MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Inspired by the island of Santorini in Greece, the purpose of this thesis is to identify the range of positive and negative impacts that tourism has on a host place. This thesis will use the range of impacts to create a framework through which a systematic assessment can be made. This is important, as tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world, and provides employment and foreign currency to the host place as well as contributing to its country's gross domestic product, or GDP. However, tourism often has negative impacts as well, but these are often overlooked in favor of the economic benefits. This study identifies major factors of tourism impacts on host places, based on a review of the literature, illustrates them based on a study of the island of Santorini in Greece, and creates a framework to assess these impacts. The study extracts factors from three main areas: economic, socio-cultural and environmental. It then organizes these factors into a framework to assess systematically the impact of tourism in order to understand the magnitude impact of tourism on the island. The study, in a “snapshot”, draws attention to the magnitude of tourism impact in a comprehensive way. It will, hopefully, also help planners and administrators elsewhere to determine what can be done to capitalize on the positive impacts of tourism and mitigate its negative impacts.

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

The work in this dissertation is focused on the development of new manufacturing technologies at the early stage. Two concepts are developed in the category of Impact Welding and two in the category of Metamorphic Manufacturing. Under the Impact Welding category two different welding processes are studied, the Vaporizing Foil Actuator Welding and the Augmented Laser Impact Welding processes. Both of these processes were demonstrated to produce impact welds between traditionally unweldable aircraft aluminum alloys which performed as well or better than comparable riveted joints without the need for the drilling of holes or removal of surface coatings. Additionally, basic engineering guidelines are established for the design of foils for the Vaporizing Foil Actuator Welding process and basic performance metrics are established for the Augmented Laser Impact Welding technique. Two new data analysis techniques were developed for the Augmented Laser Impact Welding process which were validated by the use of high-speed videography. Models of the impact conditions for both of these impact welding techniques were established. For the Augmented Laser Impact Welding process, a technique for accurately measuring the welding velocity during an impact event is developed and validated. Metamorphic Manufacturing refers to the agile use of deformation to create shapes and modify microstructure. In this area two concepts were developed where metallic components are transformed from one shape into a second more desirable and useful form. A device and process for bending medical fixation plates to match patient skeletal anatomy is developed. The method can make arbitrary controlled shapes and may save time in the operating room for reconstruction surgeries. The second concept is an approach for Robotic Blacksmithing, a process for incrementally transforming a malleable material into useful shapes by deformation. This concept was initially developed on a purpose-built desktop robotic (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Materials Science and Engineering

The process of laser impact welding utilizes impact welding and laser-driven flyers to form solid-state, metallurgical welds between similar or dissimilar metallic flyers and targets. With chemically augmented laser impact welding, stronger and thicker metal flyers and targets can be welded together. Using a high-powered laser, a laser pulse is shot through a transparent tamping layer onto a translucent layer of chemical liquid and the bare surface of a metallic flyer. The energy from the laser pulse detonates the chemical augment and the pressure created from the explosion is confined by the tamping layer. This pressure is directed towards the flyer that is then driven to velocities in the hundreds of meters per second within 20 microseconds. Under the correct conditions, high speed and acceptable impact angle between the flyer and target, jetting will occur. The jet cleans the surface of the flyer and target of oxides, and the two surfaces will form a solid-state, metallurgical bond. Using a chemical augment, thicker, stronger flyers and targets can be welded compared to unaugmented laser impact welding. With the chemical augment, a 3J, 8.1ns laser pulse can weld a 0.5mm Al2024-T3 flyer to a 0.5mm Al2024-T3 target. To explore the capabilities of chemically augmented laser impact welding, two chemical augments were used as candidates for the process. Various tamping materials and thicknesses were also investigated along with variance in the laser spot diameter. The velocities of flyers were measured using Photon Doppler Velocimetry and a thicker tamping layer produced higher velocities and larger deformations than thinner tamping layers did with the same parameters. The strength of the welds between 0.5mm Al2024-T3 flyers and targets were also measured using a tensile test. Over two-thirds of the welded samples failed by nugget pullout during these tensile tests, validating the strength of the welds formed. Micrographs of a welded sample were also collected to o (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2011, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

The Flynn Creek impact structure in north-central Tennessee was formed by an extraterrestrial impact ~382 Ma in a shallow sea. Roddy (1979) first suggested that the crater may have formed from an oblique impact citing the asymmetric structure of the central uplift; however, due to the burial of the crater, much of the usual evidence used for determining obliquity is inaccessible. The purpose of this study was to determine if the structural geology of the crater rim can be used to determine obliquity and angle of impact. By utilizing the areas of greatest deformation, coupled with post impact topography, and also strike orientation of the rim strata, it was found that the Flynn Creek crater was formed by an oblique impact following a trajectory from the present day northwest to the southeast, probably at a shallow (5°) angle.

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Contemporary Music

The Festival Internacional de Flautistas en el Centro del Mundo has helped countless flute students across the globe to get an international education, increasing the development and knowledge of the next generations of musicians. This dissertation will explain how the Festival, through its abundance of rehearsals, performances, and masterclasses, has become an imperative resource for the growth of the international flute community. My intention with this document is to advocate for a more widespread dissemination of Latin American musical repertoire and educational opportunities and to build strong flute communities in every country, regardless of financial status or other limitations. This document also serves as a guide for flutists from any country who wish to benefit from the pedagogical ideas, repertoire selections, and historical performances from the Festival Internacional. Through historical and narrative methodologies, this research presents findings from over thirty years of festival performances and classes, including interviews with key guest artists and participants as well as a review of festival programs.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The problem of practice for this study is to examine the impact of teacher morale on instructional delivery amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This is based on the premise that since the outbreak of COVID-19, teachers have been bombarded with an increase of work-related duties that have made it difficult for them to prioritize teaching at the expense of the self-care of students and themselves (Kralovec et al., 2021). Based on the literature (Mukhter & Chowdhary, 2020; Pressley, 2021), staff interviews, and observations, teachers are feeling more stress due to the pandemic (Pressley, 2021). The theoretical frameworks applied to this study were Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation (TFTM) and the care and equity elements of Brooks' Critical Theory of Love (CToL). The research approach that was selected to answer the primary research question for this study was phenomenology. The types of data collection methods used in this study included interviews, surveys, and a focus group. The themes that emerged from the interviews, observations, focus group, and survey results show that teachers have not recovered from the challenges presented by the pandemic. Specifically, teacher SEL needs have not been met, additional planning time is needed, and more in-district and out-of-district collaboration is necessary.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Welding Engineering

Collision welding or impact welding is a solid-state welding technique which enables unique materials joining opportunities. The high velocities and short timescales of the welding process lead to extreme peak collision pressures, high strain rates, low heat inputs, steep thermal gradients, and narrow thermo-mechanically affected zones (TMAZ). These features can be advantageous in the joining of traditionally unweldable materials such as 2XXX or 7XXX series aluminum alloys, and for the joining of dissimilar metals which would form unwanted phases under traditional fusion welding. However, these same features can also make impact welding challenging to control and characterize. Analytic process limits have been developed to calculate limiting flyer velocities and impact angles for welding success as functions of the weld member properties based on the physical mechanisms that enable joining. The maximum impact velocity for a weld is determined by a dynamic solidification cracking mechanism: reflected dynamic tensile stresses arrive to the nascent weld interface prior to full interface cohesion, which is mediated by the presence of interfacial melting. However, current analytic models for the upper limit of the collision welding window were developed for autogenous welds, which develop symmetric stress conditions at impact. In this thesis, we develop alternative formulations to the analytical upper limit of the welding window which better support dissimilar welding. Shock-informed calculation of the asymmetric stress and thermal partitioning between dissimilar weld members is achieved through the application of modified Rankine-Hugoniot relations. We compare the application of the shock-informed upper limit to the existing upper limits in the context of historical data. The shock upper limit is further validated experimentally through the use of The Ohio State University Impulse Manufacturing Laboratory's (IML) Laser Impact Welding (LIW) and Vaporizing Foil Actu (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this study was to address the question raised in previous near-side impact testing on how combined loading from seatbelt pretensioners and side airbags affects the thorax. The specific aims of this study were to compare how different lateral and anterior-posterior loading conditions and speeds affect the thorax, particularly rib strain. Aim 1 was to compare the strains between different compressive boundary conditions. Aim 2 was to examine how strain varies along each individual rib. Aim 3 was to compare the strain of the upper versus lower ribs. Aim 4 was to compare the strains on the right and left sides of the thorax. Two post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) were tested in ram impactor tests featuring a variety of speeds, orientations, and pre-compressions. Subjects were instrumented with three strain gages on ribs 2-9 at the anterior, anterior oblique, and posterior aspects. Strain magnitudes, profiles, and angles were analyzed and related back to the aims. Due to the numerous limitations of this study, more testing is required to make any clear conclusions.

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Engineering and Applied Science: Mechanical Engineering

Studies on ballistic penetration to laminates is complicated, but important for design effective protection of structures. Experimental means of study is expensive and can often be dangerous. Numerical simulation has been an excellent supplement, but the computation is time-consuming. Main aim of this thesis was to develop and test an effective tool for real-time prediction of projectile penetrations to laminates by training a neural network and a decision tree regression model. A large number of finite element models were developed; the residual velocities of projectiles from finite element simulations were used as the target data and processed to produce sufficient number of training samples. Study focused on steel 4340+polyurea laminates with various configurations. Four different 3D shapes of the projectiles were modeled and used in the training. The trained neural network and decision tree model was tested using independently generated test samples using finite element models. The predicted projectile velocity values using the trained machine learning models are then compared with the finite element simulation to verify the effectiveness of the models. Additionally, both models were trained using a published experimental data of projectile impacts to predict residual velocity of projectiles for the unseen samples. Performance of both the models was evaluated and compared. Models trained with Finite element simulation data samples were found capable to give more accurate predication, compared to the models trained with experimental data, because finite element modeling can generate much larger training set, and thus finite element solvers can serve as an excellent teacher. This study also showed that neural network model performs better with small experimental dataset compared to decision tree regression model.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Despite growing pressure for organizations to implement more science-based solutions into practice, efforts to successfully achieve this task have been known to fail due to the tensions that exist between science and application. While there has been a great push in the implementation science, translational science, evidence-based practice, and human factors literature, a void still remains regarding a framework that details the necessary requirements for bridging this known gap. In order to fill this void, I propose The IMPActS Framework, which is founded on the existing literature but acts as a new frame of reference for those trying to translate science into implementations. IMPActS proposes a new standard of what it means to make organizational “impact”, which is now defined as science-based solutions that maintain the maximum appropriate levels of scientific integrity while also being implementable and sustainable in real world practice. IMPActS also acts as an acronym for the five necessary factors each necessary but only jointly sufficient in making this successful definition of impact. These factors are Ideas, Model alignment, Pragmatics, Actors, and Sustainment, and can be thought of as the barriers to making impact that need to be overcome. In this paper, I will describe the IMPActS Framework in more detail and through the lens of three clinical cases, all of which deal with implementing clinical alarm interventions over the last 30 years. The purpose of introducing this framework and comparing it against real-world case studies is to highlight the barriers to making successful impact in hopes that the pathways to successful impact will become more salient, navigable, and tangible for all of those involved. Solution designers should use IMPActS as a means of assessing where to invest their future resources and efforts in order to overcome these barriers in practice.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2017, Management

Social entrepreneurs are change agents that seek to maximize their use of limited financial resources to create long-term, lasting solutions to complex issues such as youth unemployment, recidivism, lack of home ownership, and a high rate of health disparities. Philanthropists, impact investors, and intermediaries play an imperative role in creating systems and influencing the strategies, choices, and intentions of these social entrepreneurs. The impact investing industry experiences inadequacies that limit its impact. These inadequacies include the lack of efficient intermediation, which indicates high search and transaction expenses, fragmented demand and supply, multifaceted deals, and underdeveloped networks (Kickul & Lyons, 2012). There is a need to study the interpersonal relationships among all of the key stakeholders in the ecosystem. This dissertation implements an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach in a 3-strand study to reveal the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders in the social innovation ecosystem, such as social and commercial entrepreneurs, social enterprise staff and management, beneficiary groups, philanthropic and investment intermediaries, and funding bodies. The behaviors and practices of actors within the social impact investment ecosystem range from simple, informal responses for use in “everyday interactions” to more complex, formal structures. In the first qualitative study, I focus on the individual and organizational processes used to spark social enterprise in communities of economic distress. In the second quantitative study, I analyze the role of social enterprise financing and their social mission, geographic proximity, and risk absorption. Based on findings from the initial qualitative study and the quantitative study, I articulate a research model to study the tensions, issues, and challenges of philanthropic dyads in the social innovation ecosystem. The final strand of the three-part study examines the impact (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Engineering and Applied Science: Chemical Engineering

Nanotechnology has undergone a dramatic increase in popularity in the last decade due to the unique physicochemical characteristics of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Currently, approximately a quarter of all nano-enabled consumer products contain silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). AgNPs are incorporated into a wide range of consumer products (e. g., textiles, filters, disinfectants, and washing machines) and have a wide range of medical, industrial and scientific applications. The increased application of AgNPs will inevitably lead to their release into environmental systems. Since the presumed mechanisms governing the fate, transport and toxicity of matter at the bulk scale may not directly apply to nanomaterials, the potential environmental impacts associated with the release of AgNPs must be evaluated. Furthermore, AgNPs are manufactured with a wide range of physicochemical properties that impact their fate, transport and toxicity in the environment. To this end, the impact of silver nanoparticles on the composting of municipal solid waste was evaluated. Neither the presence of AgNPs nor the presence of Ag+ had a statistically significant influence on leachate, gas and solid quality parameters, and therefore, on overall composting performance. However, AgNPs and Ag+ both changed the overall structure of the bacterial communities within the compost. Nevertheless, the functional performance of the composting process was not significantly affected due to the abundance and functional redundancy of the bacterial communities within the compost samples. While surface transformations of AgNPs to AgCl and Ag2S reduce toxicity, complexation with organic matter may also play a role. The results of this study further suggest that at relatively low concentrations of AgNPs, these organically rich waste management systems can withstand the presence of AgNPs. The microbial toxicity of silver nanoparticles stabilized with different capping agents were evaluated under anaer (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Medicine: Genetic Counseling

Background: 1p36 deletion syndrome is the most common microdeletion syndrome affecting approximately 1 in 5,000-10,000 newborns. However, little is known about the impact felt by caregivers of individuals with 1p36 deletion syndrome and related caregiver needs. This study assessed the family impact and provides a resource for individuals both within and outside the healthcare field. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of the Pediatric Quality of LifeTM; (PedsQL) family impact module, demographics, and phenotype assessment was distributed to caregivers at the annual 1p36 Deletion Support and Awareness conference. The PedsQLTM; family impact module was scored out of 100, with lower scores indicating higher impact. Results: Of 56 participants that completed a survey, the mean total impact score of the PedsQLTM; family impact module was 51.8. The individual caregiver dimension scores for parent functioning were 56.4 (physical functioning), 54.3 (emotional functioning), 47.4 (social functioning), 57.2 (cognitive functioning), 54.2 (problems with communication), and 43.3 (worry). Scores for family functioning were 33.9 (daily activities) and 59.5 (family relationships). Caregivers who reported that their child had behavioral challenges such as excessive friendliness TM; family impact module domains. Conclusions: Our results suggest that behavioral problems were the biggest challenge for many caregivers. Healthcare providers, including genetic counselors and geneticists, should consider addressing the family impact of having a child with 1p36 deletion syndrome and related behavioral challenges.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Mechanical Engineering

The topic of this dissertation is driven by a demand for more accurate drivetrain torsional system models in the ground vehicle industry as they may be used to troubleshoot transient dynamic, noise and vibration problems. Such driveline systems contain many discontinuous nonlinear elements whose elastic properties have been extensively studied in the literature. However, damping mechanisms involved during the transient events are yet to be adequately defined and quantified. This forms the chief goal of this research and thus two recent step response type, non-rotating laboratory experiments (as published) are re-examined and analyzed using multi-degree of freedom nonlinear system models. In particular, four dominant damping elements associated with vibro-impact phenomena in a typical vehicle drivetrain system are investigated: contact damping and hysteresis associated with gear mesh stiffness, oil squeeze damping in the gear mesh clearance, friction in the tapered rolling element bearings, and dissipative elements in a multi-staged clutch damper. First, the gear mesh dissipation contribution is associated with the loads carried by gear teeth in the presence of gear backlash. Dynamic hysteresis is investigated using a combined Hertzian contact stiffness expression (for the point contact) along with alternate impact damping formulations based on dry contacts. Further, the squeeze damping phenomenon is successfully formulated using the Reynolds equation. A lubricated contact damping expression is developed to calculate the minimum film thickness calculation during the contact loss between gears. The nonlinear dynamic system models with new gear mesh dissipation values, from both dry contact hysteresis and oil squeeze damping, match experimental results reasonably well. Next, friction torques in tapered bearings, which are geometrically coupled with the hypoid gear mesh force, are modeled by using a smoothened Coulomb friction model. It is found that inclusion of b (open full item for complete abstract)

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

A holistic perspective of LID principles in land use planning is a topic that has not been explored greatly, forming the basis for my thesis project. The integration of LID principles in land use planning process, results in a much clearer understanding of the concept of site-specific sustainability, as well as a better grasp of how to steer the conventional development procedure closer to more sustainable site development practices. This thesis will explore the issues related to conventional land use planning and zoning by investigating the impact of on-going suburban growth pressures that has been brought about by the conventional growth pattern. In Such situations LID plays a vital role in promoting environmental stewardship and protecting the available natural resources which otherwise would vanish soon in the conventional development process. It uses the land use planning perspective to evaluate LID principles as a better site sustainability option for the available study area, Grailville in Miami Township, Clermont County, OH.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Physical Activity and Educational Services

This study examined whether female FM patients with high scores on the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), exhibiting low levels of coping and high levels of anxiety, experienced more trauma and abuse than those who scored lower. Adult females (n=115) completed the FIQ, as well as the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (Trait Form), and a demographic questionnaire. The study showed a correlation between high FIQ scores and high anxiety expanding previous findings outlining the significant impact of specific components of abuse and trauma prior to the age of 16 associated with higher impact of FM. The study did not reveal a relationship between the CSQ and FIQ. Longitudinal research of children both with and without documented cases of victimization is recommended to assess the impact of trauma and abuse on FM, and provide healthcare professionals with the tools to empower patients in management of the syndrome.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2013, Mechanical Engineering

Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), a piezoelectric polymer, is an excellent stress sensor. The objective of this research is to investigate the application of the PVDF sensors for detection of in-plane stress waves in 31 and 32 modes. This was achieved by focusing on aspects of PVDF sensing related to determination of impact force, detection of stress wave propagation, and the stress averaging effect of PVDF sensors. An experimental method was developed for calculating a proportionality constant between a PVDF sensor's voltage and the impact force, on a solid bar and a hollow beam. This was used to demonstrate that impact force on a structure can be determined using PVDF sensors. Finite element models were also created using the software LS-DYNA to simulate the impact tests. The speed of sound for longitudinal wave propagation in a slender rod was determined experimentally, using two PVDF sensors. The results demonstrate that PVDF sensors can detect high speed stress wave propagation in a structure. Finally, the stress averaging effect of the PVDF sensor was analyzed to investigate its influence on the generated voltage during stress wave detection. Equations modeling the stress averaging effect were derived for periodic applied stress waves and impact-induced stress waves. Numerical simulations were conducted to study the influence of sensor length, applied wave frequency, and structure's material on the stress averaged PVDF response.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

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

Roadside safety barrier components are designed to safely absorb collision energy through material deformation and other energy absorbing mechanisms. These components can introduce additional hazards due to the high energy nature of such collisions. The scope of this research was to evaluate the performance of a novel, multi-chambered, fluid-filled barrier. The barrier concept was evaluated through the development of analytical and numerical models to determine the overall effectiveness of the fluid barrier structure. The analytical approach provided a means to quantify energy absorbed through plastic deformation of the fluid barrier structure, while the numerical approach was used to evaluate the effects of working fluid addition, internal structural configuration, and flow orifices. The numerical and analytical results were validated through a previously conducted experimental study (by the same author). It was concluded that the performance of the fluid-filled barrier system is highly dependent on the level of internal working fluid and is further improved through the addition of internal chambers and flow orifices. The added structural stiffness and impact resistance resulted in decreased plastic deformation by utilizing additional energy absorbing modes through fluid transport and internal orifice flow. The knowledge acquired through the analysis of this study will prove invaluable in further design and development of future crash attenuators.

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

The objective of this study was to quantify how costal cartilage affects rib properties. Fifteen bilateral pairs of 5th human ribs were included in this study. One rib within each pair was tested without costal cartilage while the other rib within each pair was tested with costal cartilage. All ribs underwent AP loading until failure at 2 m/s to simulate that of a frontal impact. Results showed a significant difference in peak force, structural stiffness, CSG2 strain at yield, and PSG2 strain at yield between ribs with costal cartilage and ribs without costal cartilage. On average, the ribs with costal cartilage had a lower force but higher displacement and longer time to fracture compared to the ribs without costal cartilage. This study shows the effect costal cartilage has on both the rib and thorax properties and why it is critical to include the costal cartilage in ATDs and human body models.