of dynamic group formation for autonomous caregiving agents to collaborate in recommending different aspects of well-being. The approach supports the agents to regulate the timing of their recommendations, prevent conflicting messages, and cooperate to make more effective persuasions. A …

School Counselors Lived Experience Of A Rampage School Shooting, Carleton H. Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Minimal research has been conducted to examine school counselors’ lived experiences of rampage school shootings. The purpose of this research is to increase school counselors’ knowledge and skills in responding effectively to such a crisis. A single-case qualitative dissertation study was completed at a rampage school shooting site, a middle school, and the immediate surrounding area in Bono, AR, located in the northeast part of Arkansas. School counselors’ decisions, perceived expertness, and lessons learned were investigated. Data collected included relevant research literature (including comparison research), archival records, direct observation, media reports, and interviews. Participants interviewed were individuals who lived through …

Community-Based Rehabilitation Supports For Social Inclusion And Work Participation Of Young Adults With Visual Impairment In Kenya: A Case Study, Philomena Jepkemboi Tanui

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with a visual impairment (VI) experience less interaction with the community that impacts the way they relate to the world as they transition to the larger society where they face significant barriers of adjustment, exclusion, and work participation. Young adults with VI contend with cultural stigma, inequality, poor self-esteem caused by marginalization, a low quality of life (QOL), and lack of Social support systems that exist beyond the home. The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions of young adults with VI in Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kisumu Counties of Kenya concerning the barriers to community inclusion and …

John Paul Hammerschmidt And The Early Struggle For The Construction Of Interstate 49, Anna Crayton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand the development of the Interstate 49 corridor, which began almost a half century ago, it is necessary to analyze the complex nature of federal aid highway legislation. For nearly one-hundred years politicians struggled to create a comprehensive highway program, and many felt this had been achieved with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. However, the focus on the construction of interstate highways often overlooked the needs of important secondary and primary highways. Although John Paul Hammerschmidt, the first Republican Congressman to serve Arkansas since Reconstruction, believed the Social and economic success of the United States …

Individual Differences In Anxiety Sensitivity And Emotional Avoidance: Potential Links In The Association Between Internalizing Problems And Peer Victimization, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic peer victimization has been linked to short- and long-term problems such as anxiety, depression, and aggression (Hawker & Bouton, 2000; Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Prinzie, & Telch, 2010; Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Prinzie, Boelen, van der Schoot, & Telch, 2011). Most children are able to escape the role of stable victim, but some struggle to end victimization and the negative trajectory associated with it. The present study explored individual differences in anxiety sensitivity and emotional avoidance, developmental vulnerabilities that heighten children’s risk for internalizing problems, as possible predictors of children’s level of peer victimization. Participants were 677 fourth-grade students and their teachers. Multi-informant …

Autophagy And Its Potential Role In Stress And Feed Efficiency Using Avian Lines, Alissa Laura Piekarski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular mechanism that is responsible for the degradation and recycling of damaged organelles. Recently, autophagy has been involved in critical roles during overall development of the organism and degradation of damaged cellular components. This pathway has witnessed dramatic growth in the last few years and has been extensively studied in yeast and mammals, however, there is a paucity of information in avian (non-mammalian) species. First, we characterized genes involved in the autophagy pathway in male and female Jungle Fowl to determine gender and tissue specific differences. Secondly, tissue and genotype differences in Japanese quail selected …

Evaluation Of Bacillus Spp Candidates For Aflatoxin B1 Biodegradation In Broiler Chickens, Rosario Galarza Seeber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry health has been traditionally maintained by hygenic measures, vaccinations, and the use of antibiotics. Modern husbandry management considers the use of probiotics as a natural way to protect birds against many everyday pathogens. Different strains of Bacillus spp. have proved to have beneficial effects in poultry production. However, the most used bacterium in commercial probiotics is Lactobacillus, a vegetative cell. In contrast, Bacillus spp are bacterial spores, highly resistant to harsh conditions, which makes them preferable, in some cases, to Lactobacillus because of shelf life and storage conditions. There is published information regarding mycotoxin detoxification by bacteria. Mycotoxins are …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Meat And Bone Meal Nutritional Variability On Broiler Performance, Christopher Caleb Eagleson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this trial was to determine if varying the nutritional composition of meat and bone meal (MBM) would impact broiler performance and yield compared to diets which provide a consistent quality of MBM. Twelve hundred day-old male broilers from the Cobb 500 female line were randomly allocated to 48 pens (25 chicks/pen; 22 square feet) and grown to 49 days of age. Starter, grower, and withdrawal diets were formulated to contain MBM at 10, 7.5 and 5% respectively using the Cobb nutritional standards. Four treatments provided were: 1) H.J. Baker proprietary blend, ProPlus 57 fed continuously; 2) MBM …

Available Nitrogen And Denitrification In Soil Altered By Ground Cover And Nutrient Source In An Organic Apple Orchard, Jade Nicole Ford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A shift in public demand towards more organic and locally produced fruit and vegetables has been occurring across the United States in recent years. A common practice in organic fruit production is the application of organic ground covers to supply nutrients while enhancing other soil properties. A need for research exists in the southern region of the U.S. examining the effects of regionally applicable ground cover and nutrient management on nitrogen availability and the microbial community to provide information to organic farmers in the region. Two studies were conducted to determine how 12 treatment combinations of four ground covers (compost, …

The Decolonization Of Christianity In Colonial Kenya, Amanda Ruth Ford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kenya was an unusual case within the larger narrative of decolonization in the British Empire. The presence of white settlers, the relative newness of the colony, and the particular way in which the British pursued the civilizing mission all combined to make the end of empire particularly violent for all parties involved. Independence in Kenya was precipitated by a bloody civil war, known as Mau Mau, and the imposition of martial law by the government for almost a decade. In the midst of this chaos, the Church of England’s missionary body, the Church Missionary Society worked to protect their converts …

The Knowledge, Attitude, And Self-Reported Behaviors Of Psychiatric Nurses Towards Obese Psychiatric Patients On Atypical Anti-Psychotic Medications, Marcia D. Williams-Hailey

Theses & Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Obesity has continued to increase over the years with increase in morbidity and mortality. The advancement of psychiatric treatment has resulted in a higher prevalence of obesity among the psychiatric population related to the side-effects of the newer atypical anti-psychotics. This study addresses nurses’ attitudes towards obesity and people who are obese, focusing on psychiatric patients. Negative attitudes and low knowledge about psychiatric patients on atypical anti-psychotics can interfere with psychiatric nurses’ therapeutic potential to support patients with health promotion behaviors. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure the knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behavior …

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Defining Treatment Response In Trichotillomania: A Signal Detection Analysis, David C. Houghton, Matthew R. Capriotti, Alessandro S. De Nadai, Scott N. Compton, Michael P. Twohig, Angela M. Neal-Barnett, Stephen M. Saunders, Martin E. Franklin, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS) and the NIMH Trichotillomania Severity Scale (NIMH-TSS) are two widely used measures of trichotillomania severity. Despite their popular use, currently no empirically-supported guidelines exist to determine the degrees of change on these scales that best indicate treatment response. Determination of such criteria could aid in clinical decision-making by defining clinically significant treatment response/recovery and producing accurate power analyses for use in clinical trials research. Adults with trichotillomania (N = 69) participated in a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy and were assessed before and after treatment. Response status was measured via the Clinical …

Values Narratives For Personal Growth: Formative Evaluation Of The Laws Of Life Essay Program, Victoria Banyard, Sherry L. Hamby, Ed De St. Aubin, John H. Grych

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Evidence that even very brief writing exercises can change the way people see themselves and promote more positive mental and physical health has led to increased interest in their use in school settings and elsewhere. To date, however, research designs rely heavily on samples of college students and experimental studies of writing tasks carried out in the lab. There has been less investigation of the potential impact of more naturally occurring expressive writing exercises that exist in places like schools and that focus on adolescents. The current study was a process evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay, a values-based …

Postcolonialism And The Marshallese Diaspora: Structural Violence And Health In The Marshallese Community In Springdale, Arkansas, Alexander J. Hirata

Master's Theses

Despite moving to the United States for better healthcare, among other benefits, Marshallese Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants residing in Springdale, Arkansas continue to face similar acute health problems as Marshallese living in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and often without access to health services. These problems include high rates of noncommunicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and thyroid cancer, as well as rare conditions such as Hansen’s Disease.

To research this, I studied the limited texts surrounding the Marshallese diaspora, as well as relevant bodies of literature: postcolonialism, Pacific migration theory, and global health and …

The Impact Of Combine Level Of Capital Structure And Dividend Policy On Firm Stock Price An Apply Study Of Companies Listed On Amman Stock Exchange, Arshed Fouad Altameemi, Wafaa Hussein Abu Samra

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Although a great deal of works has been done on the area of capital structure and dividend policy, there is still insufficient knowledge of how these policies affect stock prices. This shortcoming may have been originated from the separation between both policies when investigating their effect on stock prices. Based on this point, this research adopts a new technique (completely randomized design), to combine the effect of capital structure and dividend policy on stock prices rather than separating between them. The study used panel based regression analysis depending on the sample of 30 service and industrial Jordanian firms for the …

Developing Human Capital According To The Communities Of Practice: A Comparative Study By Using Data Envelopment Analysis, Amir A. Abdulmuhsin

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research discusses the need to find the innovative structures and methodologies for developing Human Capital (HC) in Iraqi Universities. One of the most important of these structures is Communities of Practice (CoPs) which contributes to develop HC by using learning, teaching and training through the conversion speed of knowledge and creativity into practice. This research has been used the comparative approach through employing the methodology of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) by using (Excel 2010 - Solver) as a field evidence to prove the role of CoPs in developing HC. In light of the given information, a researcher adopted on …

Non-Intrusive Robust Human Activity Recognition For Diverse Age Groups, Di Wang, Ah-Hwee Tan, Daqing Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

—Many elderly prefer to live independently at their own homes. However, how to use modern technologies to ensure their safety presents vast challenges and opportunities. Being able to non-intrusively sense the activities performed by the elderly definitely has great advantages in various circumstances. Non-intrusive activity recognition can be performed using the embedded sensors in modern smartphones. However, not many activity recognition models are robust enough that allow the subjects to carry the smartphones in different pockets with unrestricted orientations and varying deviations. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no existing literature studied the difference between the youth and the …