MFA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

Strategies, systems, experiences and services are part of the new challenges faced today by design students and designers. These challenges include shifting audiences with specific needs due to the broad offer of services and products that often create new needs. These needs include limited resources, sustainable solutions with low environmental impact, and production costs. Besides, there is a great demand for multidisciplinary designers that are able to generate and perform ideas in a co-creation environment. An approach to meeting these challenges can include an open-ended, scaffolded brainstorming process. This might involve design students and designers, instead of advancing towards potential solutions from an unstructured ideation process. Structured methods have many benefits such as collaboration between teammates, ordered and constructive creative sessions as well as increased efficiency. One structured method that has found a place inside classrooms across the world is the Deconstructive discourse, in the areas of philosophy, linguistics, architecture, and others. This paper describes the process, and findings of building a creative framework based on the Deconstructive discourse and its implications in the learning process of design students. Deconstruction provides a structured way of analyzing complex problems. An example of successful application of Deconstructionist theories in design education is the academic work of Cranbrook Academy of Art. In the late 1980 and early 1990s under the direction of Katherine McCoy, Graphic Design students explored the semantics and syntax of their. This demonstrated the importance and the value of the Deconstructive discourse in the studio classroom. As a result, its use as a critical tool it exposed the gap between sign and meaning in the context of culture. This research follows the definition of Deconstruction as a mode of questioning stereotypes, traditional ideas and popular views by comparing them and exploit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sanda Katila MFA (Advisor); Tameka Ellington PhD (Committee Member); Gretchen Rinnert MFA (Committee Member); Jessica Barness MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Education; Linguistics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Chemical Engineering

The ill effects of climate change are unfolding in real time, as species and ecosystems face irreversible destruction. Climate action is needed now more than ever, as ambitious targets set by the Paris Agreement seem far-reaching in the wake of global average temperatures above 1.5C over their pre-industrial levels recorded over a continuous 12 month period for the first time. Countries, organizations, and companies alike have pledged to limit their net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the environment to zero, via nationally determined contributions and corporate net-zero commitments. Such commitments remain unattainable in the absence of guidance like convergent carbon accounting methods, systems models, and roadmapping frameworks. This dissertation seeks to bridge this gap for the chemicals and materials industry (CMI). The chemical industry generates the “hardest to abate” emissions among the industrial sector due to the fixed carbon content of its products. However, as chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen and methanol gain prominence as solutions to the intermittency issues of renewable energy, the net-zero transition of chemicals becomes tied to the net-zero goals of more expansive and ubiquitous industries such as the power sector. The decarbonization of chemicals to this end, requires estimation of material and carbon flows, and baseline emissions of its current global operations. The frameworks in literature lack appropriate structure and comprehensiveness for such analysis, and relevant process and price data are inaccessible and cost prohibitive. We therefore develop an inventory of first principle based, mass balance compliant, publicly available process and cost data for CMI processes, sourced from the public domain. We devise a regression framework capable of handling conflict ridden data, and an algorithm to map resource, intermediate, product, and emission flows of any chemical system with known product capacities. The resulting Global (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik Bakshi (Advisor); Joel Paulson (Committee Member); Lisa Hall (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Climate Change; Energy; Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Technology

Master of Science in Renewable and Clean Energy Engineering (MSRCE), Wright State University, 2017, Renewable and Clean Energy

People understand and have seen that renewable energy has many advantages over conventional energy sources. Because of these advantages, more and more emphasis has been given to generating electrical energy with renewable sources. Among the many renewable and conventional ways currently available for a society to generate electrical power, wind turbines are one of the cheapest ways of doing this. The main objective of this thesis work is to develop a computer program that assesses the wind resource at a given location, designs a wind turbine rotor for optimum power capture for one wind speed, and analyzes the performance of this designed rotor over a range of wind speeds. A key output of this computer program is the energy that a wind turbine can produce over a one year period, at a given location. Many other results are produced by this newly developed computer program as well. This computer program allows for three different air foil types to be used on a single blade. Using more than one airfoil type along a single blade is necessary for good performance of larger diameter wind turbines. While the computer model developed for this thesis work is applicable to any location, any elevation, and any time period; results are produced for only one location and one hub height. The location studied is Eaton, Ohio and the hub height is 70 meters above the ground. Plots and single numbers that describe the Eaton wind resource are presented. A 20-meter radius wind turbine rotor is designed using three NREL S-series airfoils along the length of each blade of a three-bladed wind turbine rotor. For the root section of the blade a S818 airfoil is used, for the primary section of the blade a S816 airfoil is used, and for the tip section of the blade a S817 airfoil is used. A couple of design parameters are surveyed along with one operational parameter.

Committee: James A. Menart Ph.D. (Advisor); Hong Huang Ph.D. (Committee Member); Zifeng Yang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Alternative Energy; Mechanical Engineering; Mechanics

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Civil Engineering

With the implementation of load and resistance factor design (LRFD) by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the design of deep foundations is migrating from Level I (e.g., allowable stress design) codes to Level II codes (e.g., LRFD). Nevertheless, there are still unsolved issues regarding the implementation of load and resistance factor design. For example, there is no generally accepted guidance on the statistical characterization of soil properties. Moreover, the serviceability limit check in LRFD is still deterministic. No uncertainties arising in soil properties, loads and design criteria are taken into account in the implementation of LRFD. In current practice, the load factors and resistances are taken as unity, and deterministic models are applied to evaluate the displacements of geotechnical structures. In order to address the aforementioned issues of LRFD, there is a need for a computational method for conducting reliability analysis and computational tools for statistically characterizing the variability of soil properties. The objectives of this research are: 1) to develop a mathematically sound computational tool for conducting reliability analysis for deep foundations; and 2) to develop the associated computational method that can be used to determine the variability model of a soil property. To achieve consistency between the strength limit check and the serviceability limit check of the LRFD framework, performance-based design methodology is developed for deep foundation design. In the proposed methodology, the design criteria are defined in terms of the displacements of the structure that are induced by external loads. If the displacements are within the specified design criteria, the design is considered satisfactory. Otherwise, failure is said to occur. In order to calculate the probability of failure, Monte Carlo simulation is employed. In Monte Carlo simulation, the variability of the random variables that are involved in the reliability a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Liang Dr. (Advisor); Lan Zhang Dr. (Committee Member); Qindan Huang Dr. (Committee Member); Xiaosheng Gao Dr. (Committee Member); Chien-Chung Chan Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Older people often experience difficulties in performing the activities of daily living. There are two knowledge gaps associated with the problem. First, there is a research void in understanding the relationship between product interface design characteristics and hand dysfunction levels in older populations. Taking jar lids as an example of the product interface as the focus of this study, associations between jar lid design characteristics and the user experiences of older people with hand disability were explored. When investigating jar lid design characteristics, to the best of our knowledge, no prior published research specifically studied older people who were known to have difficulties opening or closing jar lids or who reported experiencing hand pain around the time of their study participation. Second, methods and tools for making it easier for industrial designers to produce inclusive designs during product design processes are still insufficient. Although there are many Human Factors design assist tools available for designers to use, it has been found that designers seldom consult these established resources. It was recognized that a gap still exists between Human Factors information explorers (e.g. engineering researchers) and information users (e.g. designers). Therefore, the aim of the study was to address knowledge limitations in two important areas by applying Ergonomics and product design research methodologies, in concert, to (1) discover what lid design features can improve the user experience of older people with hand impairment, and (2) discover what concepts of Human Factors design assist tools can satisfy the practical needs of industrial designers when solving design problems, such as jar lids that facilitate opening and closing by a wide range of potential users. Accordingly, there were three phases of research activities included: Phase 1 (“Exploration”) – Exploring different levels of user experiences when interacting with product interf (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carolyn Sommerich PhD (Advisor); Steven Lavender PhD (Committee Member); Sharon Flinn PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Sanders PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Industrial Engineering

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This research aimed to investigate how important it is to embed business education into undergraduate industrial design curriculum and help design students understand the financial aspects of their design ideas, particularly in the areas of cost and profit. To respond to this question, a user-centered design approach was applied to understand design students' perceptions towards business education. Later on, the research findings were synthesized into a list of design requirements for developing a financial assessment tool. After rounds of ideation and looking into other frameworks from business related disciplines, a financial assessment tool was developed. Consequently, this tool was prototyped and piloted in a senior industrial design class in order to test its effectiveness. At last, students who had participated in the experiment evaluated the tool. Their positive feedback proved such methods could be successfully integrated into undergraduate design curriculum and help industrial design students gain a better understanding of the business aspects related to their ideas.

Committee: Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Chair); Steven Doehler M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2023, Civil Engineering

The scope of this paper was to evaluate the impact of annular gap on non-reinforced cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) required liner thickness using the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) Manual of Practice 145 (ASCE MOP 145) equations for comparison against existing North American design, installation, and testing standards for CIPP. ASCE recently released ASCE MOP 145 in 2021 and was intended to supersede the previous non-mandatory design standard Appendix X1 within American Society for Testing and Materials' (ASTM) standard of practice ASTM F1216. Many practitioners still use ASTM F1216 as it is viewed as a more conservative approach, but there is a lack of documentation to suggest this statement is true for all design considerations ASCE MOP 145 considers that ASTM F1216 Appendix X1 does not. One design consideration is for a liner imperfection known as annular gap. ASTM F1216 does not consider annular gap in its design appendix but does refer to the ASTM CIPP testing standard known as ASTM D5813 which limits annular gap to have an outside diameter of the CIPP to be 98 percent of the inside diameter of the host pipe. This results in much larger allowances than the recommended 1 millimeter (mm) per ASCE MOP 145. A sensitivity analysis was performed using ASCE MOP 145 equations varying annular gap, pipe size (8 to 60 inches), and external hydrostatic pressure up to 30 feet to invert to compare to ASTM F1216 Appendix X1 required liner thicknesses and the annular gap allowances discussed. It was found that annular gap allowances suggested in ASTM D5813 typically only can withstand 4 feet of external hydrostatic pressure measured from the invert of the pipe when ASTM F1216 Appendix X1 design equations are used. This is substantially lower than the external hydrostatic pressure typically specified in designs and presents a substantial risk for inadequate design of CIPP. The results did demonstrate that the 1 mm annular gap allowance suggested by ASCE MOP 145 was mor (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Miller (Advisor); William Schneider (Committee Member); David Roke (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Chemical Engineering

Sustainability assessment has become one of the essential tools for process and supply chain design problems to ensure the well-being of future generations. Sustainability assessment methods such as life cycle assessment have been used to identify opportunities for improvement of technologies and help the decision-making process. However, environmental impacts may result in ecological overshoot and shift across space, time, flows, and disciplines. To avoid unintended outcomes due to burden shifting, sustainability assessment methods need to account for ecosystem services, multiple spatial scales, temporal dynamics, multiple flows, and cross-disciplinary effects. This dissertation contributes to advance the methods for sustainability assessment, sustainable process design, and sustainable supply chain design by considering market constraints, climate change effects, and the nexus of multiple flows. Decisions made by approaches that only consider the environmental domain could result in unexpected outcomes due to burden shifting to economic and social domains. For example, the conventional sustainability assessment approaches assume advanced technologies can be adopted by the market due to technological advances. However, the market does not always choose the "best" technology because of market effects, such as market demand and economic resource availability. These unintended consequences could occur through the entire supply chain at multiple spatial scales. In this dissertation, a novel multiscale technology choice modeling framework is introduced to take account of market constraints as a consequential approach for designing engineering processes and supply chain networks. The case study focuses on the installation of new green urea production systems in a watershed where there are limited supplies of resources, such as water and land. This multiscale consequential framework is useful for modeling the substitution effects of emerging technologies while conside (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik Bakshi (Advisor); Jeffrey Bielicki (Committee Member); Sami Khanal (Committee Member); James Rathman (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, English

Using a transdisciplinary, multi-method framework of queer rhetorics paired with kinky empiricism (Rutherford, 2012), this dissertation takes as its central concern the question: How can teachers work with students to invent and orient learning toward queer possibilities without reifying culturally oppressive norms through neoliberal accountability logics? This line of inquiry, established in Chapter 1, orients toward digital and multimodal compositions, which offer rhetorical power within and beyond the classroom. Furthermore, digital media composing, when oriented through queer rhetorics, can be a space for disidentifcation from institutionalized accountability logics and related oppressive systems (Munoz, 1999; Ahmed, 2006). In turn, this project studies assessment practices (Chapter 2), curricular developments (Chapter 3), and pedagogical engagements (Chapter 4) as conduits for queer possibilities in digital media composing classrooms. Chapter 2 troubles current neoliberal accountability logics while tracing counter-histories of assessment. Assessment, a notable concept in education and rhetoric, composition, and digital media studies, is easily positioned and co-opted by neoliberal accountability logics animated by learning outcome regimes. However, by engaging early discussions of assessment ethics, the social justice turn in assessment, and the affect of digital media/multimodal assessment, this project shows assessment can and should be (re)oriented as a tool of queer possibility through an ethic of response-ability. Following the theorization of the opening chapters, the third and fourth chapters are grounded by a practitioner inquiry project (cf. Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 1993; Nichols and Cormack, 2017), which collected and analyzed qualitative data in a digital media composing course. The data, when reviewed using qualitative data analysis methods, materialize and triangulate claims of queer possibilities in digital media composing by accounting fo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Scott DeWitt DA (Committee Chair); Beverly Moss PhD (Committee Member); Christa Teston PhD (Committee Member); Eric Pritchard PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Curriculum Development; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Literacy; Pedagogy; Rhetoric; Teaching; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Chemical Engineering

Sustainable process design (SPD) has employed life cycle assessment (LCA) methods for determining the environmental impact while designing manufacturing technologies. However, deficiencies in LCA propagate to the design problem, resulting in suboptimal solutions. For example, despite the wide use of LCA for environmental profiling, the approach for determining the system boundary continues to be subjective and lacking in mathematical rigor. As a result, life cycle models are often developed in an ad-hoc manner, making it difficult to compare results across different studies. Significant environmental impacts may be inadvertently left out and ensuring inclusion of the most important activities in the selected system boundary is difficult to guarantee. Furthermore, conventional SPD has mostly ignored the supply and limits of ecological system services such as resource availability and pollution remediation among others. Not including flows to and from ecosystems in engineering has resulted in designs that exceed nature's carrying capacity leading to unintended environmental degradation. Studies have already demonstrated that engineering designs incorporating ecosystems can be environmentally and economically superior to conventional techno-centric designs. However, spatial variability of ecosystems has not been considered in these studies. One more significant drawback of SPD is that it does not consider market components such as supply demand elasticities, changing taxes and prices which may have a significant effect on design decisions as well as on the environmental impacts. Conventional LCA directly compares a functional unit of a new technology with a base technology and determines which one is environmentally superior. It does not consider the introduction of this technology into society, its acceptance and the ripple effects that might occur due to such a technology in the real world. Such a problem can be thought of as being analogous to a chemical engin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik R. Bakshi (Advisor) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

MS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

In the recent decade, using vegetation to cover the building envelope is considered as a sustainable construction practice. Green Wall Systems (GWS) are built with multiple layers which are cladded on the bare wall, using different construction materials and a variety of plants, depending on the geographical locations and climatic conditions. However, the complex cladding devices, built using many processed materials, are reported to have high Embodied Energy (EE) and Embodied Carbon (EC), which questions the sustainability of the GWS. Hence, the research focuses on eliminating the multiple layers by designing a new innovative Integrated Green Wall System (IGWS) to reduce the environmental burden associated with GWS. Further, to improve the sustainability of IGWS, the recycling and reuse potential of millions of cubic yards of sediments, dredged to maintain the economic viability of the great lakes, is investigated by fabricating eco-friendly Dredged Material - Cement Bricks (DMCB). Here, the DMCB is formulated using different experimental mixture designs that vary in the cement content (8%, 10% and 12% by weight) and compacted with different compaction pressures (0Mpa, 2Mpa and 4Mpa). Then, the mechanical properties of the DMCB are investigated by performing a compression strength test, water absorption test and freeze-thaw test as specified by ASTM standards. The promising test results demonstrated that a brick with high performance could be produced using the dredge material. Later, a prototype of IGWS is proposed using DMCB. In addition, life cycle assessment performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of IGWS made of DMCB demonstrated 56% and 72.62% reductions in environmental burden profile in comparison with conventional indirect GWS and modular GWS respectively. Moreover, a reduction in environmental profile of 62.67% and 38.99% was observed, when the bare wall (made of clay bricks) in the tradition indirect and modular GWS was replaced with DMCB.

Committee: Rui Liu Dr. (Advisor); Reid Coffman Dr. (Advisor); Adil Sharag-Eldin Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Architecture; Conservation; Design; Ecology; Energy; Landscape Architecture; Materials Science; Sustainability; Urban Planning

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

The aim of this research is to develop a measurement instrument that is valid and reliable, called the Middle School-Life Science Concept Inventory (MS-LSCI), for the purpose of measuring the life science conceptual understanding of middle school-level students. Although there are several existing concept inventories related to biology concepts (i.e. Secondary-Biology Concept Inventory (S-BCI) and Biology Concept Inventory (BCI)), there is no fully developed concept inventory available that collectively measures the major life science concepts covered in middle school classrooms (Klymkowsky, Underwood, & Garvin-Doxas, 2010; Stammen, Lan, Schuchaerdt, Malone, Ding, Sabree, & Boone, 2016). Study one focuses on how data from a multi-panel expert review and student interviews were used in the Middle School-Life Science's (MS-LSCI) item content qualitative validation and iterative refinement process. Of the 50 questions reviewed by the expert panels, 12 items were identified as having content validity concerns. Generally, these content validity concerns fell within two categories: (i) imprecise phrasing and (ii) age inappropriateness. During the student interviews, a total of 26 items were identified as displaying content validity issues. These 26 items fell into one of three categories: (i) imprecise phrasing, (ii) contextual ambiguity, and (iii) formatting/diagrammatic complexity. Using the data from the multi-panel expert review and student interviews, the items with content validity concerns were refined and modified before the items were field tested. Study two describes the MS-LSCI's quantitative validation and item selection process. Specifically, this study focuses on the psychometric functioning of the 60 field-tested MS-LSCI items using Rasch analysis. The results of this development, refinement, and evaluation process suggest that the 25-item MS-LSCI is a valid instrument in that the items appear to be unidimensional, item and person measures display (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Irving (Committee Chair); Kathy Malone (Advisor); William Boone (Committee Member); Sabree Zakee (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Education; Educational Tests and Measurements; Science Education; Secondary Education; Teaching

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Communication and Information

The new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL, 2016) highlights the ability to synthesize ideas from multiple sources of information as one of the key knowledge practices as students navigate an increasingly complex information landscape. With the introduction of this new document, there is a strong need for evidence-based guidance for information literacy instruction in academic libraries. There is little generalizable empirical research based on cognitive science principles to guide information literacy instruction practice. The present study examined the effectiveness of elaborative interrogation instructional strategy on integration and transformation of ideas from multiple sources of information. 86 participants took part in the study via Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. The experiment involved reading five texts on the topic of climate change and responding to embedded elaborative interrogation prompts (treatment groups only), and writing a synthesis paragraph on the topic. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the results of descriptive analysis showed that participants in the control group achieved a slightly better performance in transformation measure, as compared to participants in treatment groups. However, two one-way ANCOVAs were employed to test the hypotheses which indicated that elaborative interrogation prompts did not significantly improve performance on transformation and integration measures. This study contributes to the growing body of literature addressing information literacy instruction based on the new Framework and provides a promising long-term cross-disciplinary research partnership in terms of linking evidence-based guidance for instruction based on cognitive science principles to information literacy knowledge practices in the new Framework.

Committee: Miriam Matteson PhD (Committee Chair); Bradley Morris PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Danielle Coombs PhD (Committee Member); John Dunlosky PhD (Committee Member); Meghan Harper PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Experiments; Information Science; Library Science

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Science and Engineering

Assessment of a person's neurologic function is an important decision-making aspect of providing clinical care to patients with acquired neurological conditions such Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and stroke. In particular, TBI is a global health problem, affecting over 10 million people worldwide, and a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Of all treated cases of TBI, mild TBI or concussions constitute the vast majority of the burden and pose unique challenges to clinicians because of (1) widespread variability in how mild TBI is defined and characterized, (2) the profound consequences following a head injury that is presumed to be “mild”, but may have debilitating and long lasting effects on patients' daily lives, (3) lack of reliable tools to objectively evaluate the neurologic status and subsequently, prognosticate short and long-term effects, and (4) the heterogeneous nature of such injuries. These challenges motivated the development of targeted engineering solutions for assessment of neurologic function following mild TBI through a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. Thus, the goals of this work include: (1) to critically evaluate the utility of existing technology-enhanced systems in assessing neurologic function as well as their feasibility and applications to intricate clinical settings such as an emergency department in a trauma center and (2) engineer a substantially equivalent low-cost, portable, System for Assessment of Neurologic Status that can assist in diagnosis and prognosis of mild TBI.

Committee: Fred Beyette Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jon Gerard Divine M.D. (Committee Member); Carla Purdy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Philip Wilsey Ph.D. (Committee Member); Xuefu Zhou Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Psychology - Clinical

This study reviews methodological issues, theoretical framework issues, and appropriate criterion selection issues related to Rorschach research, as well as conclusions from debates about the Rorschach that have occurred during the past few decades. The results of this review provide guidelines to evaluate and potentially establish score validity. A process-focused model was applied as the main method to validate the Rorschach variables selected for use in this study. The Interpersonal Circumplex model was utilized as the theoretical framework for selecting the experimental conditions and the relevant Rorschach variables for validation in each experimental condition. For the appropriate experimental criterion selection, mood induction procedures were implemented by using two clips from the films 300 and Braveheart to elicit cognitive-affective mindsets on two overlapping emotional-interpersonal dimensions. One is an aggressive–hostile dimension, and the other is a communion–love dimension. Eleven Rorschach Thematic and Content Codes that were expected to be associated with the Interpersonal Circumplex model were selected as the major variables for validation. The supplemental predictor and criterion measurements for this study consisted of two self-report scales, the Interpersonal Questionnaire (IPQ; Trapnell & Broughton, 2006) and the Post-Film Questionnaire (PFQ; based on Hsiao, Meyer, & Mihura, 2012), and two indirect measurements, the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) and the Conditional Reasoning Test of Aggression (CRT–A; James, 1998; James & McIntyre, 2000). A total sample of 216 participants was recruited and produced 207 valid protocols for final data analyses. There were 141 participants in the two experimental groups, the Aggression and Love conditions. They completed the IPQ and CRT-A at baseline before watching one of the short movie clips. Participants provided Response Phase communications to the 10 Rorschach inkblot (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gregory J. Meyer (Committee Chair); Joni L. Mihura (Committee Member); Stephen D. Christman (Committee Member); Jason C. Levine (Committee Member); Robert F. Bornstein (Committee Member); Patricia R. Komuniecki (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Chemical Engineering

Design and assessment activities have traditionally been performed with respect to a relatively narrow analysis boundary and without accounting for influences from or on the world outside the boundary. This ``all other things being equal'' mindset results in tractable, generally solvable problems, but it precludes the detection of externalities, consequences that manifest outside the analysis boundary. From a sustainability perspective, externalities - whether they affect the environment, society, the economy, or other systems - cannot be ignored. Moreover, many externalities lead in turn to feedback effects, often negative, on the system of interest. Failing to account for these effects can result in decisions that appear economically, environmentally, or otherwise optimal within a narrow analysis boundary but are sub-optimal or simply incorrect when a larger perspective is taken. To anticipate externalities and avoid the unpleasant surprises they lead to, it is critical to use a holistic perspective for sustainable design and assessment. While this is not a novel concept, to date most efforts towards sustainable design and assessment have been made within single fields of study, including engineering, economic analysis and life cycle assessment. The models used within each discipline are well-suited to the traditional, narrow analysis boundary but frequently capture systems outside that boundary in a simplistic and even unrealistic fashion. This dissertation posits that for sustainability applications, a holistic perspective is best accomplished by combining modeling techniques and other methods from a variety of previously disparate disciplines. These various techniques each have shortcomings and advantages that are often complementary. Combining models from multiple disciplines thus offers an opportunity to create a widely applicable, integrated method with all of the advantages and relatively few of the shortcomings of each individual approach. This disse (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bhavik Bakshi (Advisor); Liang-Shih Fan (Committee Member); James Rathman (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Sustainability

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2014, English (English as a Second Language)

This paper discusses the research and design of a new composition placement test to better fit the rapidly growing population at an intensive English program. The previous placement test no longer fit because it was designed for a much smaller student population. After reviewing the research, new versions of prompts and instructions were designed to use the curriculum directly as criteria, against which to measure a student's placement. This will decrease the occurrences of misplacement due on discrepancies between language skills, reading ability and writing ability, for example. The new prompts and instructions consider variables of content, linguistic accessibility, task difficulty/variety, and transparency regarding writing evaluation. This can inform any IEPs that are going through similar growing pains with the dramatic increases in international students in the US, year after year

Committee: Douglas Coleman (Committee Chair); Anthony Edgington (Committee Member); Alexander Wrege (Committee Member) Subjects: English As A Second Language

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Science

Assessment is critically important in medical education. Designing an effective assessment system, however, is very challenging. In this thesis, we developed a portable assessment system based on the Pediatrics Milestone project for fellows and faulty members in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). The Pediatrics Milestone project is a joint initiative the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Pediatrics to assess resident physicians. Specifically, we first made necessary modification to original assessment framework for real applications on portable devices. Then, our pediatrics medical education assessment system was implemented with cutting-edge mobile technology. iPad from Apple Inc. was chosen by the users as the assessment system platform. Xcode was used for App development. User interface and database were designed on designated integrated development environment. The implemented assessment tool is planned to be used in medical education of CCHMC. With the help of advances in portable devices and applicability of Pediatrics Milestone project, assessment feedback to the students is meaningful and the implemented assessment strategy is anticipated to improve medical education.

Committee: Chia Han Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Yan Xu Ph.D. (Committee Member); Anca Ralescu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Nursing: Nursing - Doctoral Program

The primary purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model describing the direct effects of learning variables on anxiety and cognitive learning outcomes and the mediating effects of anxiety on cognitive learning outcomes in a high-fidelity human patient simulation (HPS) experience. The secondary purpose of this study was to explain and explore student perceptions concerning the qualities and context of human patient simulation affecting anxiety and learning that may be amenable to intervention. This study used a mixed methods QUAN dominant explanatory design with simultaneous qualitative data collection to examine variables affecting learning in undergraduate, beginning nursing students (n=124) enrolled in a fundamental nursing course. Data were collected using an investigator constructed Factors Affecting Learning Questionnaire, as well as, a Learner and Lifestyle Questionnaire, Elsevier Evolve custom parallel pre- and post-tests, the Building Excellence Survey, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a semi-structured group discussion. A path analysis identified relationships between cognitive learning and anxiety, readiness to learn, preparation for simulation, and learning styles. Both readiness to learn (β = -.31, p < .01) and preparation for simulation directly affected anxiety (β = .22, p < .01). Anxiety and cognitive learning outcomes were directly affected by having a strong auditory-verbal learning style (β = .21, p < .01) and (β = .27, p < .01), respectively. A hands-on learning style mildly influenced cognitive learning outcomes (-.17, p < .05). The standardized indirect effect between anxiety and cognitive learning outcomes was .08; indicating anxiety did not mediate cognitive learning outcomes as theorized. Dissonance was found between the quantitative and qualitative data. Students reported increased levels of anxiety, which negatively affected their learning. A gap exists in the literature involving variables affecting learning outcom (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Amy Pettigrew DNS, RN (Committee Chair); Thomas LeMaster RN, MSN, MEd (Committee Member); Wei Pan PhD (Committee Member); Theresa Beery PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Industrial and Systems Engineering

The safety of the American workplace has improved dramatically over the past 30 years. This improvement is directly correlated with the adoption and enforcement of OSHA regulations (OSHA, “OSHA Facts”). However, despite the great strides that have been achieved, some industry sectors continue to produce unnecessarily high numbers of serious and preventable injuries. Machine-related injuries are responsible for nearly half of the thousands of amputation injuries that occur each year. Most machine injuries are preventable through known methods that are well documented. For most machines, OSHA provides guarding and operational requirements that are very general and broadly applicable. However, in the case of mechanical power presses the codes are quite specific and intended to address the specific hazards associated with such presses. This study proposes that the OSHA codes related to mechanical power presses are adequate and address most of the guarding concerns, but employers often fail to comply with the codes, apparently out of a lack of understanding of their implementation. It is hypothesized that an effective tool to help guide personnel through the evaluation of press safety hazards will improve the likelihood of an individual in accurately identifying press hazards. Based on the perceived need, a software tool was developed to assist in the hazard identification process. This tool was tested experimentally to determine its effectiveness. The hazard evaluation performance of a software-assisted group of novices was compared with the performances of a peer group and a group of press professionals, both comparison groups using traditional evaluation methods (specifically ANSI B11.TR3). Each of the experimental groups evaluated three different mechnical power presses. The hazards identified by each experimental group were to address the specific requirements of the applicable OSHA codes for guarding of mechanical power presses (29CFR1910.212 and 29CFR1910.217). Th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gary Maul (Advisor) Subjects: