Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2020, Horticulture and Crop Science

In recent years, the North American region has seen increased usage of grafted vegetable transplants to reduce soil-borne disease incidence, increase tolerance to abiotic stress, enhance fruit quality, and increase yields over conventional nongrafted transplants. Grafting itself is a unique agrotechnology that merges a vegetable crop (scion) with the root system of another plant (rootstock) to form one transplant that benefits from both traits. In North America, a recent survey showed nearly 60 million grafted transplants are produced annually for fruiting vegetable crops, including tomato, watermelon, cucumber, pepper, eggplant, and muskmelon. Due to the limited number of nurseries in North America, transplants are commonly shipped 3-5 d to distant producers and have reportedly experienced chilling stress during transportation that reduces transplant quality and may affect post-transplanting performance. However, few studies have explored the specific effects of transport-related chilling stress on seedling quality and post-transplanting development. Using watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), a highly chilling sensitive member of the Cucurbitacea family, we examined effects of acute chilling stress on seedlings quality and post-transplanting development. When grafted and nongrafted seedlings were exposed to 0 - 48 h of 3 °C chilling, we found that seedling quality and post-transplanting development were unaffected by chilling. However, when the chilling temperature was reduced to 1 °C, seedlings exhibited increased visual damage of seedlings with longer durations, decreased chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and increased delays in the number of days it took for plants to reach male and female flower anthesis after transplanting. Nongrafted plants had longer delays in days to flower anthesis than grafted plants, indicating that grafted plants may have been more resistant to chilling or had enhanced flower primordia development that reduced the effects of acute chilling. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Chieri Kubota (Advisor); Joseph Scheerens (Committee Member); Matthew Kleinhenz (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Horticulture; Physiology; Plant Biology; Plant Sciences

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

This mixed-methods study delves into the intricate relationship between pedagogy, pedagogical measures, and equity concerns in education, focusing on implementing Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) principles. The findings underscore the necessity for educational institutions to navigate legal constraints while prioritizing the creation of inclusive learning environments. Key recommendations include establishing robust support mechanisms such as guidebooks to help educators adapt to legal changes without compromising their teaching approaches. Additionally, future research should explore innovative strategies to promote IDEA, particularly from the perspectives of marginalized communities. Advocating for collaboration among educational institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders, the study emphasizes the importance of fostering conducive learning environments that facilitate the growth and success of all students. It stresses the significance of inclusivity, transparency, diversity, and accessibility in constructing a more just educational system. Combining qualitative observations with quantitative analysis, the study offers a comprehensive understanding of the diverse impacts of legislative changes and equity issues in education. Its practical implications are valuable for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders striving to create inclusive educational settings. The study calls for immediate action and targeted interventions to achieve equitable outcomes and address complex challenges. The study proposes explicitly the creation of an instructional guidebook for general education instructors to assist them in navigating evolving legal frameworks and addressing issues related to IDEA.

Committee: James Olive (Committee Chair); Melissa Cordia (Committee Member); Davin Carr-Chellman (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Popular Culture

This thesis investigates the relationship between the body of the witch in popular culture and attitudes and assumptions about the female body. This study was conducted through textual analysis of several popular films and television shows about witches. This analysis is structured around three core archetypes of femininity: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone, examining how each of the three archetypes preserve stereotypes about women and how witches can subvert or reinforce those stereotypes. Using the theory of abjection as a foundation, this thesis argues that witches have a strong relationship to abject femininity and can therefore expose the anxieties and fears about female bodies in a patriarchal culture. This is not a comprehensive study of witches in popular culture, and further research into the intersections of gender and race, sexuality, and ability is needed to form any definite conclusions. This study is merely an exploration of female archetypes and how the female body is conceived through the witch's body in popular culture.

Committee: Jeffrey Brown Dr. (Advisor); Angela Nelson Dr. (Committee Member); Esther Clinton Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Religion; Womens Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2013, Entomology

Emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire), is an exotic beetle native to Asia that threatens to exterminate North America's ash genus. The loss of ash resource represents a huge economic and ecological disaster, in many regions across the United States ash trees are commonly found in forests and urban landscapes. Little is known about the adult emergence phenology, the effects of temperature on development and the diapause of EAB. Understanding the seasonal biology of EAB is required to timely forecast the emergence of the adults and inform time management practices. The main objectives of this study were to document the effects of temperature on diapause termination of prepupal EAB larvae and to characterize the adult emergence phenology of EAB across a latitudinal gradient. The first experiment documented the effects of temperature on the prepupal diapause termination of EAB. Diapausing larvae where collected from late October through late April from outdoor conditions and transferred to 18°C and 25°C. Results showed that by the second week of December, more than half of the overwintering larvae collected were able to continue development when held at 18 and 25°C. The number of insects that terminated diapause increased as the winter months advanced, suggesting the importance of chilling in diapause termination. These findings also provide evidence of the effect of diapause on synchronizing the adult emergence phenology of EAB. The second experiment characterized the adult emergence patterns of EAB across a latitudinal north-to-south gradient compromising 500 km or 4.5 degrees in latitude. EAB adult emergence was monitored from infested ash logs from start to end in 2011 and 2012 at six locations along the latitudinal gradient. In both years, emergence started fist in the southernmost site, Cincinnati, OH and latest in the northernmost site, Midland, MI, but no clear pattern was observed for the rest of the sites (Columbus, Delaware, Wooster, and T (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Daniel Herms (Committee Chair); Robin AJ Taylor (Committee Co-Chair); David Denlinger (Committee Member) Subjects: Entomology