Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (Engineering and Technology)

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) are becoming very popular for solving a multitude of problems. As sUAS solutions are applied to more often, it is evident that multiple cooperative sUAS can be beneficial to certain tasks (surveillance, inspection, mapping). Unfortunately, operations involving multiple sUAS are inherently complex, requiring navigation solutions that are very accurate both in a relative and absolute sense for every member of the swarm. This thesis presents a method to use ultra-wideband (UWB) range radios to increase the relative position accuracy (and as a byproduct, absolute position accuracy) of the members of a swarm. A range radio system is also developed and analyzed, allowing simulations for testing this method. Finally, real flight data has been collected using multiple custom-built sUAS platforms and post-processed, allowing the filter to be analyzed using real world data.

Committee: Maarten Uijt de Haag (Advisor); Michael Braasch (Committee Member); Frank Van Graas (Committee Member); Geoffrey Dabelko (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Electrical Engineering

In recent years, considerable research has been carried out relative to the electromagnetic (EM) propagation and refraction characteristics in metamaterials with emphasis on the origins of negative refractive index. Negative refractive index may be introduced in metamaterials via different methods; one such is the condition whereby the Poynting vector of the EM wave is in opposition to the group velocity in the material. Alternatively, negative refractive index also occurs when the group and phase velocities in the medium are in opposition. The latter phenomenon has been investigated extensively in the literature, including recent work involving chiral metamaterials with material dispersion up to the first order. This dissertation examines the possible emergence of negative refractive index in dispersive chiral (lossless and lossy) metamaterials with material dispersion up to the first and second order. The motivation of this work has two parts- the first part is to determine if using second- as opposed to first-order material dispersion may lead to more practically realizable negative index behavior in the lossless material; the second part is to determine if including the conductive loss to the medium with material dispersion up to the first order (a feature likely to be present in most realistic cases; conductive losses in such materials as nanometals, or dielectric losses in a variety of other nanomaterials, such as lithium niobate and Sic+Ag) may lead to the emergence of negative index. This dissertation investigates the above problems (with the exception of lossy dielectrics, the determination of which is currently ongoing) by using spectral and phasor plane-wave based analytical approaches as well as alternative analysis incorporating practical physical models into the electromagnetic equations. In this work, a spectral approach combined with slowly time-varying phasor analysis is applied leading to the derivation of EM phase and group velocities analytica (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Monish Chatterjee (Advisor); Partha Banerjee (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering; Electromagnetics; Physics

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2013, Physics

This work studies the electromagnetic properties of AF455, a two photon dye, DNA bound with cetyltrimethyl ammonium (CTMA), in liquid solvent blends for use in thin film optical filters. The liquid properties of the materials are believed to be transferred to the films. The solvent blends used are ratios of toluene (T) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The complex permittivity and permeability of the samples are measured using the short open coaxial line technique in the frequency range of 1.0 x 107 Hz to 2.0 x 109 Hz. In this frequency range, AF455 does not act as a two photon absorber. The results show there is an interaction between AF455 and DNA-CTMA that increases the real permittivity for two solvent blends (50-50, and 60-40, T-DMSO). There is also a clear conformation change in the samples with the solvents and DNA-CTMA only that is observed in the real permittivity. In the 70-30 blend, the conformation of the DNA-CTMA is a clear helix. In the samples with less toluene the conformation of the DNA-CTMA is a coil structure. The imaginary permittivity increases with the addition DNA-CTMA. The real and imaginary permeability are constant across all samples.

Committee: Gregory Kozlowski Ph.D. (Advisor); Angela Campbell Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Stewart Ph.D. (Committee Member); Douglas Petkie Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Electromagnetics; Electromagnetism

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

This dissertation investigates the causes of contentious politics across the Russian Federation between 2007 and 2020, with a particular focus on protests during periods of economic fluctuations. This study extends beyond the well-documented large-scale protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg to explore industrial regions and monotowns—localities dominated by one or a few industries. These areas, remnants of the Soviet era, are seemingly vulnerable to economic shocks due to their limited economic diversification and dependence on specific industries. Utilizing the relative deprivation theory, this dissertation sets out to test the hypotheses that post-Soviet Russian monotowns would see their economic protest activity vary in line with economic fluctuations and experience different protest dynamics than non-monotowns due to their contrasting economic structures. To accomplish this research, this study utilizes a newly constructed dataset I named the Russian Nationwide Protest Dataset which builds off Tomila Lankina's original dataset. Lankina's original dataset was expanded by reading and coding protest accounts from the March of Dissent news repository. This created a dataset covering protests across the Russian Federation for the years 2007 to 2020. Contrary to the expectations driven by relative deprivation theory, this dissertation concludes that protest activity in monotowns does not consistently align with economic performance. Furthermore, while protest activity varies across the country, nowhere does it fluctuate regularly with economic performance – inside or outside of monotowns. So then, what does drive economic protest across Russia? Again, beginning with an investigation into monotowns, this dissertation examines regional media coverage of protest events to show that it is often local grievances that motivate citizens to protest. Furthermore, when regional capitals and even Moscow are investigated, this study shows that protests there are also often bas (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Andrew Barnes (Committee Co-Chair); Joshua Stacher (Committee Co-Chair); Mary Ann Heiss (Committee Member); Julie Mazzei (Committee Member); Steve Crowley (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environmental Science

Every occupied indoor environment, including spacecraft, has its own unique microbiome. This composition and quantity of the microbiome present in these environments is dependent on many factors including building materials, occupants cleaning habits, presence of pets, and environmental conditions inside. Indoor microbes can be found in dust, which is generated in both Earth- and space-based built environments, a unique nutrient rich substrate that can act as both a source and sink especially in Earth-based buildings with carpet. Unintended microbial growth indoors can affect the health of the occupants and cause premature failure of building materials via biodegradation. Water is the limiting factor for growth, with moisture in the indoor air sufficient to support microbial growth indoors, especially for fungi. However, we need an improved understanding of microbes and their growth in indoor spaces to ensure healthier environments. The goal of this paper is to provide these examples and show how they fit into the concepts of One Space and bioastronautics. One Space is the idea that the built environment and human health are interconnected based on the One Health principles. Bioastronautics is the study of living organisms in spaceflight conditions. These two ideas complement each other and provide ample opportunity for interdisciplinary collaborations that can lead to innovative solutions to making healthier, safer, and more comfortable built environments on Earth and in space. In these studies, we focus on the intersection between microbiology and the built environment, by looking at the indoor dust microbiome in Earth- and space-based built environments like the International Space Station (ISS). We show that bacteriophages in common Earth-based building materials such as carpet and house dust can remain viable and infectious for up to several days making it a potential source of exposure. We also found the viral genetic material (RNA) remained stable for weeks t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Dannemiller (Advisor); John Horack (Committee Member); Michael Bisesi (Committee Member); Natalie Hull (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health; Environmental Science; Microbiology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Statistics

In power analysis for significance test of the treatment variable in the multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, the variance of the estimated log-hazard ratio for the treatment effect is usually approximated by inverting the expected null information matrix. Because in many typical power analysis settings, assumed true values of the hazard ratios are not necessarily close to one, the accuracy of inverting the expected null is not theoretically guaranteed. A null variance in power calculations underestimates or overestimates the true variance in different treatment allocation settings when the treatment allocation ratio is far from one, similarly alternative variance in power calculations predicts inaccurate results in different treatment allocation settings. When the study events are rare, the alternative variance predicts accurate results in predicting the power, but the alternative variance does not provide accurate results when the study events are not rare. To address this problem, we propose an approach to estimating the variance, and this approach is compared with three widely used approaches in practice. The null variance in power calculations can be replaced with the proposed adjusted alternative variance derived under the assumed true value of the hazard ratio for the treatment effect. This approach is explored theoretically and by the simulations in this research. In this approach, we improve the variance of the log hazard ratio for the treatment effect and compare it with the traditional null variance, the traditional alternative variance, and another variance using log-rank test under proportional hazard alternatives. The most accurate expression of the variance has a relatively simple form. The variance is scaled up by a variance inflation factor, denoted by $VIF$. Our simulations for the relative bias of standard error and the power of the test for the treatment effect under the proposed variance are compared to the other sta (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Junfeng Shang Ph.D. (Advisor); Hanfeng Chen Ph.D. (Committee Member); Wei Ning Ph.D. (Committee Member); Deborah Wooldridge Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Statistics

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Engineering and Applied Science: Mechanical Engineering

In Cooperative Localization, agents share their sensor information with each other for collective state estimation. Observability of the system plays a key role in maintaining localization accuracy, irrespective of the estimation technique used. Since the observability of nonlinear systems is state-dependent, controllers can be developed to solve for states that improve observability of the system. In this thesis, we solve such a problem in relative framework. For missions like aerial refueling, landing, formation flying etc., knowledge of relative pose is more important for successful execution of the mission. When flying through GPS-denied hostile environments, the agents must estimate their relative pose with respect to each other using on-board sensors. Depending on the nature of the mission, agents can be constrained to move in certain trajectories that can make the system unobservable, because of which estimation errors accumulate over time. In such cases, additional vehicles can be introduced to provide more measurements, which improves localization accuracy. Furthermore, the path followed by these vehicles can improve the observability of the system. Therefore, we perform a detailed nonlinear observability analysis of the N-vehicle system and derive a cost function from the observability gramian (O'O). We solve for trajectories of these additional supporting vehicles that maximize this cost using Trajectory Optimization coupled with Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach. When multiple supporting vehicles are involved, we can solve for the trajectories of all the vehicles collectively or solve for each vehicle individually. We present simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink that demonstrates the effectiveness and consistency of the controller developed. We show that the distributed approach offers the same accuracy with low computation time compared to the centralized approach. We also study the effect of the number of additional supporting vehicles (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rajnikant Sharma Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Manish Kumar Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Thompson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Robots

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Engineering and Applied Science: Aerospace Engineering

In this dissertation, the main focus is on developing a low-cost, robust, and efficient solution for Cooperative Localization to aid navigation of Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles in GPS-denied or degraded conditions. Initially, we derive conditions for complete observability of fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Multi-rotor UAVs. A Relative Position Measurement Graph (RPMG) is created where the nodes of the graph are the vehicles or known features (landmarks) and the edges between them represent the measurements. Using graph theory and concepts of linear algebra, conditions for the maximum rank of the observability matrix are derived and a relationship between the rank of the observability matrix and the measurements available in the system are developed. One of the drawbacks of the conditions from this analysis is the necessity to maintain a connected RPMG at all time instants. Hence, a discrete-time observability condition is developed where the union of the RPMGs over a time interval has to be connected. Next, we address a fundamental problem for close coordination and control of Unmanned Vehicles (UVs). For various applications, the inertial position of the vehicles is not important. Relative pose and orientation among vehicles are useful for developing controllers in such cases. It is known that an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) performs extremely well provided it is initialized close to the truth and receives measurements. For vehicles traveling long distances without any GPS measurements or with severe network delays such that they need to re-initialize the filters, the assumption of known a-priori is not valid. To circumvent these problems, a Multi-Hypothesis EKF (MHEKF) is developed with range-only measurements where the EKF has no a-priori information during initialization which means that the uncertainty associated is very large. In the end, we solve a distributed cooperative localization problem for ground vehicles. Centralized CL is c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rajnikant Sharma Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Raj Bhatnagar Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kevin Brink Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kelly Cohen Ph.D. (Committee Member); Manish Kumar Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Robots

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2020, International and Comparative Politics

How does relative deprivation cause people to condone political violence? This thesis investigates this question by utilizing survey data conducted in Bangladesh. Scarcity of public resources, lethal political confrontation and poor resource allocation make Bangladesh a fertile ground for violence. Although the survey suggests a relationship exists between relative deprivation and the public attitude toward condoning political violence, the regression analysis reveals that the relationship is imprecise. Small sample size, lack of technical capacity, and limited applicability of the foundational theory may have caused this imprecise outcome. The study concludes by providing recommendations for future research to undertake a mixed method for this sensitive topic.

Committee: Carlos E. Costa Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Laura M. Luehrmann Ph.D. (Committee Member); Pramod Kantha Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Comparative Studies

The concept of agency in Muslim women's lives is often approached in binary terms. On one side is the global liberatory paradigm that equates agency with resistance to restrictions and views it as incompatible with Islam. On the opposite side is the Islamic feminist argument that locates agency in women's deliberate acts of ethical self-formation and working within religious structures. Both these approaches come with certain limitations. First, they overlook the large group of "ordinary Muslim" women whose agency is not shaped either in opposition or conscious submission to religion. Second, they measure women's relation to larger structures by relying on a limited understanding of agency as autonomous will enacted through individual actions. To surpass these limitations, I apply a folkloristic approach to the study of Muslim women's social life. I present three ethnographic cases from my 2017-18 fieldwork with Iranian-American Muslim women in Southern California: a popular domestic Shia ritual, several Quran discussion sessions, and a women's charity club engaged in cultural programs. Using these cases and engaging the scholarship in anthropology of Islam, feminist folklore, and vernacular religion, my dissertation explores 1) how agency is formed, dispersed, and negotiated through social actions, shared performances, and sociability practices in everyday lives of Muslim women--rather than tied to individual acts of piety or resistance, and 2) how Muslim women's agency is formed in relation to external and internal sources of power that transcend the presumed force of religion and tradition in their lives. In other words, I argue for rethinking the very terms of the debate with regard to agency, Muslimness, and the assumption of women's unanimity. For example, I show that women who participate in Quranic sessions frequently argue--with different degrees of authority--over the true meaning and application of Quran in their lives as Muslim women in the US. Women (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dorothy Noyes (Advisor); Morgan Liu (Committee Member); Katherine Borland (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Folklore; Gender; Middle Eastern Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Religion; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Sociology

Women's increased labor force participation in the latter half of the 20th century resulted in a shift from male-sole-earner to dual-earner couples in the United States. There has been limited research since 2001 examining relative earning patterns within different-gender married and cohabiting couples. The first goal of this dissertation was to provide a contemporary portrait of couples' relative earning patterns using the 2017 Current Population Survey (CPS). Prior research found that as of 2001, men were main contributors in more than half (55%) of dual-earner couples. I found that by 2017 this number decreased to less than half (47%); and that higher levels of women's education, women being more educated than their partners, having no or fewer children, cohabiting (versus married), and African American individuals were associated with a greater odds of couples being egalitarian (dual or equal providing) or non-traditional (women providing the majority or women sole) in their earning arrangements. Implications of the shift from the male-sole-earner to dual-earner partnerships for the well-being of partnerships have been studied; but little research has examined how individuals' earnings relative to their partners relate to work-family conflict. The second goal of this dissertation was to examine the associations between relative earnings and both directions of work-family conflict—work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC)—and whether these associations varied by gender. Using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW), I found that main contributors worked longer work hours and had more perceived job strain, than secondary contributors. Main contributors experienced more WFC than secondary contributors, but when work hours and perceived job strain were controlled for, the higher WFC of main contributors than secondary contributors disappeared. Secondary contributors shoulder more FWC—housework and childcare—than main (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kei Nomaguchi PhD (Advisor); Karen Guzzo PhD (Committee Member); Monica Longmore PhD (Committee Member); Wendy Manning PhD (Committee Member); Gajjala Radhika PhD (Other) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Environmental Science

Asthma represents both a significant health and economic burden worldwide and is expected to increase in prevalence in the future, especially among high prevalence regions in high income countries (HIC) and in some low to middle income countries (LMIC). This is partly due to growing inclusiveness in our definition of asthma and is likely related to increasing rates of sensitization and allergy, which in turn may be a result of changing environmental factors, including microbial and pollutant exposures. Asthma is a complex respiratory disease with multiple subtypes, and severity is affected by both genetics and environmental exposures. One exposure, fungal diversity, is known to be inversely associated with asthma prevalence. Exposure to mold in housing is also associated with negative respiratory effects. Fungal exposures can be assessed from indoor environmental samples via relative abundance data obtained through next-generation DNA sequencing. However, relative abundances do not provide information about total fungal load. This factor is crucial for symptom severity among non-allergic asthmatics especially. Additionally, excluding this quantitative information may mask other associations. Combining sequencing data with absolute quantification of spore equivalents—obtained using qualitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)—offers an improved characterization of exposure. The goal of this study was to compare differences in analysis results between relative abundance and absolute quantification, and explore associations between quantitative fungal exposures and asthma outcomes in children. Dust samples were collected from bedroom floors in homes of asthmatic children classified as living in neighborhoods with either higher or lower asthma prevalence in the Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study in New York City. We homogenized dust through sieving and performed DNA extractions on samples of known mass. We analyzed DNA samples using qPCR to measure total fungal spore (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Dannemiller PhD (Advisor); Jeffrey Bielicki PhD (Committee Member); Matthew Perzanowski PhD (Committee Member); Christopher Weghorst PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health; Microbiology

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2018, Polymer Science

Catenanes as mechanically interlocked polymers possess distinct, well-defined topological interactions and, as a result, exhibit a variety of unique properties. Template-directed synthesis is responsible for the high yield syntheses of these structures40. However, little is known about the interfacial and physical properties of this class of polymers. As proved many times in other polymeric systems, Molecular dynamics simulation can be used to characterize them. Among the limited studies, Wang, et.al quantified the influence of topological constraints on the structural and dynamic behavior of different topologies of ring polymers. They found that catenane topologies have larger flexibility than any of the single chain systems, indicative of the larger structural deformations that these large complexes can sustain53. We will present simulation results on the morphology and dynamics of linear, ring and catenane polymers in dilute solutions. Pure poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), pure polystyrene (PS) and diblock of PEO and PS catenanes in a select group of solvents are examined. The effect of solvent quality on morphology and dynamics is also investigated. Flexibility caused by different polymer type, different chain structure and different interaction of chains with solvents has the dominant role in determining morphological and dynamical properties of the polymers. The behavior of diblock catenane at an interface of two immiscible solvents provided interesting morphological and dynamical understanding. An interesting dynamics of the two blocks, both translational and rotational, has been observed at the liquid/liquid interface. At the interface, the flexibility of the rings also plays a major role in relative rotation of the rings.

Committee: Mesfin Tsige (Advisor); Andrey Dobrynin (Committee Member) Subjects: Polymers

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Arts and Sciences: Mathematical Sciences

In epidemiology and clinical research, the relative risk (RR) is commonly used as a measure of the risk of developing a disease. The log-binomial regression is a preferred statistical model to estimate RR as it provides a convenient form of RR. However, the constrained parameter space of the log-binomial model often causes numerical difficulties in applying this model for data analysis. In this dissertation, we conduct model selections for the log-binomial regression where three objectives are addressed. Firstly, we develop Bayesian variable selection methods for log-binomial model, where the Bayes factor is used as the selection criterion and five Monte Carlo methods are utilized to compute the Bayes factor while dealing with the constrained parameter space. These Monte Carlo methods are then assessed for computational accuracy and efficiency. Secondly, we study the sensitivity of Bayes factor to the prior distributions of the regression parameters by evaluating the performances of five popular priors in the log-binomial variable selection, i.e. independent Gaussian prior, independent t prior, independent Cauchy prior, the g-prior (g=n) and the Zellner-Siow Cauchy prior. Finally, we perform Bayesian model selection between the log-binomial and the logistic regressions where the Bayes factor, the fractional Bayes factor, LPML, DIC and BIC are used as the model selection methods. In addition, four prior densities of the regression parameters are considered: the flat prior, Cauchy prior, Jeffreys prior and an elicited proper prior. The theoretical properties of these priors are also investigated. These methods and priors are compared via simulations on their capabilities of distinguishing between the log-binomial and logit models.

Committee: Siva Sivaganesan Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Emily Kang Ph.D. (Committee Member); Seongho Song Ph.D. (Committee Member); Xia Wang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Plant Pathology

Salmonellosis cases caused by Salmonella enterica through pre-harvest contamination of fresh produce represent a risk to human health worldwide; however, little is known about the interactions between Salmonella, phytopathogens, environment, and the plant host contributing to this food safety issue. Furthermore, the control of Salmonella from “farm to fork” is challenging due to the development of resistance mechanisms towards current control methods and restrictions on use of antimicrobials imposed by regulatory agencies. We investigated the effects of specific environmental conditions on the persistence and dissemination of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) following artificial contamination of `Tiny Tim' tomato plants. We found that higher temperatures (30°C day/25°C night) reduced the persistence of S. Typhimurium in the phyllosphere compared to lower temperatures (20°C day/15°C night) when plants were sprayed on the leaves with a S. Typhimurium -contaminated solution. Wounding cotyledons with contaminated tools increased S. Typhimurium persistence and internalization in planta compared to spray inoculation. Low relative humidity enhanced the dissemination of Salmonella into non-inoculated plant tissues. S. Typhimurium was detected in the root systems for at least 98 days-post inoculation. Further, we showed that splice-grafting (`Celebrity' with 'MaxiFort') is a major risk for the internalization and long-term survival of S. Typhimurium inside the tomato plant. S. Typhimurium was detected in the root system for over 137 days if at least 5 x 10^3 colony-forming units were introduced during grafting. The survival of S. Typhimurium in tomato foliage was also affected by the presence of phytopathogens, the genotype of S. Typhimurium and tomato variety used. We found that rfbV, involved in O antigen synthesis, might be essential for S. Typhimurium persistence in inoculated tomato plants and especially in `Tiny Tim' plants (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gireesh Rajashekara (Advisor); Sally Miller (Advisor); Laurence Madden (Committee Member); Christopher Taylor (Committee Member); Corey Nislow (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Bioinformatics; Biology; Environmental Health; Molecular Biology; Plant Pathology; Public Health

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

BACKGROUND: Several factors may affect a child's health including physical activity and sedentary behavior. These variables may be affected by the type and amount of screen-based media device use by children. PURPOSE: Specific Aim 1 examined goal structure (i.e., cooperative, competitive) during physically active video game (i.e., exergame) play with a friend. Specific Aim 2 assessed portable device (i.e., smartphones, tablets) use in children and their parents in relation to child and parent physical activity and child and parent sedentary behavior. METHODS: Specific Aim 1 studied 20 children (N = 20) during exergame (Nintendo Wii Tennis ®) play for liking and motivation during three conditions (rest, competitive, cooperative). Specific Aim 2 asked parents (N = 40) to fill out a questionnaire in regards to their own physical activity, sedentary behavior, and portable device use in addition to the same behaviors of their children. RESULTS: Specific Aim 1 found that liking was significantly greater for cooperative (9.3 ± 1.6 cm) than rest (p = 0.001, 2.8 ± 2.2 cm) and competitive play (p = 0.03, 8.3 ± 2.3 cm). Specific Aim 2 found child sedentary time was significantly (ß = 0.47, t = 3.30, p = 0.002) associated with child portable device use and parent total screen use (ß = 0.45, t = 2.91, p = 0.006). DISCUSSION: As screen-based devices become more available to children it seems critical to understand how to use these devices to enhance physical activity and also to understand safe limits of portable device use.

Committee: Jacob Barkley PhD (Advisor); John McDaniel PhD (Committee Member); Andrew Lepp PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Physiology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2017, Economics

Despite the large number of papers that investigate the linkage between income inequality and physical health, research on the linkage between income inequality and mental health has been sparse. Furthermore, the mental health and income inequality literature focuses primarily on national- and state-level income inequality, generally ignoring the sub-state level. I attempt to fill this gap in the literature by combining mental health and demographic data from the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth with state and county income data samples from the U.S. Census Bureau in order to investigate the effect of county-level income inequality on individual mental health. Results indicate that county-level income inequality has modest non-linear effects on individual mental health, with more equal counties being affected more by increases in inequality and increases in income inequality in unequal counties may even improve individual mental health. However, after controlling for unobservable individual characteristics, income inequality has no effect on mental health suggesting that previous models in the literature are inadequate.

Committee: Melissa Thomasson (Committee Chair) Subjects: Economics

BA, Oberlin College, 2016, Psychology

Group relative deprivation occurs when an individual believes that a group with which they identify has fewer resources than another group. The experience of group relative deprivation often includes feelings of injustice, anger, and resentment. Group relative deprivation may result in inter-group attitude changes, such as increased prejudice, and a willingness to engage in collective action to change the distribution of resources. Despite findings that relative deprivation is a subjective perception of resource distribution, few, if any, studies have investigated if the perceived essentialism of the groups involved in the perceived inequality impact the intensity of group relative deprivation. When groups are perceived as more essentialized, individuals believe that members of different groups have deep, unchanging differences. To test if perceived essentialism impacts group relative deprivation, participants were told that a group with which they identify has a lower average GPA than another group. Conditions varied on perceived essentialism of groups involved in the grade disparity – gender as the more-essentialized condition, and academic major division as the less-essentialized condition. Analysis revealed that females in the gender condition reported more intense relative deprivation experiences than females in the major condition, while the opposite was true for males. Though the role of essentialism remains unclear, social perception seems to play a role in the experience and outcomes of relative deprivation. These findings may have implications for resolving real-world conflicts that arise from a perceived unequal distribution of resources between groups.

Committee: Cynthia McPherson Frantz (Advisor); Paul H. Thibodeau (Committee Member); F. Stephan Mayer (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Social Psychology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Atmospheric Sciences

In this study, four key lake effect parameters were examined for 22 lake effect snowfall event case studies to the lee of Lake Erie from the period of 2007-2008 to 2015-2016. In addition, case study summaries were created to provide relevant background information. The case studies were broken down into that of 11 from Type I lake effect events and the remaining 11 from Type II lake effect events. The parameters studied include: lake induced instability, mean low-level wind flow, low-level relative humidity, and lake induced equilibrium level. Data for the parameters was extracted from the Penn State THREDDS Data Server in the form of RUC/RAP reanalysis data and then processed using a forecast profile visualization and analysis tool kit called BUFKIT. Reanalysis for the parameters was calculated on 3-hour intervals for the duration of the case studies and chosen for specific point locations across the surface of Lake Erie through the BUFKIT Data Distribution System. Type I case studies had three point locations or station identifications examined- LE1, LE2, and LE3, while Type II case studies had two point locations examined- LE1, LE2. The lake effect parameter data collected was then averaged over 6-hour intervals for each event and put in a table format. Complete event averages were also computed, charted, and put into table format. By doing so, an archive of key lake effect parameter values for past Type I and Type II events and the resulting snowfall amounts is available with the goal being to have created an analog system that can be used to help in the making of future lake effect snowfall forecasts. Type I and Type II complete event averages were then compiled and averaged for their corresponding band type. Once completed, trends in the lake effect parameters were observed and analyzed for statistical significance. Lake induced equilibrium level values as well as the height to which low-level relative humidity greater than or equal to 70% was (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Hobgood (Advisor); Jialin Lin (Committee Member); Alvaro Montenegro (Committee Member) Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences; Meteorology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Rural Sociology

In a relatively short period of time, hunting has progressed from an activity vital to human survival to a form of outdoor recreation that represents a net monetary loss for most participants. Hunting participation in the United States is in long term decline, but with occasional spikes in popularity. With declining participation, the importance of hunting as an economic activity has waned, and wildlife professionals and social scientists have struggled to find viable, predictable, cost effective ways to influence hunting initiation and continuation (also referred to as "recruitment" and "retention"). While early literature concerning hunting participation has certainly advanced from hunter tallies and animal harvests trends, gaps exist in understanding what factors influence hunting participation. A preliminary step in understanding these gaps is to situate the existing body of research on hunting participation within the social science disciplines of sociology, psychology, and social psychology. The goal is to trace how theory from these disciplines has been used to understand hunting participation and thereby identify biases and blind spots in the existing literature. Once the field has been situated two questions that speak to long-term trends in hunting participation can be examined. Specifically, (a) how increasingly popular support for alternative food impacts hunting participation, as well as (b) how do economic characteristics influence shifting value orientations presumed to affect attitudes toward hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation. The increasing popularity of alternative food ideologies has generated excitement among many wildlife professionals, who suspect alternative food supporters may be attracted to hunting due to perceived benefits of wild game meat, but little rigorous quantitative research exists on this subject. Similarly, though research on wildlife-related value orientations provided new avenues to examine hunting particip (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeremy Bruskotter (Advisor); Jeff Sharp (Committee Co-Chair); Richard Moore (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology