Master of Science in Environmental Science, Youngstown State University, 2021, Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences

With the growth of urbanization, the access to fresh, unprocessed foods is decreasing leading to regions of food deserts. Most city planning has not been designed to include access to fresh food supply for the residents. There are many different factors contributing to the phenomenon such as low-income, lack of access to proper and feasible public transport, lack of vehicle ownership, and absence of food retailers in specific urban regions. Utilizing Geographical Information Systems (GIS), stores and public transportation were mapped, and the availability of healthy food was evaluated. Food deserts in the city of Youngstown were identified by placing a buffer zone around each store. Economic background, race/ethnicity, transportation access, and health conditions of people living in the City of Youngstown were investigated. The large stores that provide a variety of fresh foods were located on the boundary of the city making them less accessible to residents near the city center. Public transportation did not greatly improve access because of its limited schedule. Most of the stores easily accessible to residents did not carry fresh fruits and vegetables although they did carry a limited amount of milk, eggs, and bread. Adverse health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity did not vary much between food desert regions and non-desert regions of Youngstown. All the adverse health conditions were higher in the city as compared to Mahoning County rates. There is a need to improve the availability and access to healthy and fresh food to address the well-being of the community.

Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Biological soil crusts are clumped together communities of organisms with soils that play an essential role in arid ecosystems. They have crucial roles in primary roductivity, nitrogen and carbon cycling, mineralization, water retention, and soil stabilization. There is a gap in knowledge for desert crusts from the Cieneguilla Desert of Lima, Peru. This study measures metal concentrations and determines carbon/nitrogen associated with crust communities to characterize the BSC and establish potential biogeochemical relationships. Chapter 2: The importance of monitoring water quality is essential to maintaining healthy aquatic environments for wildlife and human health. This study of Yellow, Creek in Poland, Ohio aims to identify spatial and temporal trends in physicochemical parameters, biological indicators, and benthic community structure. Water quality parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total suspended solids, and fecal coliform count) were measured using a YSI Pro 2030 or other standard methods Nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate were measured using LaMotte nutrient kits. Macroinvertebrates were sampled using a 0.3 x 0.3 m Surber sampler. A two-way MANOVA of water quality parameters showed that season had significant influence on water quality. A one-way MANOVA showed that benthic macroinvertebrate community structure (density, diversity, and EPT richness) had a significant site*season interaction. Most physico-chemical and biological parameters were below maximum limits allowed by Ohio administrative code, but fecal coliform levels depended on season.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1967, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Public Health

Introduction: Human milk is the recommended infant food for the first six months of life. Despite recommendations and known health benefits for infants and lactating parents, only a quarter of the infants in the United States meet the recommended human milk feeding goals. While human milk feeding is often a personal decision, engaging in this health behavior may be shaped by neighborhood- and systemic-level factors. Aims: This dissertation aimed to evaluate the association between human milk feeding behaviors and three factors: (1) neighborhood-level social determinants of health, (2) caregiver-reported social needs, and (3) neighborhood-level food access. Methods: I performed secondary analyses of electronic health record data from infants born from April 2019 through July 2022 who attended a well-child visit at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) primary care clinics during the neonatal period. Infant records were linked to Ohio birth certificate data to obtain maternal demographic information and hospital breastfeeding data. During well-child visits at NCH, caregivers are asked about infant food intake. At each visit where feeding data was recorded in the first two years of life, I categorized an infant's human milk consumption as exclusive, mixed, or none. In Aim 1, neighborhood-level social determinants of health were measured using the Child Opportunity Index (COI) 2.0 and the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). In Aim 2, caregiver-reported social needs were assessed using data from routinely administered social needs screenings performed at NCH. In Aim 3, neighborhood-level food access was assessed using the Food Access Research Atlas. Multivariable interval-censored accelerated failure time modeling was used to evaluate the time to cessation of (1) exclusive human milk feeding and (2) any human milk feeding. In secondary analyses, multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to evaluate the odds of (1) breastfeeding initiation and (2) exclusive b (open full item for complete abstract)

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

The migration of dunes is a widespread phenomenon. Hundreds of years ago, the nomadic tribes adopted their transient character due to the shifting landscape. Many ancient cultures have settled and evolved into major urban centers from the heart of the Arabian Desert. Modern cities in desert regions are battling the restless dune sand that advances into their urbanized territories. The current architectural response to this harsh environment raises many ecological and economic concerns. Cities like Riyadh, Dubai, and Doha are surrounded by dunes of sand, yet they do not use local sand as a resource. Instead, river sand is imported from other countries because it is deemed more feasible for the industry. The significance of the desert is evident in its rich resources and poetic cultures; thus, it is crucial to consider the usage of the abundant resources, rethink the current architectural position and educate the next generations. In this study, the literature review touches upon the poetry of the desert and refers to theories and philosophies of the sublime. This research examines the overall architectural progression of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, takes a scientific experiment that tests desert sand as a primary ingredient for modern construction material and uses it to design regional architecture for a productive desert community. The desert philosophical theories and the scientific material studies set the basis for an architectural scenario of transiency, temporality, and growth. The selected site, Al Thumamah, acts as a gateway to the existing city, and the scale of the site opens a territorial dialogue between the permanent city of Riyadh and the ephemeral qualities of the desert. This thesis aims to set a vision for the desert city of tomorrow that seeks to employ regional material with traditional construction methods to reconnect the locals with their culture and natural resources.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2022, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

This systematic literature review explores the relationship between mental disorders and nutrition through a review 547 available articles. Of these, 74 were selected for inclusion in this review. The research question guiding this inquiry was: What is the effect of nutrition on the mental health of individuals in the United States? A PRISMA flow diagram was used to develop systematic assessments of the existing research to produce a dataset of literature to answer the research question. It was found that nutrition and health are critically linked, with supplements being associated with positive health outcomes. It was also found that research is shifting to focus on the connection between the gut and the brain. The culmination of this review is that nutritional changes and support can positively impact anxiety and depression, and probiotic treatments have been linked to better dopamine regulation. Each disease is reviewed in relation to existing evidence on nutritional supplements that impact health symptoms. The findings of this review indicated that nutrition could have a notable impact on managing health conditions. It is recommended that models for health and nutrition be updated to encompass nutritional issues in the treatment of mental health disorders with a critical focus on patients' nutritional intake. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Desert plant communities throughout the arid Southwest are being impacted by a rapidly changing climate. In the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, severe drought, linked to global climate change, is causing widespread mortality of long-lived species. Biotic interactions, both competitive and facilitative, mediate plant responses to stressful conditions. Consequently, the spatial pattern of plants on the landscape, which determines the intensity of interactions between individuals, is a legacy of past conditions, a moderator of present drought mortality, and a driver of future community change. To better understand how interactions between adjacent individuals affects the rates of growth, survival, and mortality of desert shrubs in a changing climate, in Chapter One I investigated the spatial demography of the numerically dominant species, Ambrosia dumosa (Asteraceae), using a size and neighbor-classified matrix model parameterized with twenty years of data from a permanent one-hectare site in Joshua Tree National Park that spanned periods of historically average climate and extreme drought. I classified 9,215 Ambrosia individuals into six size classes and two neighbor states. Differences in the demography of isolated and neighbored population subsets of this species shifted with drought, illustrating how spatial pattern mediates the impact of climate change. High interannual and intra-annual variability in rainfall challenges desert shrub seedlings with a tradeoff between drought tolerance and competitive ability. I hypothesized that Ambrosia seedlings can acclimate to wetter or drier conditions by modifying their proportion of roots and leaves, based on early-life moisture cues. In Chapter Two I performed a greenhouse experiment to investigate how root/shoot allocation of Ambrosia was affected by variation in the timing of water availability. Seedlings received the same total quantity of water, differing only in the timing of water delivery. Seedlings lacking wa (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Biology

Matrix population models are a prevalent and useful tool for modeling populations in ecology. Stochasticity, meanwhile, is used in ecological modeling to reflect the natural variability in any population's environment and demographic rates. In this thesis, I explore the role of stochasticity, or randomness, in ecological matrix models. Firstly, I use a Leslie-style matrix model to explore how variation in the carrying capacity of generalist avian predators suggests a mechanism by which developmentally synchronized cohorts of periodical cicadas, called “broods", overcome competitive exclusion by their parent brood, and thereby synchronize mass emergence in a different year. Then, I derive a method to analyze which sources of process noise contribute most strongly to state covariance in matrix models. We thus provide a method complementary to the population viability analysis that may help to reduce stochastic extinction risk, and apply the method to a species of conservation concern, the desert tortoise.

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

The retail food environment has a significant impact on the availability and affordability of food options for consumers within a given neighborhood. However, approaches for accounting for the complicated spatial clustering of diverse food outlets in a study location are mostly frequentist models, and there is an absence of Bayesian models. Furthermore, the majority of food environment studies combine socioeconomic characteristics and neighborhood segregation into a single model to study the food environment. This approach, often confound the subtle relationship that any of these factors have on policy. This research investigates the food environment using a Bayesian hierarchical spatial model, a method that has seldomly been employed in food environment studies. This research examines both the community and consumer food environments. This study is made up of three manuscripts. The first manuscript (Chapter 4) examined the effects of neighborhood socioeconomic factors and racial segregation on the distribution of supermarkets and grocery stores in Cleveland. The purpose of this chapter was to determine which of the two complimentary factors provides a more robust explanation for the geographical distribution of the stores in Cleveland. Using the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) as a basis for model robustness, the results of comparing four models show that racial segregation predicts the store distribution far better than socioeconomic characteristics. This finding demonstrated how structural issues such as neighborhood segregation may have played a part in Cleveland's limited availability of supermarkets and grocery stores. The second paper (Chapter 5) investigated in-store and neighborhood healthy food availability as well as their relationships with neighborhood racial segregation and socioeconomic characteristics. Eleven healthy food items were rated in order to obtain a composite score for healthy food availability. According to the study's findings, su (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, Miami University, 2021, Biology

Ectotherms can respond to changing climate through behavioral plasticity, physiological plasticity, and adaption. Adaptive versus plastic responses to stimuli can affect gene expression. The desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) inhabits climatic extremes: the Great Basin Desert where it can get below freezing for half of the year, and the Mojave Desert containing some of the hottest and driest places on Earth. I conducted a common garden experiment by dividing lizards from the Great Basin and Mojave deserts into three groups: cold treatment, hot treatment, and an unstressed group with access to a temperature gradient. After exposure for two weeks, I collected liver and brain tissue for RNA sequencing. Differential gene expression analyses showed that both origin (Great Basin versus Mojave) and treatment (temperature exposure) contributed to overall responses. The presence of genes differentially expressed by both origins in response to thermal stress indicates conserved, plastic responses. Further, a large portion of genes were differentially expressed as population-specific responses to thermal stress, indicative of adaptive mechanisms.

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2021, Theological Studies

This thesis examines the desert mothers' and fathers' view of contemplation as a journey toward theosis, or communion with God. To accomplish this, “contemplation” is analyzed within the fifth century document, The Conferences of John Cassian¸ where John Cassian, the document's author, has conversations with various desert abbas on the monastic life. The argument presented within this thesis is that ascetic practices of renunciation and purification serve as a catalyst for the contemplative life where the contemplator comes face-to-face with God. In the process of experiencing purity of heart, the contemplator transforms into the likeness of God. Also needed in the process of transformation is the cultivation of silence, for it is within silence the contemplator recognizes God's nearness. The conclusion of this thesis ties together the themes of theological anthropology, renunciation, purity of heart, and contemplation in the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Mary, an exemplar to the abbas in the Conferences, personifies transformation by contemplation through her choosing “the one thing necessary.”

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

The existence of food deserts in urban areas in the United States has become an increasing problem over the past two decades. Large grocers have abandoned these areas all over the U.S. One way of neutralizing this trend is by supporting corner stores, the number of which has grown as large groceries have abandoned these areas, as an avenue to provide residents healthier food options. These stores are approximated in urban communities to be accessible to nearly all residents – e.g., within walking distance. However, the affordability of this food is crucial. Corner store markets generally have very slim profit margins. Any additional cost burden likely is enough to push them into the red. Given that corner stores run on extremely low profit margins, any increase in operational costs, which would be the case were refrigerated cases to display healthy food added to the stores, makes healthy food addition unlikely. This study aims to improve consider ways to help corner stores affordably be able to sustain access to healthy food from an economic standpoint. Four designs are considered in this research. The purpose of the first design is to investigate the potential energy savings from incorporation of the most cost-effective energy savings options and from an integrated solar dehumidification system with HVAC in a typical corner store, along with state-of-the-art energy saving options. Fundamentally, the aim is to design the lowest energy, economically feasible corner store possible. The second design demonstrates the energy effectiveness a solar air heater with a dehumidification system to maintain the internal climate in an agriculture greenhouse. The third design consider the addition of two separate systems into the model of the corner store considered in the first design: namely a CHP and a connecting agricultural greenhouse. The CHP linkage to the greenhouse is obvious. Waste heat from the CHP can be used to heat the greenhouse in the winter. The fourth design co (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

Bioinspiration is an emerging field of study. It translates to the creation of products, devices, and processes by using materials and processes found in living nature. Economic impact of bioinspired materials and surfaces is significant, on the order of several hundred billion dollars per year worldwide. Along the same line, this PhD dissertation attempts on solving two problems using bioinspired solutions: 1) the water crisis and 2) gas bubbles movement. Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for human health. Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population and is projected to rise. Furthermore, various factors, including population growth and unsafe industrial practices, have put strain on “clean” water supply in many parts of the world, including the Americas. It is certain than the current supply of fresh water needs to be supplemented to meet future needs. Living nature provides many lessons for water source. It has evolved species, which can survive in the most arid regions of the world by water collection from fog and condensation in the night. Before the collected water evaporates, species have mechanisms to transport water for storage or consumption. In this dissertation, first, an overview of these mechanisms is presented. Then, based on these mechanisms, the work done on bioinspired water harvesters is presented. Based on the results, design and projections of water harvesting towers is also presented. Gas bubbles are of interest in natural and technological applications. These applications include biomedicine, food production, drag reduction, water treatment, oil removal and surface cleaning. On the contrary, gas bubbles may also have a deleterious effect. For example, the gas bubbles produced in oil could potentially cause corrosion of pipelines resulting in reduced equipment life and wasted resources. Therefore, the study of gas bubbles movement in terms of their formation, interaction with underlying surfaces, and their movemen (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Healthy food access has been a focal point for studying obesogenic environments. Food environments, often categorized as “food deserts” or “food swamps,” have long dominated the conversation in explaining racial and socioeconomic disparities of nutrition-related health outcomes. Food retail-based interventions focused on addressing healthy food access, either by introducing new large food retail venues or working within smaller food retail venues (e.g., corner stores) to increase healthy food options, have had mixed results with respect to shifting food procurement and dietary patterns within disparate populations. This may be due to a lack of consideration of additional environmental-related factors effecting choice. Current methodology for examining the food environment focuses on point-based typology of food retail outlets, such as distance to nearest grocery store or density of corner stores and gas stations. These singular point-based methods capture structural and compositional facets of the food environment, but do not capture the necessary aspects which may macroscopically shape food procurement behavior and dietary decision-making. This research seeks to define more refined characteristics that better represent the food environment using metrics from the field of ecology. This research focuses on the food environment in Cleveland, Ohio as a case study. Aim 1 uses measures of biodiversity, such as richness and evenness, to reclassify the food landscape. Aim 2 examines change in the landscape over time across three spatial dimensions (place-, space- and landscape-based) and integrates landscape metrics, such as extent, subdivision, geometry, and isolation to better capture and define change in the food environment. Aim 3 compares different imputation methods, last observation carried forward and complete cases, to test whether the metrics identified in Aim 2 are robust despite missingness. Conclusions drawn across the three aims of this study provide novel in (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Allied Health Sciences: Nutrition

Background: An estimated 24 million Americans live in food deserts and face an increased risk of adverse health outcomes including cardiovascular disease. Understanding the consumer nutrition environment includes assessment of the availability, affordability and quality of healthy food items, and is critical to understand to determine the need for system level nutrition interventions. Objective: To assess the consumer nutrition environment of the Walnut Hills neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Methods: The Nutrition Environment Measures Study of Stores (NEMS-S) was used to assess the availability, quality and affordability of key food items at the identified food outlets of the neighborhood. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by calculating the percentage agreement between simultaneous ratings at two food outlets, with a 91% agreement between two raters. The mean NEMS-S scores were calculated across the retail outlets, and frequencies for availability of the 12 food items were calculated. Results: Overall, the mean NEMS-S score of the nine outlets was 7.89 (±3.34), resulting in a low score across the nine food outlets (n=9). Larger stores scored higher 9.0(±2.83) than the convenience and corner stores 7.75(±1.97). There was no availability of ground beef or reduced fat hot dogs, and low availability of fruits (n=1), vegetables (n=1), and whole wheat bread (n=2). Health alternative beverages were readily available, including low-fat/skim milk (n=7), diet soda (n=9), and 100% fruit juice (n=8). However, these healthful food items were priced higher fruit juice (133%), baked chips (147%), low-sugar cereal (107%) and whole wheat bread (111%). Conclusion: The low NEMS-S average score indicates the nutrition environment of Walnut Hills has low availability, affordability and quality of healthy food items.

MA, Kent State University, 2019, College of the Arts / School of Art

Through analyzing the relationship between the landscapes of land and water displayed in the images of contemporary Japanese photographer Kozo Miyoshi, my thesis will explore three different series of photographs from his canon of works. His first series of photographs, Cacti, depicts his relationship with the land by focusing on the Saguaro of the Sonoran Desert. This body of images is juxtaposed with the series, Conservatory, that pictures photographs the landscape of greenhouses in his homeland. By looking at these photographs my objective is to highlight how Miyoshi recalls the memories of his homeland and channels it through the images of a foreign desert in his nostalgic compositions. His third series of works will explore the relationship that humans have with water. By capturing the devastation of the 2011 tsunami that hit his hometown in Japan, I argue that Miyoshi is demonstrating how water can not only symbolize devastation but also rebirth. By analyzing the relationship between humans and water, my goal is to highlight how Miyoshi uses people in his photographs to illustrate not only the devastation and destruction that occurred but how the composition has the ability to symbolize a rebirth in national Japanese identity.

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.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Atmospheric Sciences

The arid, high-elevation regions of the American Southwest are home to critical water resources and numerous species of plants and animals. Understanding the climatological controls in these complex environments, especially in the face of a changing climate, is critical for future planning and mitigation. This research utilizes an innovative, high-resolution Embedded Sensor Network (ESN) to investigate small-scale climatological conditions in Great Basin National Park (GBNP). The ESN, put in place in 2006 and maintained for over a decade, is comprised of 29 Lascar sensors. These sensors log hourly observations of near-surface temperature, dewpoint and relative humidity at locations spanning multiple topographic, hydrological, and ecological gradients within the park. From a maximum altitude of ~4000 m atop Wheeler Peak, the sensor locations run along a multi-mountain ridgeline spanning ~2000 m vertically, follow along two watersheds, and encompass multiple ecological environments including sub-alpine forests, alpine lakes, sagebrush meadows, and a rock glacier. Using this long-term dataset, a preliminary climatology for GBNP has been developed and analyzed. From 2006 to 2018, GBNP experienced an average near-surface lapse rate of –5.81°C/km, 0.7°C weaker than the commonly accepted alpine lapse rate of –6.5°C/km. Results also indicate that, on average, daily minimum temperatures in GBNP have increased by 2.06°C over the last decade. Variability is present, both temporally and geographically, in average temperatures, ground lapse rates and diurnal temperature ranges. These results indicate that courser-scale weather stations, such as the Wheeler Peak SNOTEL site, alone cannot account for the small-scale variability found in GBNP. This study offers an alternative, low-cost methodology for observing long-term conditions in mountainous environments at fine resolutions. In upcoming decades, climate change may continue to alter conditions in GBNP. In a region with critical (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Art

The entries in this document provide context and backstory for the language used, often in multiple forms, in the artworks in my thesis exhibition. The entries are presented alphabetically and cross-referenced—a structure designed to be both easy to navigate and reflective of the way these ideas are linked in my work. As a companion to the other elements of my thesis project, this text is neither exhaustive or definitive; it is a living document designed to be updated as the vocabulary of my work grows and evolves.

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2018, Biology (Ecology)

Climate change is increasing global average temperatures, and desert ecosystems are predicted to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Desert ectotherms such as reptiles are especially threatened by climate change; however, there is a lack of research on both long-term and acute responses to heat-stress that encompasses multiple levels of physiological performance (i.e. whole-organism and cellular). Here, I measured sprint speed, endurance, water content, and heat-shock protein (HSP70) expression in adult and juvenile Greater short-horned lizards (Phrynosoma hernandesi) from a low- and a high-elevation site. I found that acute heat-stress decreased sprint speed in both adults and juveniles, especially in lizards from the high-elevation site; however, acute heat-stress did not affect endurance, HSP70 expression, or water content. Long-term heat-stress decreased water content but did not affect any other physiological measurements. P. hernandesi adults may have not had detrimental physiological responses to either acute or long-term heat-stress because adults may be able to buffer against extreme temperatures through behavioral thermoregulation; however, juveniles may be more resistant to extreme temperatures because they are likely thermoconformers. More research on multiple levels of physiological performance across different life-stages is needed to broaden our understanding of ectotherms' capacity to respond to climate change.