Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2012, Higher Education

This study examined decision-making processes during two university mergers, instances of major organizational change. Processes were evaluated in the context of traditional and modern academic decision-making models. A qualitative method of inquiry, designed as a multiple instrumental case study, entailed interviews with 6 participants at a pilot site, followed by 37 interviews and document analysis at two case study sites. Interview transcripts and documents were coded and analyzed, yielding a thematic evaluation. Four major themes were found pertaining to the two mergers: avoidance of conflict, need for validation, momentum, and disconnect among views. The study found that more traditional models of decision-making were employed at one institution, while more modern models were used at the other. Both institutions exhibited administrative leadership utilizing tools to exert influence to effect the mergers. Conclusions included a highlight on American higher education institutions in transition from traditional to more modern approaches of decision-making, described as a “grey zone” between the models. Implications of the study included the necessity for modern higher education administrators to maintain a delicate balance between traditional and evolving modern approaches of higher education decision-making.

Committee: Penny Poplin Gosetti PhD (Committee Chair); David Meabon PhD (Committee Member); Ronald McGinnis MD (Committee Member); Robert Yonker PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

Master of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Biomedical Engineering

Sleep waves have been studied for their effects and implications on humans. Studies have focused on different aspects to study the effects of wake and sleep periods, however, have shown conflicting results. We focus our study on the effect of slow sleep waves (< 1 Hz) characteristic of non-REM sleep on synaptic weights in vitro. We induced long-term potentiation using high-frequency stimulation in the CA3 region of the hippocampus and recorded from CA1. Low-frequency spikes were induced in vitro using halved concentrations of magnesium and calcium compared with regular artificial cerebrospinal fluid. With respect to previously induced long-term potentiation, we found a reduction of 23.67 ± 62.97 % in evoked potentials' slope, however, the decrease wasn't statistically significant. We conclude that slow sleep waves are unable to produce a significant effect on synaptic weight, and the effect produced by the solution used could be dependent on the amplitude and frequency of induced spikes.

Committee: Dominique Durand (Advisor); Chia-Chu Chiang (Committee Member); Kenneth Gustafson (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering; Experiments; Neurobiology; Neurosciences

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Computer Science and Engineering

The performance of scientific and analytic applications faces challenges as data volume and complexity have dramatically increased in past decades. Data management systems develop many techniques to optimize data storage layouts, thus speeding up the I/O procedure in these applications. Data partitioning and data placement are two representative techniques. Prior research splits a large object, such as a scientific array or a table, into many hyper-rectangular partitions. However, complex workloads expose non-rectangular access patterns that do not match with rectangular partitions. Furthermore, prior studies optimize the partitioning layout in a single data store. Modern systems often have diverse storage infrastructures, requiring a smart data placement strategy. Both data partitioning and placement decide the storage layout but prior studies consider them independently. This dissertation, therefore, matches the partitioning layout with the non-rectangular access pattern and jointly tunes data partitioning and data placement to maximize the I/O performance. As partitions of an object are placed and processed in a few data stores, a query on such an object is split into fragments executed separately. A significant challenge for the split execution is to reconstruct final answers efficiently. Stitching partitions incurs a massive amount of memory operations, especially for split SQL executions because relational operators return data in random orders. Sorting is one of the most expensive operators in RDBMSs. A slow reconstruction procedure easily offsets the benefit of optimized layouts. This dissertation makes four contributions to optimize the physical storage layout in scientific and analytic data management systems. The first contribution is a human-interpretable model to predict the end-to-end query evaluation time. The model is the foundation for comparing candidate layouts in optimization algorithms. The second contribution is an algorithm that jointly (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Spyros Blanas (Advisor); Suren Byna (Committee Member); John Paparrizos (Committee Member); Yang Wang (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science

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

Education remains one of the most polarized areas in American society. However, this is not a new phenomenon. From the 1950s to 1980, Congress, the executive branch, and judicial branch significantly increased their funding and oversight in public education. 1965 marked the year Congress passed legislation with the hopes of creating a more equitable system for all socioeconomic classes. However, conservatives also began to coalesce in the 1970s over segregation, helping spur the 1980 Reagan Revolution. 1981 marked the first year in over two decades where Congress cut the education budget for integrative services and changed how the federal government funded programs for low-income students. These changes were integral to the Reagan administration and conservative Congress's goals to reduce social services in an effort to reduce the budget and expand the economy while simultaneously preserving tax loopholes and cuts for the wealthy. Federal funding for social services like education saw cuts that hurt many of the gains that low-income school districts had seen over the previous two decades. One often overlooked piece of legislation–the 1981 Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA)–caused many of these changes. This act removed the protective language and funding that had helped lower income, bilingual, and segregated communities receive federal aid for the previous fifteen years. While creator John Ashbrook's initial intent for the ECIA was to give more power to local and state governments over education– something that conservatives thought was an important goal–the ECIA also ended integration programs and removed barriers to ensure funding went to high needs schools. These changes have affected education to this day.

Committee: Peter Shulman (Committee Chair); Renee Sentilles (Committee Member); John Flores (Committee Member); Timothy Black (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Education; Education History; History; Public Policy

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1963, MBA/Accounting

Committee: Harvey E. Donley (Advisor) Subjects: Accounting

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Materials Science and Engineering

Much effort has been directed over the past several decades towards net-shape manufacturing of nickel-base superalloys which are difficult to conventionally process because of their compositional complexity. Net-shape hot isostatic pressing (NS-HIP) has been employed for the last fifty years for consolidation of superalloys and has numerous advantages when compared with traditional processing. These include very efficient use of material, refined microstructure without prominent texture or residual stresses, and the absence of porosities. Disadvantages include the cost of sacrificial tooling and the presence of defect networks in consolidated material. These networks of defects, designated as prior particle boundaries (PPB) because they originate at the surfaces of powder stock, contribute to a scatter or deficit in mechanical properties, which in the past has disqualified NS-HIP materials from use in critical aerospace applications. Studies in this work have shown that the HIP:ing of superalloy powders of the same nominal composition, but processed with different conditions, yield quite different microstructures and properties. The origins of these differences, such as atomization method, cleanliness of the material, powder size and shape, and grain structure have been examined using various characterization techniques. This work has focused on the characterization of microstructure and defects of IN-718 in rapidly solidified powders, at intermediate stages during HIP, and in the as-HIP condition. Novel methods for characterizing and quantifying defects in superalloys, with an emphasis on the contrast mechanisms in low voltage in-column scanning electron microscopy are presented. An approach has been developed for net-shape HIP processing of IN-718 with improved microstructure and tolerance for defects.

Committee: Hamish Fraser (Advisor); Yunzhi Wang (Committee Member); Steven Niezgoda (Committee Member) Subjects: Materials Science

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Communication

Over the past three decades, partisanship has become an increasingly salient social identity for Americans, resulting in an electorate that is affectively polarized. An electorate characterized by affective polarization cuts against normative models of democracy, as party loyalists tend to dislike members of other parties, prefer confrontation to compromise, and distrust government when their preferred party is out of power. The commercial US media environment has been a frequent culprit in theories of the origins of affective polarization. Cross-national comparisons find that the United States may have experienced the most rapid gains in affective polarization but Americans' fixation on party identity is far from unique. This comparative analysis categorizes 14 countries' national media systems and tests whether news media consumption in commercial media systems, such as the United States, predicts higher levels of partisan animus and party loyalty in vote choice than media consumption in other types of media systems. The results indicate that television consumption in commercial media systems is associated with higher levels of partisan affect than in public-service or hybrid media systems.

Committee: Erik Nisbet Ph.D. (Advisor); R. Kelly Garrett Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Political Science

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2019, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

School district consolidation has a history in the United States education system dating back to 1789. The consolidation, or merging, of school districts, is often viewed by school decision-makers as an effective way to save money, increase offerings (both academic and extra-curricular), and increase student achievement. This study investigates if there is a relationship between school consolidation and student achievement. The study uses Comprehensive Meta-Analysis to synthesize an effect size from primary and secondary sources. It is the only known study investigating the relationship between school consolidation and student achievement that utilizes Comprehensive Meta-Analysis. Primary data consist of student results on state assessment tests before and after district consolidation from districts mergers in the states of New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania since 2004. Secondary data were obtained from six previous studies that investigated school consolidation and student achievement. The study focused on the results of students in Grades three through eight. Pre- and post-merger data were analyzed for all students, as well as students in the following subgroups: Black, Hispanic/Latino, and economically disadvantaged. Results from New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were also compared. Results and implications of the study could provide insight into school district decision-makers who might be considering consolidation.

Committee: Larwin Karen PhD (Committee Chair); Spearman Patrick PhD (Committee Member); Hilton Jason PhD (Committee Member); Erickson Matthew PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2019, Journalism

This paper sets out to explain the current landscape of local news in the United States as it has been consolidated under fewer owners. Through a review of peer-reviewed literature, a qualitative thematic analysis of news coverage of a failed local school levy, and an overview of Columbus-area broadcast media's online coverage of Athens and Albany, Ohio the researcher sets to answer whether media ownership has an impact on a broadcast station's news output online, how the ownership of these websites impacts coverage of local communities and how a consolidated media market frames and presents stories to its communities.

Committee: Victoria LaPoe PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Leadership Studies

In 2008, the Great Recession forced large cuts to state education budgets. Most of the reductions in education spending have not been fully restored (Leachman & Mai, 2014). Presently, the vast majority of Title I schools in Ohio and across the U.S operate as school-wide program (SWP) buildings. The impact of cuts in education funding makes it more difficult for high-poverty, Title I schools to fund supplemental education programs for at-risk students. Yet, despite the fiscal challenges confronting SWP buildings, the available resource allocation option to consolidate Title I and other federal, state, and local to pay for educational programs needed to boost student achievement remains underutilized (Junge & Krvaric, 2013). The purpose of the longitudinal study was to examine the effect of combining Title I, federal, state, and local funds (i.e., funds consolidation) on school-level achievement at SWP elementary schools in the Cincinnati Public School District, over time. It compared two Title I school-wide program (SWP) funding types over a five school-year period (2008-09 to 2012-13). The comparison district was the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The study's dependent variable was school-level achievement (as determined by the building's Ohio performance index score). Data for the study were collected from the Ohio Department of Education's (ODE) website. Propensity score analysis was applied to match school buildings from both districts. The study sought to determine which SWP funding type was better at increasing school-level achievement over time. A mixed ANOVA was applied to analyze the dataset with findings of a statistically significant interaction effect. Results showed that elementary SWP program buildings that consolidated funds over a five-year period had significantly higher achievement compared with matched elementary SWP buildings that did not. The effect size for this interaction effect was large. The study's findings have important implicat (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Pauken (Advisor); Susan Peet (Other); Paul Johnson (Committee Member); Rachel Reinhart (Committee Member); Eugene Sanders (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Educational Leadership; School Finance

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Cleveland State University, 2017, Washkewicz College of Engineering

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with their exceptional properties will facilitate the Metal matrix composites (MMC) to exhibit good mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivities, corrosion resistance, etc. The critical factor that holds the development of the Metal matrix Nanocomposites (MMNC) by using CNTs is the tendency of CNTs to form clusters (agglomerations) due to their high Van der Waals attractions. Due to this factor, low density and other properties of the CNTs, there has been a delay in harnessing their ultimate potential. Existing literature in contemporary times from the works of few researches in Nanocomposites shows the prevalence of using surfactants / dispersing agents for dispersing CNTs in the metal matrix. But the addition of these dispersing agents will form inclusions in the metal thus closing the avenue for developing ballistic electrical conductors and high purity MMNCs. Also the vol% of CNTs is limited to 1% in many cases and further increase reduces the mechanical strength. The reason for decreasing the strength is attributed to the agglomeration of CNTs and their disorderly alignment. In this work we developed a process where total dispersion and deagglomeration of CNTs up to 5 vol% is achieved without the addition of any surfactants / dispersing agents in the Magnesium Metal matrix. The process developed in this work can be applied to other metals with proper process parameters to develop various MMNCs with exceptional properties relative to the base metal. This process will open doors for the future works for developing high strength, High electrical and thermal conductive Metal Matrix Nanocomposites.

Committee: Taysir Nayfeh Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jessica Bickel Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tushar Borkar Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Materials Science; Mechanical Engineering; Metallurgy; Nanotechnology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1986, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1976, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1973, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1966, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1954, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Economics

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Mechanical Engineering

Due to increasing emphasis on lightweighting to increase fuel efficiency, integration of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) with metal structures is necessary. Current adhesive and mechanical fastening methods used for joining CFRP to metals are not ideal due to poor mechanical properties and incompatibility with current manufacturing infrastructure. Consequently, new joining techniques are needed for increasing the use of CFRP. In this research project, a method of creating joints between CFRP and 6061-H18 aluminum was developed by using ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM). The UAM process was used to embed dry carbon fiber tows within an aluminum matrix, creating a mechanical joint between the two materials. The joints were then integrated with additional CF fabrics and epoxy, forming a fully integrated CF-Al structure. This technique was used to create CF-Al joints for tensile, cross tensile, and three-point-bend testing. Mechanical test results showed that the UAM constructed joints had superior strength when compared to adhesive single lap joints. Throughout the UAM joint manufacturing process, experimental observations paired with FEA were used to help solve issues with foil tearing, which is a common problem experienced when materials are embedded with UAM.

Committee: Marcelo Dapino (Advisor); Anthony Luscher (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Engineering; Automotive Engineering; Automotive Materials; Engineering; Experiments; Materials Science; Polymers

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Mechanical Engineering

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is a recent additive manufacturing technology which combines ultrasonic metal welding, CNC machining, and mechanized foil layering to create large gapless near net-shape metallic parts. The process has been attracting much attention lately due to its low formation temperature, the capability to join dissimilar metals, and the ability to create complex design features not possible with traditional subtractive processes alone. These process attributes enable light-weighting of structures and components in an unprecedented way. However, UAM is currently limited to niche areas due to the lack of quality tracking and inadequate scientic understanding of the process. As a result, this thesis work is focused on improving both component quality tracking and process understanding through the use of average electrical power input to the welder. Additionally, the understanding and application space of embedding fibers into metals using UAM is investigated, with particular focus on NiTi shape memory alloy fibers.

Committee: Marcelo Dapino Professor (Advisor); Krishnaswamy Srinivasan Professor (Committee Member); Blaine Lilly Professor (Committee Member); Peter Anderson Professor (Committee Member) Subjects: Materials Science; Mechanical Engineering