Digital Commons Network^™

Ability Of Genomic Prediction To Bi-Parent-Derived Breeding Population Using Public Data For Soybean Oil And Protein Content, Chenhui Li, Qing Yang, Bingqiang Liu, Xiaolei Shi, Zhi Liu, Chunyan Yang, Tao Wang, Fuming Xiao, Mengchen Zhang, Ainong Shi, Long Yan

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Genomic selection (GS) is a marker-based selection method used to improve the genetic gain of quantitative traits in plant breeding. A large number of breeding datasets are available in the soybean database, and the application of these public datasets in GS will improve breeding efficiency and reduce time and cost. However, the most important problem to be solved is how to improve the ability of across-population prediction. The objectives of this study were to perform genomic prediction (GP) and estimate the prediction ability (PA) for seed oil and protein contents in soybean using available public datasets to predict breeding populations …

Narrative Harmony: The Implementation Of Sound Design And Its Immersive Nature, Patrick Joseph Kelly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sound is the first tool we are given to interact with the world we inhabit. Despite this, most discussion of narrative content revolves around written and visual storytelling. This often means audio is forgotten or overlooked during the production process. A phenomenon which is especially present amongst inexperienced content creators. By combining the transportation imagery model and Narrative Paradigm theories, a formula for analyzing narratives and immersion within the modern setting becomes prevalent. This combination would then lead to the creation of a four-episode podcast series was created where each episode was mixed to highlight a different component in sound …

Exploring The Potential Of Electromagnetic-Driven Energy Technologies In Preventing Microbial And Aflatoxin Contamination Of Grains, Abass A. Oduola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic-driven energy such as infrared (IR) technology holds great potential in deactivating Aspergillus flavus spores and prevents aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. Aflatoxins, highly toxic secondary metabolites primarily produced by Aspergillus species within the Flavi section (A. flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius), pose substantial health risks to both humans and animals due to their significant toxicity and carcinogenic properties. Detecting and quantifying the presence and proliferation of these harmful fungi on food materials can be achieved by measuring the concentration of ergosterol. Ergosterol is a sterol compound produced in the cell membranes of fungi during their growth, providing …

The Effect Of Gentle Yoga On Average Daily Step Count, Francesca D'Agrosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While walking is a widely accessible form of exercise that is highly effective at increasing overall wellness (Kadir et al., 2019; Zhao et al., 2015) and is a recommended form of physical activity for overweight and obese individuals, studies still indicate low step counts and levels of physical activity in people with obesity (Shultz et al., 2011). Sedentary overweight individuals may avoid walking for several reasons, including physiological and/or biomechanical factors that make walking more difficult. This study attempted to explore and address these avoidant behaviors by employing a single-case ABAB reversal design to implement bi-weekly gentle yoga sessions over …

Comparing Children’S Engagement In Storybook Reading With And Without Access To Aac With A Literacy Supportive Feature, Brooke Zimmerman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This thesis evaluates the effects of comparing children’s engagement in storybook reading with and without access to high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with a literacy supportive feature. Literacy skills are a fundamental cornerstone for engagement in the lives of young children. Among these skills, the ability to decode words, or phonetically sound them out, plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of literacy. Proficiency in literacy also broadens the communication capabilities of individuals with developmental disabilities who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods. However, existing AAC technologies currently fall short in adequately strengthening literacy development, particularly …

The Gravitational Wave Peep: Improved Modeling Of Highly Eccentric Emris For Lisa Signal Confusion Noise, Daniel Joseph Oliver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scattering events around a massive black hole will occasionally toss a stellar-mass compact object into an orbit around the massive black hole, beginning an extreme mass ratio inspiral. The early stages of such a highly eccentric orbit will not produce detectable gravitational waves as the source will only be in a suitable frequency band briefly when it is close to periapsis during each long-period orbit. This burst of emission, firmly in the millihertz band, is the gravitational wave peep. While a single peep is not likely to be detectable, if we consider an ensemble of such subthreshold sources, spread across …

Ripperature: Crossing Gender And Genre, Gracie M. Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The murders of Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly in London in 1888 by the serial killer commonly known as “Jack the Ripper” were grotesque displays of violence against vulnerable women. As unsolved crimes, they have continuously been sensationalized and fictionalized since they occurred, beginning with dime novels like The Whitechapel Murders; Or, On the Track of a Fiend (1888) and continuing with novels like Stalking Jack the Ripper (2016). The sheer number of adaptations is staggering. This extensive adaptation process results in the mythologization of Jack the Ripper as a culture-text. This study …

Working Alongside People With Disabilities: Their Impact And Value, Alice A. Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

U.S. policies such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and the Americans with Disabilities Act support the inclusion of adults with disabilities in all areas of employment. Through WIOA, the federal government required public entities to provide training and help job seekers with disabilities access high-quality, competitive, integrated employment in the labor market. Nevertheless, two-thirds of unemployed PWDs report wanting employment but cannot find a job. Negative perceptions held by employers and hiring managers and their views that PWDs lack abilities create barriers to employment. In contrast, research has also shown that coworkers can greatly influence successful …

Advancing Qualitative Inquiry In Agricultural Communications: An Analysis Of Theories, Methodologies, And Standards For Quality, Karli Yarber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers a deep dive into the evolving landscape of qualitative research within the field of agricultural communications. Through a trio of research articles, this research critically assesses the application of theories, methodologies, and standards for quality across studies published in six disciplinary journals from 2003 to 2023. The first manuscript explores the theoretical frameworks guiding qualitative research in agricultural communications, uncovering a diverse but scattered theoretical underpinning with Framing, Diffusion of Innovations, and Uses and Gratifications Theory emerging as the most prevalent. The second manuscript meticulously examines the methodologies employed, revealing a growing acceptance and application of qualitative …

Evaluation Of Protein Turnover, Lipid Turnover, And Calcium Utilization On Broiler Breeder Performance, Cole Umberson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broiler breeder performance is based upon egg production. Breeders are reared from day of hatch to ovulation with the main goal of controlling body weight. Maintaining body weight in breeders is highly emphasized prior to first egg as to reach optimum peak production feeding increases dramatically to meet energy needs. Energy is supplied to the breeder in three forms carbohydrates (fast energy), protein (medium energy), and fat (slow energy). Carbohydrates are quickly used by the breeders, while protein is constantly being utilized by the breeder for growth and egg production, fat is stored and used lastly as the energy requirements …

Developing Anisotropic Soft Matter As Functional Materials To Interface With Biological Systems, Homa Ghaiedi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystals (LCs) constitute a subset of soft matter possessing hybrid characteristics from both liquid and crystalline phases. In this state, the center of masses remains uncorrelated similar to an isotropic phase, while the long axis of molecules aligns in parallel, resulting in molecules exhibiting orientational and positional order, either individually or concurrently. The directional alignment inherent in LCs arises from the asymmetrical shape and structure of the constituent molecules, causing a spontaneous self-assembly into ordered phases. This cooperative molecular behavior manifests distinctive optical features when subjected to cross polarizers. The remarkable sensitivity of LCs to external stimuli, including temperature, …

Geomorphic Analysis Of The Lower Arkansas River, Usa, Matthew Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arkansas River is one of several large and important river systems stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. It meanders across the Great Plains for ~1000 km before plunging into a mountain-bound valley, confined by the Ozarks to the north and Ouachitas to the south. The geologic history of the Arkansas River is poorly understood and crudely constrained to sometime between ~60 Ma and 100 Ka. Questions remain concerning its path(s), potential integration of the upper and lower sections, and overall history. The combination of knickpoint and chi (χ) mapping, tributary grain size analysis, tensile strength testing, …

Exploring The Coronal Magnetic Field With Galactic Cosmic Rays: The Sun Shadow Observed By Hawc, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, K. P. Arunbabu, D. Avila Rojas, R. Babu, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) are charged particles that reach the heliosphere almost isotropically in a wide energy range. In the inner heliosphere, the GCR flux is modulated by solar activity so that only energetic GCRs reach the lower layers of the solar atmosphere. In this work, we propose that high-energy GCRs can be used to explore the solar magnetic fields at low coronal altitudes. We used GCR data collected by the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory to construct maps of GCR flux coming from the Sun’s sky direction and studied the observed GCR deficit, known as Sun shadow (SS), over a …

The Space That Tell Stories, Asia Gonzalez

Theses

This project focuses on visual storytelling in game design. The primary focus of this project is to create an environment that tells a story through visual exposition and very minimal dialogue or written words. Furthermore, the project studies the ways in which a story can be both a visual and interactive experience.

White Cell Support Application For Expo Ops Tactical Wargame System, Zackery Joseph Milder

Theses

The purpose of this project was to create a support application for a tabletop wargame currently used for training and scenario simulation by the United States Marine Corps. The EXPO OPS Companion is meant to enhance the capabilities of the White Cell/table director, the unbiased third party responsible for running adjudication for the EXPO OPS Tactical Wargames System. EXPO OPS TWS is “…a table top wargame covering contemporary and future conflict at the platoon, company and battalion level. It is a wargame toolkit that enables wargaming scenarios in the 2020 to 2030 timeframe. The design centers on plans and decisions …

Mechelle’S Bridal Palace Business Plan, Lakendra Montgomery

Theses

This project aims to develop a comprehensive business plan for a one-of-a-kind bridal store called Mechelle's Bridal Palace, which offers an innovative and unique bridal shopping experience. The plan goes beyond the traditional bridal store concept and includes a café, which will provide customers with additional relaxation and convenience. This business plan focuses on redefining the traditional bridal shopping experience and making it more enjoyable for customers. Moreover, this project aims to address the issue of diversity, representation, and inclusion in bridal fashion. The bridal industry has historically been exclusive, and it aims to address this by creating a more …

The Use Of A Token Economy To Decrease Problem Behaviors And Increase Task Completion For A Pre-Schooler With Autism, Dyana Schneider, Robbie Hanson

Theses

The execution of a token economy has been shown to be effective to decrease problem behaviors and increase task completion, communication, and other skills for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (Matson & Boisjoli, 2009). Although previous research has shown token economies to be effective, there remains criticisms regarding existing research, such as low experimental rigor, among others (Maggin et al., 2011). Additionally, although token economies embed evidence-based behavior-analytic strategies (Wong et al., 2015) there appears to be a disconnect between basic and applied research and implementation of token economies in a clinical context (e.g., relying on fixed …

Revealing The Similarities Between Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights And Medieval Musical Forms, Lindsay A. Nevin

Theses

This paper analyzes the triptych entitled The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch painted between 1490 and 1510. This specific piece is Bosch’s most famous and therefore garners the largest amount of discourse analyzing the visual components of it. This specific paper is unique in its approach by using methodology similar to music historians to relate the forms of music popular at this time to the visual elements in the work. Some of the most popular music genres at the time were those of madrigal and polyphonic. An additional element popular in the transition between the 15th and 16th …

"My Longest Relationship Is With Food": Exploring Eating Related Behaviors Throughout The Gender Identity Journey Of Transgender Males, Angeles Polett Coss

Dissertations

This study sought to explore how transgender adult males have navigated the development of their eating behaviors throughout their gender identity trajectory. While recent research has focused on gender identity development and protective factors of the transgender community, this study explored and examined elements regarding the eating related behaviors of transgender males. Interviews were conducted with six participants within the United States during semi structured virtual sessions; the age range of participants was 19 to 35. Results of this research revealed identity management, Sociopolitical discourse, identity management and inter-relational identity affirmations as inter-multicultural segments that connected with eating related behaviors …

Comparing Preparedness By Midwives And Obgyns: Should The United States Implement A Midwifery Model Of Care?, Abigail Matthews

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

In the wake of high maternal and infant mortality rates in the United States, there is a need for childbirth care reform, and investigating the methods with which individuals prepare for this life event grants us insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the current system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact on preparedness between individuals that used OB/GYNs and those that used midwives to determine how different practitioner types were perceived by their patients. I conduct a qualitative and quantitative survey of people that have given birth in the United States and analyze the results …

Gender Equity In Labor Market Opportunities And Aggregate Technical Efficiency: A Case Of Equity Promoting Efficiency, Gautam Hazarika, Maroula Khraiche, Levent Kutlu

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

This study applies a panel data stochastic frontier analysis to country data towards examining the effect of gender equity in labor market opportunities upon efficiency in the production of GDP. It finds that aggregate technical efficiency is improved by a widening of women’s labor market opportunities as indicated by a rise in their share of employment, but that this effect is dampened by patriarchal cultural norms whose strength is measured by the proportion of the population tracing its ancestry to ethnic groups who adopted the plough as an agricultural implement. That aggregate technical efficiency rises in women’s share of employment …

Machine Learning-Enabled Automated Large Vessel Occlusion Detection Improves Transfer Times At Primary Stroke Centers, Ngoc Mai Le, Ananya S Iyyangar, Youngran Kim, Mohammad Rauf Chaudhry, Sergio Salazar-Marioni, Rania Abdelkhaleq, Arash Niktabe, Anjan N Ballekere, Hussain Azeem, Sandi Shaw, Peri Smith, Mallory Cowan, Isabel Gonzales, Louise D Mccullough, Luca Giancardo, Sunil A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Accelerating door-in-door-out (DIDO) times at primary stroke centers (PSCs) for patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke transferred for possible endovascular stroke therapy (EVT) is important to optimize outcomes. Here, we assess whether automated LVO detection coupled with secure communication at non-EVT performing PSCs improves DIDO time and increases the proportion of patients receiving EVT after transfer.

METHODS: From our prospectively collected multicenter registry, we identified patients with LVO acute ischemic stroke that presented to one of 7 PSCs in the Greater Houston area from January 1, 2021, to February 27, 2022. Noncontrast computed tomography and computed …

Diagnosing Autism In Adults: Clinically Focused Recommendations, Antonio F Pagán, Daniel D Flint, Katherine A Loveland

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Autism is sometimes missed in childhood and can be associated with co-occurring conditions (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or anxiety) and lower quality of life in adulthood. The present paper seeks to provide concise and up-to-date information for practicing clinicians who are tasked with evaluating potentially autistic adults who were not diagnosed in childhood. For assessments of autism, practicing clinicians should consider many factors in adults, including "masking" symptoms, sex or gender differences, and family reports of developmental history when available. Treatment providers should tailor their interventions to include psychoeducation about autism symptoms for newly diagnosed autistic adults. Clinicians should utilize a …

Cross-Cohort Replicable Resting-State Functional Connectivity In Predicting Symptoms And Cognition Of Schizophrenia, Chunzhi Zhao, Rongtao Jiang, Juan Bustillo, Peter Kochunov, Jessica A Turner, Chuang Liang, Zening Fu, Daoqiang Zhang, Shile Qi, Vince D Calhoun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating mental illness characterized by adolescence or early adulthood onset of psychosis, positive and negative symptoms, as well as cognitive impairments. Despite a plethora of studies leveraging functional connectivity (FC) from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to predict symptoms and cognitive impairments of SZ, the findings have exhibited great heterogeneity. We aimed to identify congruous and replicable connectivity patterns capable of predicting positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive impairments in SZ. Predictable functional connections (FCs) were identified by employing an individualized prediction model, whose replicability was further evaluated across three independent cohorts (BSNIP, SZ …

Treatments Perceived To Be Helpful For Neuropathic Pain After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Thomas N Bryce, Chung-Ying Tsai, Andrew D Delgado, Sara J Mulroy, Abigail Welch, Diana D Cardenas, Heather B Taylor, Elizabeth R Felix

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perceived helpfulness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and their combinations for neuropathic pain (NeuP) and subcategories of NeuP after spinal cord injury (SCI).

SETTING: Six Spinal Cord Injury Model System Centers.

METHODS: Three hundred ninety one individuals at least one year post traumatic SCI were enrolled. A telephone survey was conducted to determine the pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments used in the last 12 months for each participant's three worst pains, whether these treatments were "helpful", and if currently used, each treatments' effectiveness.

RESULTS: Two hundred twenty participants (56%) reported 354 distinct NeuPs. Pharmacological …

Alteration In Resting-State Brain Activity In Stroke Survivors After Repetitive Finger Stimulation, Dorothy He, William A Sikora, Shirley A James, Jordan N Williamson, Louis V Lepak, Carolyn F Cheema, Evgeny Sidorov, Sheng Li, Yuan Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: This quasi-experimental study examined the effect of repetitive finger stimulation on brain activation in eight stroke and seven control subjects, measured by quantitative electroencephalogram.

Methods: We applied 5 mins of 2-Hz repetitive bilateral index finger transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and compared differences pre- and post-transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation using quantitative electroencephalogram metrics delta/alpha ratio and delta-theta/alpha-beta ratio.

Results: Between-group differences before and after stimulation were significantly different in the delta/alpha ratio ( z = -2.88, P = 0.0040) and the delta-theta/alpha-beta ratio variables ( z = -3.90 with P < 0.0001). Significant decrease in the delta/alpha ratio and delta-theta/alpha-beta ratio variables after the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was detected only in the stroke group (delta/alpha ratio diff = 3.87, P = 0.0211) (delta-theta/alpha-beta ratio diff = 1.19, P = 0.0074).

Conclusions: The decrease in quantitative electroencephalogram metrics in the stroke …

Tofacitinib For The Treatment Of Refractory Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Immune Nephritis, Kiran Shivaraj, Amanda Tchakarov, Yanlan Dong, Jamie S Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated immune nephritis or acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is one of the rare but known complication of ICI therapy. Guidelines recommend treatment of ICI-associated AIN with steroids, then TNF-alpha inhibitor infliximab. However, some cases are refractory to these therapies, potentially due to insufficient cytokine blockade. This is the first case where a 65-year-old female with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, requiring high maintenance doses of steroids for immune nephritis was treated with tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. Tofacitinib enabled successful steroid tapering and might be a therapy option for refractory immune nephritis.

Toward A Politics Of Care: Southeast Asian Refugee Organizing, Kinship, Care, And Reunion, James Huỳnh, Victoria Huỳnh, Mads Lê, Sheila Sy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

From a critical refugee studies orientation, our article redefines care within the context of myriad forms of state violence impacting Southeast Asian post-war refugee communities. Research reveals how harm is compounded at every step of Southeast Asian refugee journeys: war, forced displacement, resettlement, family separation, inherited health conditions, and generational trauma. How do we reckon with refugee trauma without conceding to it as an unchangeable fact of our lives? What knowledge might we gain by attending to the everyday work of survival in refugee communities? To answer these questions, the authors conceptualize care through (a) abolitionist organizing, (b) queer kinship …

Endovascular Thrombectomy Versus Intravenous Thrombolysis Of Posterior Cerebral Artery Occlusion Stroke, Silja Räty, Thanh N Nguyen, Simon Nagel, Davide Strambo, Patrik Michel, Christian Herweh, Muhammad M Qureshi, Mohamad Abdalkader, Pekka Virtanen, Marta Olive-Gadea, Marc Ribo, Marios Psychogios, Anh Nguyen, Joji B Kuramatsu, David Haupenthal, Martin Köhrmann, Cornelius Deuschl, Jordi Kühne Escolà, Jelle Demeestere, Robin Lemmens, Lieselotte Vandewalle, Shadi Yaghi, Liqi Shu, Volker Puetz, Daniel P O Kaiser, Johannes Kaesmacher, Adnan Mujanovic, Dominique Cornelius Marterstoc, Tobias Engelhorn, Anne Berberich, Piers Klein, Diogo C Haussen, Mahmoud H Mohammaden, Hend Abdelhamid, Isabel Fragata, Bruno Cunha, Michele Romoli, Wei Hu, Jianlon Song, Johanna T Fifi, Stavros Matsoukas, Sunil A Sheth, Sergio A Salazar-Marioni, João Pedro Marto, João Nuno Ramos, Milena Miszczuk, Christoph Riegler, Sven Poli, Khouloud Poli, Ashutosh P Jadhav, Shashvat Desai, Volker Maus, Maximilian Kaeder, Adnan H Siddiqui, Andre Monteiro, Tatu Kokkonen, Francesco Diana, Hesham E Masoud, Neil Suryadareva, Maxim Mokin, Shail Thanki, Pauli Ylikotila, Kemal Alpay, James E Siegler, Italo Linfante, Guilherme Dabus, Dileep Yavaghal, Vasu Saini, Christian H Nolte, Eberhart Siebert, Markus A Möhlenbruch, Peter A Ringleb, Raul G Nogueira, Uta Hanning, Lukas Meyer, Urs Fischer, Daniel Strbian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: Posterior cerebral artery occlusion (PCAo) can cause long-term disability, yet randomized controlled trials to guide optimal reperfusion strategy are lacking. We compared the outcomes of PCAo patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) with or without intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) to patients treated with IVT alone.

Methods: From the multicenter retrospective Posterior cerebraL ArTery Occlusion (PLATO) registry, we included patients with isolated PCAo treated with reperfusion therapy within 24 hours of onset between January 2015 and August 2022. The primary outcome was the distribution of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3 months. Other outcomes comprised 3-month excellent (mRS …

Obstacles To Optimal Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration To Eligible Patients, Kara M Rood, Lynda G Ugwu, William A Grobman, Jennifer L Bailit, Ronald J Wapner, Michael W Varner, John M Thorp, Steve N Caritis, Alan T N Tita, George R Saade, Dwight J Rouse, Sean C Blackwell, Jorge E Tolosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background

Administration of antenatal corticosteroids (ANCS) is recommended for individuals expected to deliver between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation. Properly timed administration of ANCS achieves maximal benefit. However, more than 50% of individuals receive ANCS outside the recommended window.

Objective

To examine maternal and hospital factors associated with suboptimal receipt of ANCS among individuals who deliver between 24–34 weeks gestation.

Study Design

Secondary analysis of the Assessment of Perinatal Excellence (APEX), an observational study of births to 115,502 individuals at 25 hospitals in the US from March 2008–February 2011. Data from 3123 individuals who gave birth to a non-anomalous …