DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, College-Conservatory of Music: Percussion

Electronic music has a rich history dating back farther than just the 1950's. Edgard Varese is often credited with the establishment of musique concrete, though that behemoth was taking shape well before his time. After some decades of composers creating pieces using analog sound systems and synthesizers, we have reached a breaking point in performing their works. Quite often the technology has become decrepit and dysfunctional, if one can procure it at all. A method of performing these works in a manner faithful to the composer's original intent does still exist—and that is through digital signal processors like Max, developed by Cycling '74. However, even with today's practices in Max and similar programs being robust and intuitive, problems in performance still arise that can be avoided altogether by a composer or programmer with the foresight to anticipate them. This document will provide performers and composers alike the necessary tools to navigate this music and improve future music in the electro-acoustic genre. The primary function of this document is to provide a brief historical background of both this analog heritage and digital uprising, a foundational knowledge of rudimentary hardware related to these, and a broad span of case studies related to pieces in both categories and in-between which leads into a discussion of better practices on the part of a composer-programmer.

Committee: James Culley M.M. (Committee Chair); Angela Swift Ph.D. D (Committee Member); Russell Burge M.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

BFA, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Theatre and Dance

Even though there are no records of optical illusions being studied until Epicharmus' work in the 5th century B.C., evidence of their application in art can be traced back to the cave paintings of the Paleolithic Era. It is impossible to assign a specific date to the creation of illusions because they are not merely inventions, but a reflection of geometric forms seen in nature. This paper begins with an analysis of different optical illusions based on Richard Gregory's research. It then looks at how illusions have been used in performance in the past, how projections can support commonly used optical illusion methods, and how we can use projections to incorporate interactivity into live performance. The aforementioned information is then used to help inform decisions regarding the application of projections to a choreographed dance piece. In this section, several different projection surface options are also discussed. Being able to use projections as a medium and output allows for many new paths of artistic exploration, but along with this opportunity comes the need to determine how the technology can have the most meaningful impact.

Committee: Nicholas Drashner (Advisor); Tippey Brett (Committee Member); Honesty Tamara (Committee Member); King Gregory (Committee Member) Subjects: Dance; Design; Fine Arts; Performing Arts; Psychology; Theater

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

The purpose of this study is to determine if tissue oxygenation is compromised at altitude during submaximal and maximal bouts of exercise and whether reducing the active muscle mass exercise can be used to offset any observed decrement due to increases in blood flow. Ten individuals performed submaximal double leg cycling for four minutes at 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of their maximal oxygen consumption, rested for 15 minutes and then performed submaximal single leg cycling utilizing the same protocol but at half the double leg work rate in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions (oxygen concentration of 15% which simulated an altitude of 2,740 meters). Ten individuals performed a maximal double leg 30 second anaerobic Wingate test, rested for 15 minutes and then performed a maximal single leg 30 second anaerobic Wingate test in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In the first study, no difference was found in the amount of oxygenated hemoglobin when comparing the single leg trial in hypoxia to the double leg trials in normoxia (p = 0.36) and hypoxia (p = 0.13). In the second study, both single leg trials had increased amounts of oxygenated hemoglobin compared the two double leg trials although these amounts are not significant (p = 0.47). In general, we found that increased blood flow leads to an increase in tissue perfusion with single leg cycling which could allow for greater muscle specific work rates when compared to double leg cycling and can be accomplished with reduced cardiovascular stress.

Committee: John McDaniel Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ellen Glickman Ph.D. (Committee Member); J. Derek Kingsley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Andrew Lepp Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Sciences; Physiology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Veterinary Biosciences

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to substantial damage to all aspects of our society. Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent infectious diseases. Since the pandemic, several vaccine platforms, including inactivated, mRNA, viral vector-based, and protein subunit vaccines have been developed. While these vaccines have been highly effective in reducing severe disease and mortality, they still have several limitations, such as the inability to prevent virus infection and transmission, particularly against emerging variants of concern (VoCs), short duration of protection, failure to induce mucosal IgA antibodies and resident memory T cells in the respiratory tract, and high cost of production or distribution. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop the next generation of intranasal COVID-19 vaccines that induce durable and broadly protective immunity, both in the airways and systemically. The combined MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine has been available in the United States since 1971 and is one of the safest and most effective human vaccines. The MMR vaccine contains attenuated strains of measles virus (MeV), mumps virus (MuV), and rubella virus and confers lifelong protection against these three viruses. Both MeV and MuV have been used as delivery platforms for experimental vaccines against highly pathogenic viruses. In this study, we have developed a highly efficacious, intranasally delivered, trivalent measles-mumps-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (MMS) vaccine candidate that induces robust systemic and mucosal immunity with broad protection. MMS vaccine candidate is based on three components of the MMR vaccine, a measles virus Edmonston, and the two mumps virus strains [Jeryl Lynn 1 (JL1) and JL2], which are known for their high safety and long-lasting immunity. The six proline-stabilized prefusion S protein (preS-6P) genes for ancestral SARS-CoV-2 WA1 and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jianrong Li (Advisor); Jacob Yount (Committee Member); Zongdi Feng (Committee Member); Mark Peeples (Committee Member) Subjects: Virology

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Contemporary Music

This paper will provide a resource for percussionists and composers interested in music for non-traditional solo instruments and electronics. The goal is twofold: first, to present a user-friendly guide with identification of required electronic equipment, an understanding of basic signal flow, setup and troubleshooting guides, compositional trends, and technical demands; second, to promote this repertoire through a performance and analysis guide of three prominent works - Javier Alvarez's Temazcal (1984), Matthew Burtner's Broken Drum (2003), and Christopher Tonkin's In (2005). These works are representative of the genre and incorporate either live or fixed electronics. The instruments featured in these pieces are often treated by other composers as having limited artistic potential; positioning them as solo instruments allows them to demonstrate their artistic capabilities. Pairing them with an electronic component expands the palate of sound, providing more sonic diversity and expressive potential to an otherwise monochromatic instrument. In addition to the in-depth profiles of these three compositions, a selected list of applicable works is included with identification of specific instruments and technical demands. This will provide students and teachers with a body of current works which will aid in awareness and selection of this music. This paper aims to diminish current knowledge gaps related to contemporary electronic music and to promote the performance and creation of new works.

Committee: Daniel Piccolo DMA (Committee Chair); Marilyn Shrude DMA (Committee Member); Piyawat Louilarpprasert DMA (Committee Member); Lee Nickoson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Technology

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / School of Biomedical Sciences

As of 2022, three million people in the US, and sixteen million worldwide were estimated to suffer from opioid use disorder (OUD). Despite widespread efforts to increase the public availability of medical therapies for OUD, only 2.28% of people suffering from OUD will seek out and be able to sustain abstinence for at least five years. The core objectives of this work were to 1) evaluate the dose- and sex-dependent effects of fentanyl to induce rewarding states, 2) the extent to which D-Cysteine ethylester (D-CYSee) alters affective state and the acquisition of fentanyl-induced reward seeking, 3) how the timing and concentration of fentanyl administration impacts the intrinsic Ca2+ activity of neurons and astroglia from the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and 4) the extent to which D-CYSee alters intrinsic Ca2+ activity in both the presence and absence of fentanyl. To evaluate the effects of fentanyl in the presence and absence of D-CYSee on Ca2+ signaling dynamics in PFC neurons and astrocytes, this work details the development of new methods in real-time fluorescent imaging of intrinsic Ca2+ activity using a non-genetic chemical indicator in cells isolated from the rat PFC in combination with post-hoc live-cell labeling for neurons and astroglia, and a customizable cell-type informed statistical analysis pipeline with backend support for data visualization and meta-analysis. Furthermore, a general characterization of the intrinsic Ca2+ activity in this PFC preparation was conducted; first by examining the involvement of extracellular Ca2+ sources and sodium channel conductance's, followed by a deeper evaluation of the role(s) of voltage-gated L, T, & N/P/Q-Type Ca2+ channels and an assessment of NMDA, AMPA receptor, and GABAA receptor signaling in the expression of intrinsic Ca2+ activity. The findings here support: 1) that fentanyl induces reward seeking in a concentration- and sex-dependent manner, 2) that D-CYSee could be an effective co-treatment with prescribed opioi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Devin Mueller, Ph.D. (Advisor); Derek S. Damron, Ph.D. (Advisor); Stephen J. Lewis, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Colleen Novak, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Clements, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rafaela S. C. Takeshita, D.Sc., (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Cellular Biology; Neurosciences

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2024, Business Administration

This thesis explores how Generation Z's boycotting behaviors and negative word-of-mouth tendencies are affected by a service failure and recovery within the live music event ticketing industry. Using a sample collected from the Ohio University Marketing Research Pool, I administered a survey from Qualtrics with the goal of answering the research questions, “What are Generation Z's attitudes towards and tendencies to boycott within the event ticketing industry?”, and “Does an apology from the artist or ticketing company impact Generation Z's attitudes towards boycotting?”. I presented them with a service failure and recovery scenario in which a ticketing company's site crashed while they were trying to buy tickets to a concert for their favorite artist and each respondent received an apology from the artist, apology from the ticketing company, or no apology. Then the respondents were presented with questions related to their satisfaction, their willingness to boycott the artist, ticketing company or both, their viewpoint on boycotting the artist ticketing company or both, and their willingness to participate in negative word-of-mouth about the artist, ticketing company or both. Through a series of independent sample t-tests to determine how receiving an apology affected the way the respondents answered, the presence of an apology increased the respondents' level of satisfaction. Additionally, an apology from the artist rather than the ticketing company resulted in higher levels of satisfaction. The final core finding was that related to the respondents' viewpoint and likelihood to boycotting the artist, ticketing company or both, their likelihood to participate in negative word-of-mouth about the artist, ticketing company or both was unaffected by the presence of an apology. This research just begins to explore Generation Z's boycotting behaviors and negative word-of-mouth tendencies within the live music event ticketing industry and leaves room for future research o (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jessica Weeks (Advisor) Subjects: Marketing

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The production of newer, stronger plastic pipe profiles in recent decades has broadened their application range where concrete or steel materials once ruled. The cost advantages of thermoplastic pipes, due to lower installation and material costs, have seen their use increase in frequency. With increasing usage, concerns over the performance of these culverts have been expressed by various state Departments of Transportation, especially when subjecting plastic pipe profiles to increased temperatures. The purpose of this research is to assess the performance of five shallow cover thermoplastic pipes, during repeated load cycles, across a broad temperature range. Five thermoplastic pipes made of polypropylene or high-density polyethylene were buried and instrumented prior to being subject to 80,000 load cycles of an 11-kip dual tire load and sustained air temperatures between 35 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The pipe and soil embedment behavior were monitored frequently in the beginning of experiment, during significant temperature changes, and every 10,000 load cycles thereafter. Throughout testing pipes performed well and did not approach the failure criteria outlined by AASHTO LRFD or the manufacturer recommendations, despite not achieving the minimum cover requirement of 24 inches to the flexible pavement later. Results suggest that given proper installation, stout pipe profiles, and a thick asphalt layer; the current minimum cover requirements are not necessary to obtain adequate shallow cover pipe performance and prevent damage to an overlying asphalt layer.

Committee: Issam Khoury (Advisor); Paul King (Committee Member); Teruhisa Masada (Committee Member); Shad Sargand (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Molecular Genetics

Chromosome organization has a major impact on cellular functions such as transcription, replication, and genome stability. Perturbations to chromatin arrangement impairs cellular functions which in turn causes cell death and cancer. Although organized, the interphase chromatin is dynamic and undergoes rearrangement to allow the much-required flexibility to access DNA for maintaining metabolic and cellular processes. In recent years, several discoveries regarding the higher order conformation have produced contradictory results. These results challenge the previous knowledge regarding the formation of higher order structures and the mechanisms regulating the 3D genome organization. Here, we study the large-scale chromosome territory conformation and organization in the context of diseases and its associated function. We used a CRISPR based live cell imaging technology to fluorescently label chromosome 19 (C19q) and track real-time dynamics of chromosome territory conformation in osteoblast and osteosarcoma cells. We have observed striking differences in chromosome compaction between osteosarcoma and osteoblast. Most osteoblasts have a predominantly extended C19q conformation, whereas osteosarcoma have a more collapsed conformation. The deformation of C19q in osteosarcoma cells is regulated by histone modifications and two major chromatin architectural proteins – CCCTCF-binding factor (CTCF) and cohesin complex. The collapsed C19q conformation is a result of chromatin loops stabilized by CTCF and Cohesin. Upon knocking down CTCF and RAD21 (an essential subunit of cohesin complex) in osteosarcoma, the collapsed C19q undergoes extension at physiological conditions. The extension of C19q conformation in RAD21 knockdown osteosarcoma cells was not reproducible when imaging at non-physiological conditions. This suggests that physiological conditions play a critical role in maintaining correct chromatin conformation and organization. The extended C19q conformation in os (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Li-Chun Tu (Advisor); Jian-Qiu Wu (Committee Member); Robin Wharton (Committee Member); Mark Parthun (Committee Member) Subjects: Genetics

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Music Composition

An Uncommon Duo is a composition for solo performer and computer. The performer plays glass bottles, ocarina, thunder tube, and voice, while the computer processes those sounds live and plays fixed media using Cycling ‘74's Max object-oriented audio software. The work explores the intersectionality between composition and improvisation through the medium of technology. The title, An Uncommon Duo, derives from pairing two unlikely forces–one human and one electronic. The piece is organized into two interconnected movements, with each highlighting two acoustic instruments. The first movement, “An Earthen Flute”, features the ocarina and glass bottles, while the second movement, “A Thundering Breath”, features the voice and thunder tube. An Uncommon Duo is pseudo-improvised with the live performer creating improvisational gestures and textures that anticipate and/or react to the computer's predetermined live processing effects and fixed media tracks. An Uncommon Duo's musical language was derived from the instruments' spectromorphological characteristics rather than adhering to traditional harmonic or melodic structures. Each movement's musical material includes instrument and found object sounds, live processed sounds, and fixed media soundfiles. Density and energy fluctuate over time, with individual gestures evolving into large sound masses that subsequently disintegrate into moments of stasis and repose. Exploring extended, non-standard techniques with acoustic instruments was integral to creating a diverse and engaging texture as each movement evolved. The first movement's techniques include flutter tonguing, key tapping, air sounds, pitch bending, and multiphonics on the ocarina, as well as clinking and blowing the rim of the glass bottles. The second movement's sound world includes whistling, tongue trilling, breath sounds, vocalized phenomes, and simultaneous whistling and singing on the voice, combined with hitting/tapping, shaking, and dragging finger (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elainie Lillios (Committee Chair); Christopher Dietz (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

As cities continue to expand, urban sprawl has become a pressing issue, and sustainable urban design is key to creating livable and environmentally conscious communities. The physical distance between work and home poses one of the biggest challenges of urban sprawl, but the densification of existing urban areas can be a viable solution. The Synapse Tower proposes a multi-unit work-home mixed-use building in Mumbai, India, that prioritizes social, economic, and ecological well-being through the synergy of work and home. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a rise in remote work, prompting a reassessment of work and lifestyle priorities. As architects, we must consider how living spaces can be redesigned to accommodate the needs of remote work. Drawing on historical precedents such as the Chouara Tannery in Morocco and the Chanderi Village silk weavers in Madhya Pradesh, this thesis project examines the spatial needs of a work-home environment and surveys potential users to develop a comprehensive understanding of their needs and preferences. The Synapse Tower aims to create a sustainable and livable community that balances work and home life. Through systematic conceptual diagrams, site and demographic studies, surveys, drawings, and digital and physical model studies, this project will propose a multi-unit work-home prototype that meets the needs of a multidisciplinary workforce. The project takes advantage of Mumbai's dense urban fabric and dynamic setting, incorporating zoning codes and policies, and historical and contemporary precedents to create a community that embodies the idea of synergy.

Committee: Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Member); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2023, Cyber Security

With the rapid increase of social network spam, it's essential to empower users with the tools to detect the harmful spam effectively. However, existing tools cannot meet the requirements. In this paper, we propose and develop a live detection tool that can detect ham and spam text and images from social networks, this tool will be trained on user collected data (Image and Text) using different classifiers, where text and images are pre-processed and then passed onto the classifier that the user can choose, the user is then able to save the model and load it whenever they want to use a social network, where this tool will show the user a notification alerting them whether the post they are looking at is spam or ham before they even get the chance to read the text or look at the image, thus protecting them from clicking on malicious links that might harm their computer and steal their data. Evaluation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our tool.

Committee: Weiqing Sun (Committee Chair); Hong Wang (Committee Member); Ahmad Javaid (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Engineering and Applied Science: Mechanical Engineering

The manufacturing industry is going through a complex transformation phase due to the current supply chain interruptions by the pandemic, intricate customer custom designs, and just-in-time methodology adopted by various industries. Manufacturers shift towards Industry 4.0 capable machines with expanded data analysis capabilities to tackle process disruptions. From a machine operator's perspective, the lack of advanced real-time monitoring in machining processes using sparks such as Electrical discharge machining (EDM) and Electro-chemical discharge machining (ECDM) can lead to delayed response time in case of any mishaps. There is a need for an advanced process monitoring tool to acquire feedback in real-time and control the machining process. Digital twins can be a key in such situations. It can provide the required data across the platforms to ensure proper and timely communication between the machine, operator, and stakeholders. The work presented in this study proposes a novel model for making a digital twin of an Electrical discharge machining process. Accurate prediction of surface roughness generating capabilities of the manufacturing process is a prerequisite to enhancing their uses in areas such as surface texturing. Textured surfaces have numerous applications in various industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Energy, and Defence. The electrical discharge machining process can be used for surface texturing of conductive materials, particularly hard surfaces. A three-step approach is used in this work to develop a digital twin model to simulate a live surface texture of surfaces created by the EDM process. The prediction is based on the three input process parameters for EDM, namely the spark-on-time, current, and voltage. Finite element method is used in the first step to generate a single crater formed by an individual spark. In the next phase, the single spark FEM data is processed (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Murali Sundaram Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jing Shi Ph.D. (Committee Member); Milind Jog Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environment and Natural Resources

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing environmental stressor due to human expansion and increased urbanization. ALAN has shown to have significant impacts on a suite of taxa and on multiple levels of biological organization, but most research has focused on individual to population levels of biological organization. Furthermore, there has been a disproportionate research emphasis on terrestrial vs. aquatic ecosystems. In this study, I investigated the impacts of ALAN on riparian mammal space use and food webs along 12 small streams in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Seasonality and time of day were the strongest drivers of mammal community composition along streams, despite the presence of ALAN. Seasonality, sediment size, and other site-level differences, but not ALAN, were associated with total mammal space use and species richness. No species-specific small mammal captures or species/guild-specific camera-trap encounters were impacted by ALAN. In the context of this study, sediment size is likely a proxy for either stream size or urbanization but also a potentially important structural factor related to small-mammal movement across streams. ALAN presence was related to the proportion of energy derived from aquatic vs. terrestrial primary producer pathways in the genus Peromyscus, the only small mammals with sufficient sample size to estimate diet proportions. At illuminated reaches, Peromyscus nutritional subsidies derived from aquatic primary producer pathways (i.e., originating from stream periphyton) were 1.2% lower at lit compared to unlit reaches. Canopy cover was also associated with the proportion of energy derived from the terrestrial primary producer pathway that is indirectly consumed by Peromyscus (i.e., originating from aquatic detritus). Site – as a random effect in linear-mixed models – explained the greatest amount of variation in the proportion of energy derived from different primary producer pathways. Overall, I did not find e (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mažeika Sullivan (Advisor); Robert Gates (Committee Member); Stanley Gehrt (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Environmental Science; Natural Resource Management; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Comparative and Veterinary Medicine

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an alphacoronavirus. It was initially reported in 1970s in Europe. However, massive porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) epidemics did not occur in China until late 2010. PEDV was first introduced into the United States (US) and rapidly spread nationwide in 2013. PEDV infection of suckling piglets causes up to 100% mortality and the US pig industry lost 10% of domestic pig population and $0.9 to $1.8 billion during 2013-2014, posing a great threat to the pork industry sustainability. Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) given orally to pregnant sows/gilts replicate in the intestines and induce lactogenic immunity in sows/gilts. They are the most effective approach to provide passive immunity to neonatal pigs against PED via colostrum and milk. However, safety concerns associated with potential virulence reversion hinder broad application of LAVs. The goal of this dissertation is to identify promising targets in two viral genes and to develop a recombination-resistant platform for the development of effective and safe PEDV LAVs. My first objective was to evaluate whether the exonuclease (ExoN) domain within PEDV nsp14 is a good target for LAV development. Based on the infectious cDNA clone of a highly virulent PEDV strain (icPC22A), eight mutants targeting nsp14 ExoN catalytic sites, zinc finger, or Mg2+-binding site were designed. Only one E191A mutant, carrying the mutation in Mg2+-binding site, was rescued that was characterized by poor growth in Vero or IPEC-DQ cells of the early passages no.1-3 (P1-3) with peak titers of 1.80 ± 0.12 and 1.42 ± 0.16 log10 TCID50/mL, respectively. However, the P4 of E191A was characterized by dramatically improved growth characteristics reaching a high infectious titer (5.55 ± 0.35 log10 TCID50/mL) in Vero cells, like icPC22A. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the introduced mutation site has reverted to wildtype in the P4 virus. To evaluate the pathogenesis of the E191A-P1, 4-5-day-old gnotobi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Qiuhong Wang (Advisor); Zongdi Feng (Committee Member); Linda Saif (Committee Member); Anastasia Vlasova (Committee Member) Subjects: Virology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Comparative and Veterinary Medicine

Influenza A virus (IAV) continues to pose an enormous threat to animal and public health owing to the emergence of novel strains with panzootic and pandemic potential. Effective control of emerging IAVs requires new broadly protective vaccines. It is now widely accepted that IAV populations exist as quasispecies (mutant spectra) mainly due to the high rates of spontaneous mutations spawned by their error-prone RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase complex. The IAV quasispecies is an extremely diverse swarm of biologically and genetically heterogeneous particle subpopulations that collectively influence the evolutionary fitness of the virus. Live attenuated influenza vaccines with truncations in nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) have shown broad protective efficacies in birds and mammals, which correlate with the ability to induce elevated interferon-related innate immune responses in the vaccinated hosts. These abilities appear to coincide with the presence of heterogenous population of interferon-inducing and defective-interfering particles in the vaccines. It is therefore of great importance to understand the factors that shape the heterogeneity of IAV populations to facilitate the development of broadly effective preventive and therapeutic measures against emerging IAV strains. In the first part of this study, we asked as to whether we could exploit the extreme diversity of influenza virus populations to improve an NS1-truncated live attenuated influenza vaccine developed for poultry (PC4) by selecting viral subpopulations with enhanced interferon-inducing capacities. We deconstructed a de novo population of PC4 through plaque isolation, created a large library of clones, and assessed their interferon-inducing phenotypes. While most of the clones displayed the parental interferon-inducing phenotype in cell culture, few clones showed enhanced interferon-inducing phenotypes in cell culture and chickens. Through deep sequencing of the whole IAV genome, we showed the enhanced int (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Scott Kenney (Advisor); Chang-Won Lee (Committee Member); Qiuhong Wang (Committee Member); Andrew Bowman (Committee Member); Renukaradhya Gourapura (Committee Member) Subjects: Immunology; Virology

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

East, West, South, North, and Center is a piece based on neural network technology. In this piece, performers use a set of tiles of a traditional Chinese board game Mahjong as a data-driven instrument by using a camera to recognize all mahjong tiles on the table. Beyond only recognizing the pictures on each mahjong tile, it can also recognize the position and rotation angle of each tile. All those parameters give a lot of potential for a piece with rich timbres and fun interactions. With all these technologies, it tells a fictional story through my music about a family's life. In this family, every member has their own thoughts. They fight, but it won't affect the fact that they love each other and will try to fix it after every fight. A lot of problems we get in our life are always magically solved while we fix our family problems. As a traditional saying that Chinese people say all the time: everything will end in the place where it begins. The inspiration for the title East, West, South, North and Center comes from a set of the five Mahjong tiles called east, west, south, north, center. All five tiles can symbolize how people play this board game: you need four players (east, west, south, and north) sitting around a square table (center). The five elements give the basic figure of a family.

Committee: Mara (Margaret) Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Member); Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Member); Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Microbiology

Leishmaniasis is a neglected protozoan disease affecting over 12 million people globally. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form, characterized by chronic skin lesions. Currently, there are no approved vaccines for human use. We have generated centrin knock out Leishmania (L.) mexicana (LmexCen-/-) mutants using CRISPR/Cas9. Centrin is a cytoskeletal protein required only for intracellular amastigote replication in Leishmania. Here, we investigated the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of LmexCen-/- parasites in vitro and in vivo. Our data shows that LmexCen-/- amastigotes present a growth defect, which results in significantly lower parasitic burdens and increased protective cytokine production in infected macrophages and dendritic cells, compared to LmexWT. Furthermore, LmexCen-/- parasites are safe in susceptible mouse models and efficacious against challenge with LmexWT in genetically different BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Vaccinated mice did not develop cutaneous lesions, displayed protective immunity, and showed significantly lower parasitic burdens compared to the controls. Overall, we demonstrate that LmexCen-/- parasites are a promising candidate vaccine against CL in pre-clinical models. Next, we explored the metabolic drivers of these vaccine-mediated immunological profiles. Metabolomics are emerging as a useful tool to uncover unknown networks that govern immune regulation and determine functional specialization. We analyzed the metabolic changes occurring after immunization with LmexCen-/- and compared them with LmexWT infection. Our results show enriched aspartate metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in ears immunized with LmexCen-/- parasites. These pathways are both known to promote M1 polarization in macrophages, and PPP in particular induces nitric oxide production in macrophages cultured with LmexCen-/-, suggesting a shift to a pro-inflammatory phenotype following immunization. Furthermore, immunized mice showed enriched t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Abhay Satoskar (Advisor); Pravin Kaumaya (Committee Member); Steve Oghumu (Committee Member); Jesse Kwiek (Committee Member) Subjects: Immunology; Microbiology; Neurosciences; Parasitology

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

As working from home is becoming the new normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing need for home offices in the housing market. Yet the old home office concept does not suit in a socially-distanced world. The lack of social interaction and the blurred line between personal and professional life are some of the main problems people are complaining about after they started telecommuting for a long period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis explores the spatial relationship between home and workplace, from the medieval longhouse to the modern work home. Specifically, this thesis explains the need to combine dwelling and workplace by looking at the history of live / work projects when this building concept was first introduced to the public and its development in the past. By analyzing the design rationale and its historic contexts, this thesis explores the architectural response to the current housing problems in a COVID world and the residential design in the future. This thesis proposes a multi-family housing complex that integrates flexible space design, sustainability, and urban farming to provide a self-resilient community in a pandemic. The intention is to seek new perspectives on housing to better protect working people in the next pandemic on a global scale. The design approach can be applied to other housing complex projects if needed in the future.

Committee: Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Comparative and Veterinary Medicine

Septic arthritis is an important cause of lameness in cattle. There are currently no antimicrobials labeled for treatment of septic arthritis in cattle in the United States. In addition to the well established anti-inflammatory and chondroanabolic properties of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), recent in-vitro experimental studies have also highlighted the immune-metabolic effects and antimicrobial properties of PRP when used alone, and in conjunction with antimicrobials. Given the regulatory restrictions associated with antimicrobial use in cattle, PRP is of potential therapeutic benefit to this common clinical problem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chondroprotective effects of ampicillin/sulbactam (Amp-S), autogenous PRP alone (PRP) or combined with Amp-S (PRP+Amp-S) in an explant model of bovine Staphylococcus aureus induced septic arthritis. Autogenous PRP was prepared prior to euthanizing 6 cows. Articular cartilage explants were collected from stifle joints and incubated in synovial fluid with 1 x 105 CFU/mL S. aureus ATCC 25923. Cartilage explants were incubated with S. aureus infected synovial fluid alone (S. aureus control), or S. aureus infected synovial fluid with treatments PRP (25% culture medium volume), Amp-S (2 mg/mL Unasyn™), or PRP+Amp-S for 24 hours. Explant chondrocyte viability, metabolic activity and GAG content were measured via live-dead assay/confocal microscopy, Alamar blue assay and DMMB assay, respectively. Data was analyzed with one-way ANOVA (p≤0.05). Cartilage explants inoculated with S. aureus (control) resulted in 64±10.5% dead cells. Treatment PRP (26±2.8%), Amp-S (25±10.6%) and PRP+Amp-S (22±4%) significantly decreased cell death. There was no significant difference in explant cell death and metabolic activity among the treatments. These results indicate that PRP, Amp-S, and PRP+Amp-S mitigated S. aureus-induced chondrocyte death in this in-vitro explant model of bovine septic arthritis. This data serves as a foundatio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sushmitha Durgam BVSc, MS, PhD (Advisor); Andrew Niehaus DVM, MS (Advisor); Dubraska Diaz-Campos DVM, PhD (Committee Member); Jeffrey Lakritz DVM, PhD (Committee Member); Joseph Lozier DVM, MS (Committee Member) Subjects: Osteopathic Medicine; Veterinary Services