Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2017, Horticulture and Crop Science

Root systems are known to have profound influences on nearly every aspect of plant development and biology, including vegetative and reproductive capacity. However, the specific impacts of intra-specific combinations of root and shoot systems, when combined in physical hybrids, on important physical, chemical, and sensory properties of Capsicum annumm pepper fruit are largely unknown. Grafting was used to combine the canopy and root system of two types of Capsicum plants (producers and non-producers of capsaicin and small, more elongated versus large, blocky fruit), thereby making it possible to examine the separate and combined roles of variety-specific roots and shoots in shaping key fruit characteristics, among them the concentration of capsaicin. Capsaicin is an ideal metabolite to study root-shoot interaction and roles because early stages of its biosynthetic pathway occur in the roots, with final assembly in the fruit at advanced stages of development. Fruit size, shape, wall thickness, and soluble solids levels were similarly tracked as they and capsaicin influence consumer acceptability and fruit marketability. The overall program involved field studies in 2016 and 2017, a targeted wintertime greenhouse study, and consumer sensory analysis. Overall, it was found that the Capsicum variety supplying the root system of the grafted plant had little influence on the variables measured when a sweet pepper was used as a scion. When a hot pepper was used as a scion the root system played a large role in influencing the capsaicinoid profile of the fruit. Implications of this finding include: a) that the variables measured are influenced by more than the root systems used here and b) that it may possible to employ rootstock-scion combinations without concern over rootstock influence on fruit in commercial production.

Master of Science, University of Akron, 0, Polymer Science

Amphiphiles is chemical compounds possessing both hydrophilic (water-loving, polar) and hydrophobic (fat-loving, nonpolar) properties. Due to the amphiphilicity, they can proceed microphase separation and self-assembly in selective solvents to decrease free energy. To research how fully rigid amphiphiles behave, rigid sphere–rod amphiphilic hybrid macromolecules are studied by Tianbo Liu's group. The amphiphiles are composed of charged, hydrophilic Keggin-type clusters (spheres) and hydrophobic rod-like oligofluorenes (OFs). They observed the formation of onion–like vesicles by these molecules. In onion-like vesicles, OFs rods tune the interdigitation angles, leading to the formation of bilayers with different curvature and the counterion-mediated electrostatic attraction (from charged Keggins) between layers stabilize the onion-like vesicles. In this work, we investigated the influence of side chains of fluorene group. A new kind of sphere-rod amphiphiles, Keggin-TOF4-C2, is synthetized and its self-assembly behavior is researched in acetonitrile/water and THF/water mix solvents. It shows hollow vesicles with narrow distribution in these solvents. Further, we want to explore how interactions between rods affect the self-assembly.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2023, Biology

In the past decades several genes and pathways that regulate lifespan were discovered. These genes have a great potential to fundamentally change our understanding of aging and neurodegeneration. In many cases, they were identified as mutations that extend lifespan in a species. However, different species live from few days to several decades and the genes and mechanisms that determine this variation are still unclear. It is also unknown if genes that regulate species-specific lifespan act additively or if they interact in way that greatly change lifespan. Finally, in many species, females live longer than males but the mechanisms behind these differences remain poorly understood. To address these fundamental questions, we selected two Drosophila species with different lifespans, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. These species separated approximately 5.4 Mya and have fixed different pairs of alleles that have been co-evolving. If co-evolving pairs of genes determine lifespan, then bringing these different pairs together in a single interspecific hybrid organism should cause a dysregulation of lifespan. Alternatively, if the contribution of genes is additive, then interspecific hybrids should have an intermediate lifespan between each species. We show that D. melanogaster/D. simulans hybrids have severely dysregulated lifespans with extremely long-lived males and very short-lived females. This result shows that the lifespans of these species are regulated by interactions between X-linked and autosomal genes compromised by their allelic divergence. To identify these pairs of genes, we searched for divergent X-linked and autosomal genes that physically interact. This search led to the identification of Golgi-localized, gamma-ear-containing, ADP ribosylation factor-binding protein (Gga) and Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (Mef2). Here we show that lifespan depends on an interaction between MEF2 and GGA which adjusts their levels during aging in neurons that pro (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

Tree mortality the world over is expected to increase as climate change increases the frequency and severity of many prominent tree stressors. Cooccurring abiotic and biotic stress have nuanced and detrimental effects on tree health but are widely understudied. Here I use the American chestnut, Chinese chestnut, and their blight resistance hybrids to study the effects of cooccurring drought stress and Cryphonectria parasitica infection, the causal agent of chestnut blight. To test these effects, two artificial drought experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019 on chestnut that were manually infected with chestnut blight. Findings throughout both years of experimentation showed that some aspects of the hybrid's drought physiology differed from their pure American counterparts, and the disease progression did not change visually with cooccurring blight infection. What did change was a significant increase in mortality rates across all chestnut groups (American, Chinese, and hybrid) with cooccurring drought. Based on nonstructural carbohydrate pools and hydraulic conductivity, I conclude that drought reduced starch, which correlated with increased canker severity and blight infection. thereby decreasing hydraulic conductivity in infected stems. Combined, these findings show that abiotic and biotic stress interactions can be partially explained with changes to carbon and water dynamics in chestnut varieties.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2017, Mechanical Engineering

The fuel economy prediction in an automobile is a significant and complex issue. There are numerous variables involved in a vehicle's daily usage that influence its fuel economy. This problem is even more complex for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), due to the presence of the supervisory controller overseeing the energy management strategy. The control strategies implemented in production vehicles involve the use of hundreds of calibration parameters in the form of Lookup Tables (LUTs). The work described in this document aims to lay the groundwork in resolving this complex issue of fuel economy prediction in an HEV using a model based optimization approach. There are two distinct aspects of the approach utilized here: 1) Calibration and Validation of the Vehicle Models, 2) Optimization of the Supervisory Controller. An Open Loop Vehicle Model is utilized for the calibration and validation aspect. Experimental data corresponding to a driving distance of ~36,000 km collected over the span of 2 years is made available. The vehicle models used for the research represent the same vehicle on which this data was obtained. The calibration, validation and optimization tasks need to consider different weather patterns across the year to aid in accurately estimating the fuel economy. The primary reason for the use of an open loop model for the calibration and validation aspect is to eliminate the effects of the vehicle controller so that an accurate representation of the `Vehicle Plant' is available. This thesis details the methodology undertaken for validating the open loop model. A novel technique of converting a look-up table into a surface fit to calibrate the same is implemented and the results are discussed. Once validated, the model truly represents the actual vehicle behavior and the results obtained from the optimization performed on it are reliable. The optimization techniques used through the work described here and in further research, are termed as “Derivativ (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

With the rising cost of inputs and the shrinking profit margins in agriculture, farmers are looking to manage at the plant level to increase crop yields. As the physical size of agricultural field machinery continues to grow, many agriculture professionals recognize the negative effects of increasing gross vehicle weights on soil structure, health and productivity. The persistent trend of increased machinery size and gross weights thus exacerbating soil compaction which reduces crop yields and impacts profitability. This manuscript focuses on assessing the adverse impact of high axle loads on field productivity for corn production. Historically, many studies were performed using axle loads ranging from 10 T to 20 T. Few, if any, studies were conducted at axle loads in excess of 20 T. A better understanding of higher axle loads is needed in view of the trend of increasing equipment size where axle loads now approach 50 T. Development of a compaction model combined with data tools will allow users to process remote sensed imagery and CANbus data to better visualize and estimate the yield-related effects of compaction. The overarching goal of the envisioned tool is to provide farm managers and decision makers with actionable information as they assess the ever-expanding number of equipment options available in the marketplace. By coupling remote sensed imagery, yield monitor data, CANbus data and field trial results, the envisioned tool aids producers in making informed decisions specific to their equipment complements and soils via information extraction and synthesis from the ever-expanding quantity of data being collected on their farms. This manuscript details a series on investigations undertaken to better understand the potential effects of each pass of machinery over a field. These investigations were designed to: 1) develop an empirical model framework to predict the magnitude of compaction events and the resulting yield penalty based on axle (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Art

World, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world. New, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new. Body, body, body, body, body, body, body, body, body, body, body, body. Human, human, human, human, human, human, human, human, human, human, human, human. Entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement, entanglement. How, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how. Inside, inside, inside, inside, inside, inside, inside, inside, inside. When, when, when, when, when, when, when, when, when. About, about, about, about, about, about, about, about. Animals, animals, animals, animals, animals, animals, animals, animals.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Polymer Science

Presently, the self-assembly behaviors of traditional small surfactants and amphiphilic block copolymers are fairly well understood. In comparison, rather little is known about the self-assembly behaviors of the giant inorganic-organic amphiphilic hybrids in solution. It remains a wide open field to explore. Giant inorganic-organic amphiphilic hybrids, consisting of nanoscale inorganic clusters and organic functional groups, represent a novel class of functional hybrid materials. They have unique physical and chemical properties and potential applications in catalysis, electronic, optics, magnetic materials, medicine and biology. Therefore, as emerging building blocks, they have promising prospects in the advanced materials. In this PhD work, several representative giant inorganic-organic amphiphilic hybrids (triangular-shaped polyoxometalate (POM)-containing inorganic/organic amphiphilic hybrids, POM-containing fluorosurfactants hybrids, POM-containing peptide hybrids POM-peptide hybrids and polyhedral oligometric silsesquioxane (POSS)-polystyrene (PS) are chosen for studying their self-assembly behaviors in solution. Based on the knowledge of the physical chemistry, colloid and polymer science, we focus on the mechanism of the self-assembly process, and the morphology control of the supramolecular structures through the internal and external conditions, such as the composition of the giant amphiphilies, molecular architectures, solvent nature, temperature, concentration, and extrally added salts. It is found that the counterion-meditated interactions dominate the self-assembly of triangular-shaped hybrids in acetone/water mixed solutions, due to the highly dominant hydrophilic portions; the solvent-swelling effect, instead of the charge effect, dominates the whole self-assembly process of the POM-containing fluorosurfactants; the analogy between small surfactants and giant amphiphiles POSS-PS allows a rough assessment of the possible morphologies of the supramolec (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2015, Polymer Science

Since the first Polyxoxmetalate (POM)-based hybrid clusters have been synthesized1, numerous efforts have been invested in desgning multifunctional material including such as fluorescent2, thermal stimuli-responsive properties. Unlike normal ampliphilic molecules, these hybrids are highly charged, which makes the solution behavior more complicated. In this work, two sets of POM-containing hybrids, the POM-Peptide hybrid and the POM- Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) hybrids are explored by using Laser light scattering (LLS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Studies reveal the self-assembled behaviors of these hybrids are different from previous POM-based hybrids in our group regarding of their driving force, architecture, amphiphilicity and counterions. This work will help us further understand how various driving forces affect self-assembled structure, morphology changing and size role.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2014, Polymer Science

Porous materials comprising polymeric and inorganic segments have attracted interest from the scientific community due to their unique properties and functionalities. The physical and chemical characteristics of these materials can be effectively exploited for adsorption applications. This dissertation covers the experimental techniques for fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and silica (SiO2) porous supports, and their functionalization with polyamines for developing adsorbents with potential applications in separation of CO2 and catalysis of organic reactions. The supports were synthesized by processes involving (i) covalent cross-linking of PVA, (ii) hydrolysis and poly-condensation of silica precursors (i,e,. sol-gel synthesis), and formation of porous structures via (iii) direct templating and (iv) phase inversion techniques. Their physical structure was controlled by the proper combination of the preparation procedures, which resulted in micro-structured porous materials in the form of micro-particles, membranes, and pellets. Their adsorption characteristics were tailored by functionalization with polyethyleneimine (PEI), and their physicochemical properties were characterized by vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR, UV-vis), microscopy (SEM), calorimetry (TGA, DSC), and adsorption techniques (BET, step-switch adsorption). Spectroscopic investigations of the interfacial cross-linking reactions of PEI and PVA with glutaraldehyde (GA) revealed that PEI catalyzes the cross-linking reactions of PVA in absence of external acid catalysts. In-situ IR spectroscopy coupled with a focal plane array (FPA) image detector allowed the characterization of a gradient interface on a PEI/PVA composite membrane and the investigation of the cross-linking reactions as a function of time and position. The results served as a basis to postulate possible intermediates, and propose the reaction mechanisms. The formulation of amine-functionalized CO2 capture sorbents was ba (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2014, Civil Engineering

Understanding the complex processes that control soil water and rooting interactions in the vadose zone impacts the way we approach urban development, agriculture, and land use management. Complexities caused by heterogeneities in vadose zone characteristics can control not only hydrologic cycles, but ecologic and biogeochemical cycles as well. However, due to these heterogeneities and the difficulty of reliable subsurface measurements, the dominant processes of the vadose zone remain largely unknown. Small-scale differences in these vadose zone processes, such as infiltration, rooting behavior, nutrient mineralization, are often ignored in large-scale modeling, can have impacts at the watershed or ecosystem scale. As a result of increased climate variability, rainfall characteristics are expected to change worldwide. These variations in rainfall characteristics will present problems in agricultural areas that are dependent on a consistent supply of water. In the face of increasing water scarcity, the development of crop hybrids, that are resistant to drought, as well as other environmental stresses, is an important step in securing the long term viability of agriculture. The plasticity of root architecture to heterogeneities in the vadose zone in order to take advantage of these heterogeneities is largely unknown, but these processes can have a huge impact on a crops resistance to environmental stresses, such as drought. This study designs a controlled, small-scale experiment using two-dimensional tanks to study the early growth and root architecture of two maize hybrids, a drought tolerant and a drought susceptible hybrid. However the laboratory setup can easily be modified to study the vast array of uncertainties within the vadose zone. The maize hybrid study incorporated a variable intensity rainfall simulator, lighting and temperature control, soil moisture sensors, and soil coring to quantify root development. This study subjected the tw (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2013, Horticulture and Crop Science

Grafting is a technique that has been used for fruit trees and vine crops for thousand years. Grafting to rootstocks is becoming popular in annual vegetable production to control soil-borne diseases, replace fumigation, increase yield, increase tolerance to abiotic stress, and impart vigor. Previous research indicates that inconsistent seed quality and lack of information about rootstock-scion compatibility affect the efficiency of grafting, raises cost, and inhibits adoption of the technology. The goals of this research were to address limitations in seed quality and graft efficiency. The specific objectives were: a) evaluate genetic and environmental factors affecting quality of seed in hybrids derived from interspecific crosses, b) improve grafting success through use of adhesives, and c) determine the genetic basis of graft failure between rootstock and scion. Tomato is a model for grafting annual vegetables due to the importance of the crop and the extensive genetic resources available. To assess the potential to select for improved seed quality, experimental rootstocks were developed through pollination of cultivated (Solanum lycopersicum L.) parental lines as female parents and 11 accessions of wild species as male parents. Seed quality was evaluated based on seed size (weight) and total germinability for each hybrid produced. Maternal effects and environment determined fruit set. Specific genotype combinations and environment determined seed yield. Seed size was mainly affected by genetic components, while seed germination was affected by both genetics and environmental factors. Seed size can be used as selection criterion in breeding program for early selection of rootstock seed quality. To improve graft success, nine different tomato rootstocks were grafted using the traditional tube method of grafting and using adhesives. Despite wide variation across rootstock genotypes and grafting environment, grafting using adhesives resulted in higher grafting suc (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Art

This research explores the aesthetic application of humankind's ongoing attempts to surpass the boundaries between humans, animals, and machines in our technological and scientific society. This work strives to create and discover the aesthetic possibilities that can exist between art and science. The purpose is to develop organ-machine hybrids and promote the repositioning and re-contextualizing of discarded biological materials. Discarded materials, such as pig hearts and pig bladders, create metaphors and multiple associations within my interdisciplinary projects, which involve a host of practices including robotics, dance, music, video and visual performance.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Biomedical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The pathogenesis factor of Graves' Disease (GD) has been widely accepted as autoantibodies against thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) over-stimulating follicular cells to produce excess thyroid hormones. For the last few decades, the competitive binding assay for TSHR antibody (TRAb) has been the most commonly used assay for the differential diagnosis of GD. The competitive binding assay measures the heterogeneous mixture of TRAbs in the patients' sera that prevent labeled thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) or monoclonal stimulating TRAb from binding to the fixed human recombinant or porcine TSHRs. In this study, a new cell based reporter assay with chimeric human TSHR (Mc4) was evaluated against the third generation competitive binding Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). Mc4 utilizes its mechanism to detect only the simulating TRAbs in the patent sera that directly correlate with GD hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, a Mc4 predicate, a cell based reporter assay with human wild type (hWT) TSHR (CHO-Luc), was evaluated. This study conducted comparisons of these three assays on the same group of GD patients (n = 200) and healthy blood donors (HBD) (n = 40). Overall sensitivities given the sample provider's diagnosis as the reference standard were similar with all three assays (84.0 – 73.4%). Mc4 had the second highest sensitivity (79.5%) without misdiagnosing normal controls (specificity = 100%). Sensitivity comparison was ambiguous since some of the 200 GD specimens had high TSH and might have been receiving antithyroid drug treatments which interfered with the assay results. When GD positive groups were divided with TSH levels, agreements of all the assay results were the highest within the very low TSH (TSH < 0.01 µIU/mL) group. Interpretation of TRAb ELISA gave different performance measures (sensitivity and specificity) within the same sample set.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2008, Polymer Engineering

Siloxanes have been extensively used as additives to modulate surface properties such as surface tension, hydrophobicity/hydrophobicity, and adhesion, etc. Although, polydimethyl -siloxane and polydiphenylsiloxane are the most commonly used siloxanes, the properties are at extremes in terms of glass transition temperature and flexibility. It is proposed that the ability to control the properties in between the these extremes can be provided by cycloaliphatic substitutions at the siloxane backbone. It is expected that this substitution might work due to the intermediate backbone rigidity. In order to achieve the above objectives, a synthetic route was developed to prepare cycloaliphatic (cyclopentane and cyclohexane) silane monomers followed by subsequent polymerization and functionalizations to obtain glycidyl epoxy, aliphatic amine and methacrylate telechelic siloxanes. The siloxanes were either thermally or UV- cured depending on end functionalizations. Chemical characterization of monomers, oligomers and polymers were performed using 1H, 13C, 29Si-NMR, FT-IR and GPC. The curing kinetics of photo-induced reactions were investigated through photo-differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC). The oxygen permeability, mechanical, coatings, and release properties of siloxanes were studied as a function of the backbone substitutions. The mechanical, coatings and released properties of cycloaliphatic siloxanes improved with respect to polydimethylsiloxanes. The thermal analysis of the cured films were carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Viscoelastic properties of the cured siloxanes due to the variation of substitution at the siloxane backbone were measured using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The cycloaliphatic substituted siloxanes showed an increased glass transition temperature and permeability but reduced crosslink density, conversion, and rate of curing with respect to polydimethylsiloxanes. Hybrids of siloxanes were prepared with (open full item for complete abstract)