Michigan City Research Articles

Optimizing suction force in mechanical thrombectomy: Priming the aspiration tubing with air versus saline.

We sought to investigate how priming the tube between air versus air mixed with saline ex vivo influenced suction force. We examined how priming the tube influenced peak suction force and time to achieve peak suction force between both modalities. Using a Dwyer Instruments (Dwyer Instruments Inc., Michigan City, IN, USA), INC Digitial Pressure Gauge, we were able to connect a .072 inch aspiration catheter to a rotating hemostatic valve and to aspiration tubing. We recorded suction force measured in negative inches of Mercury (inHg) over 10 iterations between having the aspiration tube primed with air alone versus air mixed with saline. A test was used to compare results between both modalities. Priming the tube with air alone compared to air mixed with saline was found to have an increased average max suction force (-28.60 versus -28.20 in HG, p<0.01). We also identified a logarithmic curve of suction force across time in which time to maximal suction force was more prompt with air compared with air mixed with saline (13.8 seconds versus 21.60 seconds, p<0.01). Priming the tube with air compared to air mixed with saline suggests that not only is increased maximal suction force achieved, but also the time required to achieve maximal suction force is less. This data suggests against priming the aspiration tubing with saline and suggests that the first pass aspiration primed with air may have the greatest suction force.

Investigating mercury in road sediment in Michigan City, Indiana: A new type of environmental pollution record

Mercury (Hg) is well recognized as a toxic heavy metal known to detrimentally impact the health of humans and wildlife. A common source of Hg pollution is coal combustion emissions associated with energy generation. This study takes the novel approach of using road sediment to assess the presence, distribution, and concentrations of Hg in the environment. Here, the spatial distribution of Hg in road sediment is also evaluated relative to the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) Generating Station in Michigan City, Indiana, U.S.—a coal-burning power plant. Given that NIPSCO plans to decommission the plant by 2028, this data provides a baseline for evaluating Hg concentrations in the local environment and for future assessment of environmental recovery from legacy pollution and/or impacts of pollution redistribution associated with site redevelopment. Our data reveal an average concentration of 6.8 (µg/kg) of Hg and a range from 1.5 µg/kg to 28.5 µg/kg in road sediment samples (n = 42). Across the ∼53 km2 study area, the overall distribution of Hg is patchy and irregular spatially, however, higher concentrations are more proximal to the coal plant and are generally consistent with prevailing wind directions. Other significant Hg inputs are present in the region although, specifically two major areas of steel manufacturing located to the west of Michigan City and broadening the scope of sampling may be an essential next step. However, this investigation demonstrates that road sediment may be an effective medium for investigating Hg pollution in the environment globally.

Como Lo Hicimos: The Success of Latino/a Businesses in Michigan

Using data from the same oral history interviews used by Coronado and Martinez (2018), this study describes the success of some Latino businesses operating in Michigan. It is based on interviews with 32 Latino and Latina business owners (LBOs) conducted by researchers at the Julian Samora Research Institute (JSRI) at Michigan State University from 2011 to 2012 in three Michigan cities: Saginaw, Lansing, and Metro Detroit. This study describes the ways and means by which these business owners started their businesses and the success and possible expansion of their activities at the time of the interviews. Almost all had humble start-up operations, relied on their own or family savings, had relatives who owned or operated a business, lacked access to formal financial markets, and had limited knowledge about government programs supporting small businesses. Success was based on hard work and persistence, the pursuit of opportunities, and the use of technology. Most give back to their communities and have expansion plans, either by securing government funds or bank loans.

Fear, Risk, and Local Control: Testing the Generality of Ferraro’s Risk Interpretation Framework

This study tests whether fear of victimization manifests in the same way across macro level contexts by drawing on Ferraro’s risk interpretation framework. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the invariance of the risk interpretation framework across a sample of weighted survey data drawn from three Michigan cities. Results indicated that the framework operated in a theoretically invariant manner across city samples by way of measurement and structural invariance. This demonstrates the framework’s generality by highlighting its ability to consistently explain fear of victimization at a macro level across three city samples. Accordingly, investing in risk communication strategies targeted at improving perceptions at a macro level may be transferable and useful in moderating fear of victimization.

Community Engagement in Crime Reduction Strategies: A Tale of Three Cities

Violent crimes in the United States rose for the first time in four years in 2020 (FBI, 2020). The typical and seeming logical response by communities and their police departments is to dispatch more officers to areas of criminal activity. But crime data tracked over the years shows that ‘overpolicing’ isn’t an effective tool at lessening crime rates, can be a strain on budgets, and can heighten tense relationships between police and community members. In this research, we test a community-engaged participatory research approach that combines crime data, design, and engagement in developing the needed policies, tools, and strategies for crime prevention in three medium-sized cities in Michigan. This innovative approach enabled action-oriented recommendations for neighborhood improvements that were grounded in the needs, issues, and concerns of each city. Our data collection approach was an iterative process, whereby data collected at one phase informed data collected in subsequent phases. While our crime data were collected between 2017-2019, our findings showed that bringing residents and stakeholders together with decision-makers and experts can be an effective tool to address environmental design and crime prevention policies especially in the postpolice defunding era. Additionally, successful crime prevention should be based on social programs and physical improvements to the built environment that are unique to the city. In summary, this participatory approach offers non-police driven crime prevention strategies and allows community members an opportunity to drive these strategies.

Blood Lead Testing in Flint Before and After Water Contamination.

Lead is a neurotoxicant that negatively affects health. Reducing lead exposure and early detection among children are important public health goals. Our objective with this study was to determine if the September 2015 lead advisory in Flint, Michigan affected lead testing among children when possible exposure was widely publicized. This study included 206 001 children born in Michigan from 2013 to 2015 and enrolled in Medicaid, using 2013 to 2017 claims data to determine if and at what age an individual received a lead test. Difference-in-differences regression models were used to compare the receipt of lead tests among children in Flint with other cities in Michigan before and after September 2015, when a lead advisory was issued for the city warning about potential exposure to lead in publicly supplied water. Before the lead advisory, approximately 50% of children in Flint received a lead test by 12 months of age and nearly 75% received a lead test by 24 months of age. After the September 2015 advisory, the receipt of lead tests among children in Flint increased 10 percentage points by 12 months compared with other cities. Effects by 10-month cohorts, as of 2016, revealed a 20-percentage-point increase for children in Flint compared with other cities. Despite a highly publicized lead advisory, children in Flint enrolled in Medicaid received lead tests earlier, but the proportion of Medicaid-eligible children who were tested did not change. This suggests that increasing lead testing is a difficult policy goal to achieve and, therefore, supports recent efforts focusing on primary prevention to reduce lead exposure.

An association between historical redlining and road, rail, and air transportation noise today among eleven cities in Michigan, USA

An association between historical redlining and road, rail, and air transportation noise today among eleven cities in Michigan, USA

Bacterial and viral fecal indicator predictive modeling at three Great Lakes recreational beach sites

Coliphage are viruses that infect Escherichia coli (E. coli) and may indicate the presence of enteric viral pathogens in recreational waters. There is an increasing interest in using these viruses for water quality monitoring and forecasting; however, the ability to use statistical models to predict the concentrations of coliphage, as often done for cultured fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) such as enterococci and E. coli, has not been widely assessed. The same can be said for FIB genetic markers measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods. Here we institute least-angle regression (LARS) modeling of previously published concentrations of cultured FIB (E. coli, enterococci) and coliphage (F+, somatic), along with newly reported genetic concentrations measured via qPCR for E. coli, enterococci, and general Bacteroidales. We develop site-specific models from measures taken at three beach sites on the Great Lakes (Grant Park, South Milwaukee, WI; Edgewater Beach, Cleveland, OH; Washington Park, Michigan City, IN) to investigate the efficacy of a statistical predictive modeling approach. Microbial indicator concentrations were measured in composite water samples collected five days per week over a beach season (∼15 weeks). Model predictive performance (cross-validated standardized root mean squared error of prediction [SRMSEP] and R2PRED) were examined for seven microbial indicators (using log10 concentrations) and water/beach parameters collected concurrently with water samples. Highest predictive performance was seen for qPCR-based enterococci and Bacteroidales models, with F+ coliphage consistently yielding poor performing models. Influential covariates varied by microbial indicator and site. Antecedent rainfall, bird abundance, wave height, and wind speed/direction were most influential across all models. Findings suggest that some fecal indicators may be more suitable for water quality forecasting than others at Great Lakes beaches.

Making an American Opera Career: Conductor May Valentine (1890–1974) and a Woman's Role(s) in the Business of Opera

Making an American Opera Career: Conductor May Valentine (1890–1974) and a Woman's Role(s) in the Business of Opera

Categorization of plastic debris on sixty-six beaches of the Laurentian Great Lakes, North America

The Laurentian Great Lakes system is a major global sink for plastic debris. An area of 10 m2 on each of sixty-six Great Lakes beaches was sampled for large micro-, meso- and macroplastic items. A total of 21 592 plastic items were collected and categorized. Pre-production plastic pellets were the most abundant debris type, accounting for 58.3% of the total count. The remaining 42.7% of the debris items are the focus of this study. Detailed, multi-step characterization was performed with the plastics being categorized using physical identification, known usage, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Values of 805.5 items m−2 at Baxter Beach in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, and 688.1 items m−2 at Bronte Beach in Oakville, Ontario, Canada are the highest of all sampling locations. Sampling sites on only three beaches contained no plastic debris: Bay City in Michigan, U.S.A., Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. and Pebble Beach in Marathon, Ontario, Canada. The plastic items sampled were mainly large microplastics (68.4% of total) with a total of 1477.5 items m−2, followed by mesoplastics (27.3% of total) with 598.8 items m−2, and macroplastics (4.3% of total) with 91.9 items m−2. By mass, the microplastic fraction accounted for 25.61 g m2 (14.1%), the mesoplastic for 47.06 g m2 (25.9%), and macroplastic for 109.3 g m2 (60.1%). A total of 3004 items were determined as specific polymers based on physical properties, known polymer usage, Resin Identification Code, and FTIR. A total of 1227 plastic items (40.8% of total) were identified as expanded polystyrene. The 49 most common items, excluding pellets, were scored using a matrix scoring technique to determine their potential general origin. It was determined that these items mostly originated from shoreline and urban sources, whereas pellets originated from the plastics industry.

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Exposure to Pesticide Residues in Nectar and Pollen in Urban and Suburban Environments from Four Regions of the United States.

The risk of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) exposure to pesticide residues while foraging for nectar and pollen is commonly explored in the context of agroecosystems. However, pesticides are also used in urban and suburban areas for vegetation management, vector control, and the management of ornamental plants in public and private landscapes. The extent to which pesticides pose a health risk to honey bees in these settings remains unclear. We addressed this at a landscape scale by conducting pesticide residue screening analyses on 768 nectar and 862 pollen samples collected monthly over 2 years from honey bee colonies located in urban and suburban areas in eight medium to large cities in California, Florida, Michigan, and Texas (USA). A risk assessment was performed using the US Environmental Protection Agency's BeeREX model whenever an oral toxicity value was available for a compound. Chemical analyses detected 17 pesticides in nectar and 60 in pollen samples during the survey. Approximately 73% of all samples contained no detectable pesticide residues. Although the number of detections varied among the sampled regions, fewer pesticides were detected in nectar than in pollen. Per BeeREX, four insecticides showed a potential acute risk to honey bees: imidacloprid, chlorpyrifos, and esfenvalerate in nectar, and deltamethrin in nectar and pollen. In general, exposure of honey bees to pesticides via nectar and pollen collection was low in urban and suburban areas across the United States, and no seasonal or spatial trends were evident. Our data suggest that honey bees are exposed to fewer pesticides in developed areas than in agricultural ones. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:991-1003. © 2022 SETAC.

Investigation of Total Concentration of Mercury in Road Sediment in Michigan City, Indiana: A New Type of Environmental Record of Pollution and Complexities

Investigation of Total Concentration of Mercury in Road Sediment in Michigan City, Indiana: A New Type of Environmental Record of Pollution and Complexities

Dr. Kim Scipes: Building a Network of Compassion in a World Waiting to Be United

In his career, Dr. Kim Scipes has been globally active in the labor movement for almost 40 years and has published over 240 articles and book reviews. Additionally, Dr. Scipes has authored four books, three of which were completed while Dr. Scipes taught at PNW (the first two while he was teaching four courses a semester); his publication list is accessible via: https://www.pnw.edu/faculty/kim-scipes-ph-d/publications/, a listing that strongly illustrates his impressive range of work and dedication to advancing knowledge not just for the university, but for the world. Dr. Scipes’ Sociology 404 course (Environment and Social Justice) gives students a sociological look at the social interaction between human beings and their physical environment, and provides theoretical frameworks to understanding society and approaching the subject globally. The course presents pressing issues both from Northwest Indiana and around the world. Dr. Scipes is an active member of OUR MC (Organized and United Residents of Michigan City), and has helped some of his former students establish PARC (Politics, Art, Root and Culture); both organizations aim to build a more informed, engaged, and inclusive community. Through these organizations, Dr. Scipes has helped continue integrating his students and the community with many of the important concepts discussed in his courses; through PARC, he has even connected students from his “People’s Mobilization and Social Power” course (SOC 406) with the founders to discuss community-based organizations, which has had a collectively profound impact on students and the community. At the end of Dr. Scipes’ SOC 404 course in 2016, Dr. Scipes’ students got together for a panel discussion on energy, population and consumption, deforestation, and climate change, inspired by the course. The event was covered by local media (an article about the event can be access via: https://www.nwitimes.com/news/education/students-tell-of-profits-environmental-costs/article_428234e8-e0cf-5280-8d8a-1cb67038856a.html) and helped spark important conversations in the community.

1004. Cladophora in Lake Michigan May Serve as Important Reservoirs for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

BackgroundCladophora is a green algae, native to the Great Lakes, and found in large quantities along Lake Michigan shorelines. Previous studies have shown that Cladophora provide protection and nutrients for the Enterobacteriaceae (Ent) family, allowing persistence and regrowth. Chicago waterways harbor concerning antibiotic-resistant (AR) Ent, however the community reservoirs are unknown. Our primary objective was to assess whether Cladophora harbor AR Ent and to secondarily assess AR Ent in local beach waters where Cladophora are present. Figure 1. Map of Lake Michigan showing sites (S1-S3) where Cladophora samples were collected. NB, North Beach, Racine, Wisconsin; Michigan City, Indiana; PL, Portage Lakefront, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana. Figure 2. Map of Lake Michigan showing sites (S4-S7) where beach surface water samples were obtained. Montrose, Foster, 63rd St, & Calumet beaches in Chicago, Illinois.MethodsCladophora were processed from three Indiana Lake Michigan sites (S1 and S2; Fig 1) in 2002 and 2012 (S3; Fig 1) at the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station (Chesterton, IN). In 2015, surface water samples were obtained by the USGS at four Chicago beaches (S4-S7; Fig 2), which also amass Cladophora. Bacteria were isolated shortly after collection. In 2019-2020, Ent were cultivated and susceptibilities were performed at Rush.ResultsIn 2002-2003 (S1 and S2), 160 E. coli were cultured from Cladophora. There was AR to multiple classes, highest overall in tetracyclines (7.5%, range 6.2%-18.7%), cefoxitin (8%), and cefazolin (5.6%). Resistance to cefuroxime was 0.6%. Four Salmonella isolates from 2012 (S3) were pan-susceptible, while two Citrobacter isolates were resistant to penicillins, 1st and 2nd generation cephalosporins, and cephamycins. Beach surface water samples from 2015 revealed more pronounced AR in E. coli (n=185) involving multiple classes, including highest in ampicillin (12.4%), tetracyclines (8.1%); piperacillin (7%); cefazolin (3.8%), cephamycins (3.2%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (2.7%). Resistance to 3rd-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole ranged from 0.5-2%. AR Ent varied by beach site with highest percentages at S4, the only site with an associated dog beach. ConclusionThese findings suggest that Cladophora in recreational waterways may serve as reservoirs for AR Ent. Differences in AR Ent at beach sites may reflect varying degrees of fecal contamination. Identifying community reservoirs is key to better understanding the acquisition of antibiotic resistant Ent among healthy populations and has long-term ecological and public health implications.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Stratigraphic and sedimentologic investigation of collapse features in the Mount Baldy Dune in the Indiana Dunes National Park

Mount Baldy dune is one of the largest active eolian dunes along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and a famous tourist attraction within the Indiana Dunes National Park. It is an anthropogenically disturbed landform where restoration efforts include native beach-grass plantings and restricted foot traffic. In July 2013, a 6-year-old boy was buried more than 3 m below the dune stoss surface after falling into a hole, or “collapse feature.” While previous work indicated that holes formed through the decay of buried oak trees (Quercus spp.), neither the origin of this hole in relation to the dune’s stratigraphy nor its significance as a potential geological hazard were understood. Groundpenetrating radar, sediment cores, and radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dates were collected to define sedimentary packages and facies, and interpret the dune’s depositional history. The data show that an alongshore migrating coastal dune field stabilized ∼3000 ya atop backbarrier lagoonal deposits. Modern Mount Baldy evolved as sands were mobilized and transported onshore over the relict dune field, triggered by ongoing downdrift coastal erosion related to the development of the Michigan City Harbor. The internal architecture of the dune reveals how the topography of the forested landscape, now buried beneath the modern dune form, contributes to variations in the thickness of the upper dune package, controlling the relation of buried and decayed trees to the surface of the stoss slope. The data on sand thicknesses, were used with maps and aerial photographs to create a geohazard map of the dune.

Examining the immediate effects of COVID-19 on residential and commercial burglaries in Michigan: An interrupted time-series analysis

PurposeResearch assessing the relationship between COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and crime is growing. Attention to the nuances of burglary and intra-state variation in lockdown restrictions has received less attention. The current study contributes to this ongoing body of research by investigating the relationship between COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and burglary across four cities in Michigan. MethodWe use an interrupted time-series design to analyze weekly counts of residential and non-residential burglary from 2018 to 2020 in four Michigan cities: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. ResultsFindings demonstrate that the relationship between the lockdown and weekly counts of burglary vary by the type of burglary and the city being analyzed. Residential burglaries in half of the sampled cities declined during the Michigan lockdown order. Commercial burglaries increased during the lockdown order in only one of the four cities examined. ConclusionsCity-wide crime trends following lockdown orders during the pandemic are not shared equally and vary according to the type of burglary under examination. In studying the effects of COVID-19 on crime, researchers should account for crime- and city-specific dynamics which may influence crime trends. Further, practitioners and policymakers should consider the impact of similar lockdown orders on burglary trends during public health emergencies.

Mapping diabetes burden by school-district for school-based diabetes prevention interventions in selected cities in Michigan, USA.

To decrease diabetes morbidity and mortality rates, early interventions are needed to change lifestyles that are often cemented early, making school-based interventions important. However, with limited resources and lack of within-county diabetes data, it is difficult to determine which local areas require intervention. To identify at-risk school districts, this study mapped diabetes prevalence and related deaths by school district using geographic information systems (GIS). The 2010-2014 records of diabetes-related deaths were identified for 13 cities in Michigan, USA. Diabetes prevalence was estimated using the weighted average of population by school district from the '500 Cities Project' of the Centres of Disease Control and prevention (CDC). Prevalence and mortality rates were mapped by school district and the correlation between diabetes prevalence and mortality rate analysed using the Spearman's rank correlation. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) were calculated using a 75-year endpoint. The result indicated there were geographic variations in diabetes prevalence, mortality and YPLL across Michigan. Most census tracts in the cities of Detroit, Flint and downtown Grand Rapids had higher diabetes prevalence and mortality rate with rs (628)=0.52, P<0.005. School districts with high mortality rates also had high prevalence with rs (13)=0.72, P=0.002. Flint City School District showed a higher rate of diabetes prevalence, death and YPLL than others and should thus be considered a priority for diabetes prevention interventions. Using school districts as the geographic spatial unit of analysis, we identified local variation in diabetes burden for targeting school-based diabetes prevention interventions.

Markets in Municipal Code: The Case of Michigan Cities

Food’s place on the urban, municipal agenda has become an increasing focus in the emergent fields of food policy and food planning, whose leaders argue that food needs to be more explicitly added to the urban agenda. Yet, public food markets are a food system activity that municipal governments have been long engaged in. Reports from leading health, planning, and food organizations assert that farmers markets—the dominant form of public retail food markets in the US today—should be explicitly included in zoning and other municipal codes to ensure that they can be created and sustained. Despite their popularity as a local sustainable food system and healthy food access strategy, it is unclear whether markets have been codified through municipalities’ planning and policy instruments, and research has largely not addressed this topic. This study aims to elicit whether markets have been codified into law, focusing on US municipal charters, codes and zoning ordinances, using Michigan, an upper Midwest state, as a case. After analyzing municipal documents to determine whether and where markets have been codified into law in ninety Michigan cities, this study concludes that markets are highly underrepresented in municipal policy, rarely defined in code, and mostly absent from zoning ordinances, even among those cities with currently operating markets. Market presence in code is, however, associated with the presence of historically operated markets. These findings raise questions about why markets are missing from codified food policy and what risks this poses to the future of markets. They also highlight the need to better document the market sector and underline the importance of including historic perspectives when examining the efficacy of current food policy efforts.

Response to Local Financial Emergencies in Michigan: A New Public Management Perspective

The study draws on the new public management (NPM) scholarship to investigate the financial emergencies in Michigan cities. The study examines the circumstances under which the state government of ...

Virtualizing soil science field trips

AbstractIn response to the coronavirus pandemic in the fall of 2020, we created hybrid–virtual or fully virtual field trips to replace in‐person field trips in two courses. For an introductory soil science course with 178 students enrolled, we used a narrative format supported by 360° ground‐level and drone photos, newspaper articles, videos, websites, and landscape diagrams. After reading the narratives, the students took a quiz and then visited the sites (public parks near campus) on their own. For the advanced pedology course with seven students enrolled, a virtual trip replaced an all‐day field trip that travels a 100‐mile route from West Lafayette to Michigan City, IN. The virtual trip was created within the Soil Explorer platform and consists of &gt;50 points of interest (POIs) overlayed on detailed soil maps. Each POI includes relevant information about the soils, agriculture, geology, geomorphology, or history at that point. At two POIs students examined four or five soils along two transects by filling in worksheets using the official series descriptions. Learning was facilitated by a study guide. Effectiveness was assessed by anonymous surveys. Students found the hybrid–virtual or fully virtual field trips informative, interesting, enjoyable, and appropriate given the pandemic. For the introductory class, 42% preferred a virtual field trip format, 39% preferred an in‐person format, and 19% were neutral. In the advanced class there was with a clear preference for in‐person field trips.