Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Dance Studies

This dissertation examines the dance studio and its built environment, exploring the dynamic relationship between dance and space. The focal point is the concept of the dance studio, analyzed through the urban landscapes and the experimental art practices in the city of Zagreb from the 1950s to the 2010s. The study investigates the dance studio through the histories of spatial structures, dance history, and the history of cinema. Shaped by these processes, dance is specifically entangled with spatial structures and is expanded by their horizons, outcomes, and histories. The dance studio here is a hypothesis built in the process—a space that exists at the intersection of context and time, with dance emerging as an archival record embedded in spatial and societal change. The dissertation argues that this very process constitutes the dance studio's structure: a space, practice, and environment made possible—reimagined, shaped, and hypothesized through the lens of dance and its experimental inquiry. The study approaches the dance studio from the vantage point of the long contemporaneity, extending across both modernism and postmodernism while facilitating the juxtaposition and productive friction of these terms. The city of Zagreb is approached as a dynamic multitude, encompassing a range of developments in the socialist and post-socialist periods that influenced, challenged, and shaped art, dance artists, and their spaces between 1949 and 2010.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Theatre

This dissertation project uses a phenomenological approach to better understand the aural experience of audiences in theatrical productions and to advance the study of the art of sound design beyond the level of technical manuals. The arrangement of the audience within the theatre space is an often-overlooked variable that affects how the audience listens to and contextualizes the performance. In addition to aural framing, this dissertation explores the concepts of noise, silence, aural intimacy, mediatization, immersive audio, audience reception, and the communal experience of listening in thrust, arena, proscenium, and immersive stages.

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

This dissertation investigates whether social identity information modulates the interpretation of non-entailed clausal complement content (CC) in utterances of sentences such as (1): (1) Ken didn't hear that the minimum wage is too high. The focus of this dissertation is the listener's inference that the speaker is committed to the truth of the CC, e.g., that the minimum wage is too low; to the extent that this inference holds, the CC is said to “project”. I ask whether the social identities and beliefs of the interlocutors — speaker and listener — can influence projection inferences. With respect to the speaker, I ask whether the speaker's identity modulates these inferences. For example, are listeners more likely to infer that the speaker is committed to a “conservative” CC such as the minimum wage is too high when the speaker is a Republican than when the speaker is a Democrat? With respect to the listener, I first ask whether listeners incorporate their own beliefs into their interpretations. Two types of beliefs are investigated: listener beliefs about the speaker and listener beliefs about the CC. For listener beliefs about the speaker, the question is whether listeners' beliefs about the speaker's beliefs, identity, and other social characteristics of the speaker modulate projection inferences. The second type of listener belief that I investigate is the listener's belief about whether the CC is true. For example, are listeners more likely to infer that the speaker is committed to a “liberal” CC if they themselves believe that the CC is true, compared to listeners who believe that it is false? I investigate these questions in a series of three experiments. Three speaker social identities that are stereotypically associated with political beliefs are explored: the speaker's political affiliation (Republican vs. Democrat; Experiment 1), regional background (rural Southerner vs. non-rural non-Southerner; Experiment 2) and regional dialect (Southern acce (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Creative Writing/Fiction

With[in]out is an artistic experimentation and liberation of hybrid stories that mirror thought processes and memory through an array of characters from an array of genres. Each piece utilizes form, genre, diction, white space, and style to best exhibit the inner worlds of characters on the page as well as the worlds the characters themselves inhabit. With[in]out creates a space for characters to go on a complex, internal journey involving difficult decisions, mental illness, trauma, isolation, and recovery. The collection asserts that memory is but a collage of images and sensory experiences and asks the reader to consider this tenet, as well as the stylistic choices within each piece, to gain a deeper understanding of how each character operates, to viscerally immerse oneself beyond prose conventions.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, History of Art

Nostalgic Media: Histories and Memories of Domestic Technology in the Moving Image investigates the history of four consumer technologies – slide projectors, Pixelvision toy cameras, home video, and video games – and their appropriation in experimental cinema and contemporary art. Considering the socio-cultural emergence of each technology alongside close analysis of films, videos, and gallery installations, I demonstrate how cinema artists harnessed these technologies' plural histories in their practice. Analyzing the work of numerous American experimental filmmakers and figures from the international art world, I argue that cinema artists have turned to ephemeral moving-image technologies as a part of what I call “nostalgic media.” Through an interdisciplinary approach that draws upon histories and theories of cinema studies, art history, psychoanalysis, and media archaeology, I contend that the practice of nostalgic media interweaves personal and cultural memory with technological history, displaying a longing for the past not yet experienced. In contrast to the postmodern condemnation of nostalgia as a sentimental and stereotypical return to the static, idyllic past, I illustrate how these artists use experimental cinematic forms to reveal nostalgia as a moving image, one that highlights how contingent memories of film and technology alter their form over the passage of time. Intervening in current debates concerning obsolescence and rapid technological development, my project embraces nostalgia as a time-based process that resists the determinism of technological progress and examines how artists intertwine the disappearing past into the fabric of an ever-changing, globalized present.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1916, Graduate School

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1968, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1916, Graduate School

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Objectives: The 65 and older population is a growing population in the US. In this population there can be marked increases in isolation, loneliness, and depression. Polyvagal Theory holds that a greater sense of safety, security, and sense of engagement improves well-being. A key hypothesis stated that participation will lower self-report ratings of loneliness. Additional hypotheses included improving self-reported purpose in life and feelings of psychological safety. Methods/Design: The present dissertation is a quasi-experimental design, utilizing pre- and post-test measures comparing degree of loneliness, depression, purpose in life (PIL), and Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS) in a 6-week novel somatic-based intervention. Results: Sample consisted of 13 community-dwelling older adults (aged <65). Paired t-tests were used to determine significance of changes from pre- to post-intervention. Although no changes were statistically significant, results show small improvements in loneliness, no change in social engagement and compassion, and decrease in bodily sensations and purpose in life. Thematic analysis of participants'' weekly feedback was also conducted. Conclusion: This novel intervention contributes to an overall body of research in Polyvagal Theory practice and development of polyvagal interventions targeted at the specific community of adults 65 and older.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Geological Sciences

Little is understood about the chemical evolution of banded iron formations (BIFs) subducted into the mantle during the Precambrian era. In general, the mantle becomes more reducing with increasing depth, with much of the deep mantle thought to be below the iron-wustite (IW) buffer. At equilibrium, under shallower mantle conditions, the hematite and magnetite in subducted BIFs would reduce wustite. In more deeply subducted BIFs, where the oxygen fugacity buffer is below IW, the wustite would reduce to iron metal. A key question is how rapidly iron oxide reduction reactions proceed at mantle pressures and temperatures. Fast reaction rate would imply that large amounts of wustite and/or metal may have precipitated in the deep mantle. BIFs that reduced to wustite and resisted further reduction could exist in the form of ULVZs (ulta-low velocity zones), as suggested by Dobson and Brodholt (2005). BIFs that fully reduced to iron metal could have produced large volume iron diapirs which would have been capable of sinking into the core and providing an inner core nucleation substrate, as suggested by Huguet et al. (2018). The studies reported here seek to answer these questions by determining the high-pressure, high-temperature reduction rates of iron oxides under mantle conditions. Chapter one describes the various approaches used to recreate banded iron formation subduction at high-pressures and high temperatures. Experiments explore temperatures from 600-1200 oC and pressures from 1.5-15 GPa. Chapter two addresses the first step of BIF reduction—the reduction of hematite and magnetite to wustite in the upper mantle. Experiments explore 14 temperatures from 600-1400 oC and pressures between 2-14 GPa. Chapter three addresses the final step in BIF reduction—the reduction of wustite to iron metal in the lower mantle.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Photochemical Sciences

This study explores advanced methodologies in biosensing and protein labeling, focusing on the synergistic application of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and site-specific protein labeling using Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugation facilitated by aptamers. The use of AuNPs coated with DNA aptamers enables label-free colorimetric assays for specific proteins, including PD-L1, lysozyme, and the S1/S2 spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, leveraging AuNPs' optical properties to detect binding events through observable color changes. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is critically examined for its role in real-time, label-free analysis of biomolecular interactions, emphasizing its capacity to quantify binding kinetics and affinity constants essential for biosensor development. Additionally, the method for site-specific FITC labeling of proteins, exemplified with lysozyme, demonstrates novel aptamer-mediated strategies to selectively block non-target lysine residues, ensuring precise and reproducible labeling necessary for fluorescence-based assays. These integrated approaches showcase significant advancements in molecular diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring, offering versatile tools for enhancing sensitivity, specificity, and reliability in biomedical research and clinical applications

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Physics

In recent years, nanomaterials have made significant progress. Among these, PbS nanomaterials, especially those in the infrared spectrum, show great potential for applications such as fiber optic communication, solar cells, LEDs, night vision, and sensors. This study aims to elucidate the energy levels of PbS nanosheets and conduct comprehensive analysis across different sizes using cyclic voltammetry. This electrochemical method, known for its sensitivity, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness, is used to measure the absolute energy levels of charge carriers in the nanosheets. In our research, we used nanosheets synthesized at temperatures ranging from 70 °C to 130 °C, with thicknesses from 2.0 nm to 4.2 nm. We employed mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) for ligand exchange with oleic acid. In the cyclic voltammogram, we observed only the reduction potential and calculated the LUMO (Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) levels relative to a vacuum. To estimate the HOMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital) level, we measured the absorption spectra using an integrating sphere to determine the energy gap. The absorption edge shifted towards longer wavelengths for nanosheets synthesized at higher temperatures. For accurate energy gaps, suppressing exciton effects, we fitted the absorption spectra using a model that includes both exciton and continuum contributions. The HOMO level was then calculated by subtracting the energy gap from the LUMO level. Notably, the LUMO and HOMO levels of PbS nanosheets increase as their size decreases due to the quantum confinement effect. We also estimated the electron affinity of the PbS nanosheet to be -4.68 eV, consistent with literature values. This information helps researchers optimize energy level alignment in optoelectronic devices based on nanosheets, enhancing their performance.

Bachelor of Sciences, Ohio University, 2024, Physics and Astronomy

Nuclear cross section is a tool used by physicists to characterize scattering interactions between particles. It relates the probability of a reaction occurring to an effective “size” of the target particle's cross sectional area. For electron-nucleon collisions, the elastic cross section values are well supported by experimental evidence for a wide range of Q^2 measurements. Because of this, comparing one's own experimental data to the known values can highlight possible issues with the data collection process. This makes elastic cross section an effective tool to safeguard against oversights when analyzing more complex interactions. This project analyzed elastic data from the Pion LT experiment run at Jefferson Lab in 2021-2022. Using the scattering analysis software ROOT and Jefferson Lab's Monte Carlo simulator SIMC, the measured elastic cross sections were able to be verified to the 10% level of their expected values.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2024, Psychology-Industrial/Organizational

Feedback orientation is a person's general receptivity to feedback; although early theorizing about the construct described how it should change over time in the context of ongoing performance management experiences, the extant literature has largely neglected to study whether changes to feedback orientation do in fact occur. This study involves an experiment that was designed to improve participant feedback orientation, and evaluated how that change might be influenced by feedback environment, leader-member exchange, and perceived organizational support. A longitudinal study of feedback orientation was conducted to assess the construct weekly for four weeks, and discontinuous growth curve modeling was used to evaluate whether the experimental intervention induced an increase to feedback orientation that was greater than what would be expected from the normal weekly fluctuations of the construct. Results from an online study of working adults conducted on Prolific revealed that the intervention successfully produced an increase in participants' feedback orientation, relative to both pre-intervention fluctuations and to the impact of a control intervention. Furthermore, initial feedback orientation and leader-member exchange were found to moderate the size of the feedback orientation boost that was produced by the experimental intervention, such that the boost was larger for those with lower initial feedback orientations and for those with higher initial leader-member exchanges. Feedback environment, meanwhile, moderated feedback orientation dynamics such that participants who perceived higher levels of feedback environment maintained higher levels of feedback orientation post-intervention for two weeks after the intervention. These results offer clear insights into feedback orientation dynamics and how they are impacted by critical feedback events, feedback environments, and leader-member exchange.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2024, Music

Tracking the development of experimental music from 1920 to 1970, this paper seeks to explore how Artists have dealt with and worked within the Absurdity of Life. From Arnold Schoenberg, to John Cage, to Fluxus, the artistic shifts brought by these artists move toward a gradual acceptance of the Absurd and the break down of the Art/Life divide. Accompanying the research is a portion of an opera I wrote that simultaneously analyzes, comments on, and participates in the conflict between the Absurd and the Ideal in Art. The opera follows the poet Stephane Mallarme on his journey to create perfect expression through language despite several Absurd scenarios ranging from the fantastic to the deeply human.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2024, Engineering

With the increasing interest in electric vertical takeoff and landing air vehicles and small-scale Unmanned Air Vehicles, many novel design concepts favor the fixed-pitch-propeller as the primary propulsion system due to its simplicity and reliability. This expands the application scenario of the fixed-pitch propeller from axial forward flight to edgewise flight conditions. The current study investigated the changes in its performance when operating at higher incidence angle conditions as well as the proximity effects of the propellers in these conditions. It is hypothesized that the propeller performance under various conditions and proximities can be reasonably predicted by modeling the changes in the inflow angle of the propeller. This hypothesis was tested using three major steps. First, a relationship between inflow angle, propeller inclination angle, and advance ratio was established using a series of experimental investigations. Second, this relationship was used to predict the performance of two propellers in tandem configuration with various horizontal and vertical offset distances. Third, the same model was used to predict the ceiling effect of the propeller at different incidence angles and advance ratios. All experiments were conducted at the University of Dayton Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (UD-LSWT) Laboratory under its open jet configuration. Force-based experiments, flow visualization as well as phase-locked Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiments were conducted for all investigations. The changes in propeller performance at various flight conditions were quantified and several normalization methods were successfully employed indicating the predictability of various propeller forces and moments. A novel propeller axial thrust prediction model was proposed considering the propeller performance as a summation of propeller-like components and wing-like component, with an overall error of less than 8.3%. Flow visualization and PIV results confirmed the (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Science of Media Arts and Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2024, Media Arts and Studies

This thesis essay describes the research, process, preparation, and production of an animated short film that presents feminist theory and the creator's experiences with womanhood through the medium of animation.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Mechanical Engineering

The design of transmission components must meet multiple performance requirements to ensure they are durable, efficient and quiet. In certain applications, weight reduction is an additional requirement especially for an aerospace system. Towards this goal, material is typically removed from the gear bodies, resulting in gear rims and webs that are rather flexible. Such flexible-rim gears might involve a class of dynamic behavior associated with the deformable-body vibratory modes. If the transmission is operated at resonances associated with these modes, it may result in adverse dynamic loading conditions. The main focus of this thesis is to develop an experimental means of quantifying such deformable-body behavior of high-speed gearing. A new test machine is developed to study the contributions of deformable-body modes of a flexible-rim spur gear to the overall dynamic behavior in a lab environment under realistic torque and speed conditions. Several measurements systems are designed and implemented to monitor key features of deformable-body motions such as accelerations, displacements and strains. Simple and repeatable methods of introducing manufacturing variations in the experimental set-up are developed in order to quantify the impact of such variations have on vibratory models of flexible-rim gears. The methodology is employed to establish a baseline (no-error) database and demonstrate the deviations from this baseline behavior due to manufacturing variations. These results indicate that the proposed methodology is effective in investigating flexible-rim behavior.

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2024, Geology

Partial melting of hydrous phases such as amphibole, biotite, and muscovite occurs in orogens where distributed ductile thinning is causing exhumation of mid- to lower-crustal rocks. The partial melting of these hydrous phases contributes significantly to the physical and chemical evolution of the crust, as well as affecting the crust's strength. The Si-rich melts generated from partial melting reactions of mid- to lower-crustal assemblages migrate toward the upper crust leaving a more mafic restite. Previous laboratory experiments conducted on amphibole-, biotite-, or muscovite-bearing rocks performed at rapid strain rates (10-4/s to 10-5/s) result in brittle deformation due to high local pore pressures. These rapid experiments suggest this brittle behavior is the likely mechanism causing melt segregation in the crust. However, field evidence and slower strain rate experiments (10-6/s to 10-7/s) suggest that crystal plastic processes may be dominant during syndeformational partial melting. To investigate grain-scale melt segregation mechanisms in a common lower crustal protolith, I performed a suite of axial compression and general shear experiments on an amphibole-bearing source rock during syndeformational partial melting at T = 800-975°C, Pc = 1.5 GPa, at a strain rate (ε) of 1.6 x 10-6/s. I also performed axial compression experiments on a biotite-bearing gneiss and a muscovite-bearing quartzite at T = 950°C, Pc = 1.5 GPa, at a strain rate (ε) of 1.6 x 10-6/s to compare the differences in melt development depending on which hydrous phase is partially melting. The Nemo Amphibolite (d = 140 ± 85 μm) is composed of 62 vol% amphibole (Fe-hornblende), 27 vol% plagioclase (andesine; An30Ab69Or1), 8 vol% quartz, and 3 vol% titanite. The biotite-bearing gneiss (d = 80 +/- 40 microns) consists of quartz (43 vol%), plagioclase (andesine (An22Ab77Or1); 40 vol%), biotite (16 vol%), and ~1 vol% muscovite/Fe-Ti oxides. The muscovite-bearing quartzite is composed of 90 vol% q (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Mechanical and Systems Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

This dissertation presents the design and development of a novel hydrodynamic thrust bearing test rig featuring a new (patent pending) pressure-feedback control system for maintaining static bearing alignment. This research aims to provide an enhanced understanding of how the critical operational characteristics of fixed-geometry hydrodynamic thrust bearings including minimum oil film thickness (MOFT), hydrodynamic pressure distribution, and bearing temperature are affected by variability in bearing pad taper geometry under different speed, load, and oil conditions. Further, a new (patent pending) additively manufactured (AM) thrust bearing fabricated using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is experimentally evaluated to determine in-service viability. To support the experimental data obtained in the variable taper experiment, a Matlab simulation code is developed using the Reynolds equation to generate numerically predicted performance data for direct comparison. The AM thrust bearing is experimentally compared to a traditionally manufactured cast alloy bearing with identical surface geometry. For the variable taper study, trends in performance established by the numerical analysis show mutually agreeable results compared to experimental data. The average percent deviation of the experimentally gathered change in MOFT as load is increased with respect to the numerically predicted values is 24%. Comparison of experimental to numerical pressure distribution data shows an overall average percent deviation of 32%. For the AM vs. traditionally manufactured bearing experiment, the AM bearing showed an average increase in minimum oil film thickness of 53%, an average increase in trailing edge hydrodynamic pressure of 116%, while exhibiting an average decrease in bearing temperature of 1%.