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

My dissertation research develops Raman spectroscopy-based sensors to measure aspects of human and plant health or disease states at the point of need, specifically in areas where current sensing methods are insufficient. The first main project area involves monitoring plant health, specifically soil ecology, in real time without harvesting the plant. Sensors are needed to non-invasively observe chemical changes expressed in plant leaves which result from nutrition conditions in the soil. These sensors would be especially useful to inform fertilization practices, increasing efficiency and sustainability. The second major project area focuses on developing a rapid and accurate diagnostic assay for COVID-19. The limitations of established testing methods, such as at-home antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, motivate the exploration of alternative techniques that do not sacrifice accuracy for speed. To tackle these sensing challenges, my research employs Raman spectroscopy, which uses light to probe the molecular composition of a sample. Each molecule has a unique Raman signature, and Raman signal is proportional to the concentration of molecules present in the sample, making the technique highly advantageous for identification and quantification. Raman signals can be collected quickly and non-destructively with minimal sample preparation. To detect low concentrations of analytes or poorly scattering analytes, we use surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), a technique in which metal nanostructures amplify the Raman signals of the molecules near the nanostructures. Overall, this dissertation work focuses on optimizing portable Raman and SERS methods to non-invasively assess plant health and to detect COVID, all in a matter of seconds. Chapter 1 introduces the background and motivation for these projects, as well as the analytical techniques used to address them. Chapter 2 describes the development of handheld Raman techniques to monitor th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Zachary Schultz (Advisor) Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1963, Biological Sciences

Committee: Jacob Verduin (Advisor) Subjects: Biology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1961, Biological Sciences

Committee: Jacob Verduin (Advisor) Subjects: Biology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1955, English

Committee: Emerson C. Schuck (Advisor) Subjects: American Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1940, English

Committee: Gay W. Allen (Advisor) Subjects: American Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1956, Biological Sciences

Committee: Charles H. Otis (Advisor) Subjects: Biology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1955, English

Committee: Emerson C. Schuck (Advisor) Subjects: American Literature

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Biology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1960, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1959, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1953, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Agriculture

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

WAGONER, ELIZABETH A., Ph. D., December, 2014 ENGLISH INTERPRETING THE MULTIMODAL NOVEL: A NEW METHOD FOR TEXTUAL SCHOLARSHIP (# PP.) Director of Dissertation: Raymond Craig The recent proliferation of multimodal novels calls for a method of literary interpretation that addresses specific aspects of the genre that cannot be adequately addressed using existing literary critical tools. My project draws together tools from book design, narratology, and new media to investigate the ways multimodal novels communicate narrative detail in multiple modes. With this methodology, I analyze three multimodal novels, demonstrating that the multimodal novel makes meaning differently than the traditional novel. I argue that using this method to methodically gather a large data set before interpretation is necessary for a full understanding of the interactions of multimodal components in the novel, and of these elements as parts of a working whole. Chapter 1 reviews scholarship of the multimodal novel using narratology, new media theory, and book design. There is little critical consensus on a method for analyzing these texts, calling for a common methodology. Chapter 2 draws upon concepts from these three areas, developing a descriptive taxonomy to be used in a new method of textual analysis. Analyses of three representative multimodal novels in Chapter 3 show that textual elements with similar appearances function differently in each sample. In the first reading, The Fourth Treasure, I demonstrate that multimodal form functions to draw attention to narrative themes of the novel. With the second reading, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, I discuss challenges posed by less active multimodal elements, and explore how layout constructs the reading path, including ways reading paths can offer an additional level of meaning in multimodal novels. In the final reading, House of Leaves, I examine problems posed by multimodal novels that do not repeat layout patter (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Raymond Craig Dr. (Committee Chair); Kevin Floyd Dr. (Committee Member); Pamela Takayoshi Dr. (Committee Member); Gordon Murray Dr. (Committee Member); Katherine Rawson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Literature; Literature; Modern Literature; Rhetoric

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2010, College-Conservatory of Music : Voice

Composers have set the poetry of Walt Whitman (1819–1892) more than five hundred times in the century since his death—the most for an American poet. For many, Whitman is the quintessential representative of the United States. This document will examine the ascendancy of Whitman as it relates to vocal art music from the first half of the twentieth century and will focus on the context in which composers have turned to him for inspiration. Composers from various nations and communities also seem to find something in Whitman that speaks to them and their individual circumstance, be it comfort in war and loss, racial integrity, sexual orientation, love of man and nature, or patriotism. Specific pieces will be presented as representational examples of these various themes. Concepts of self-identity and national identity will be addressed, and the particular circumstances of composition will be presented in order to show how Whitman, who during his lifetime was largely dismissed by the public and the academy, became known as America's Bard.

Committee: bruce mcclung PhD (Committee Chair); Kenneth Griffiths MM (Committee Member); Stanley Corkin PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2007, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

The fossil record provides structural fingerprints of development from which we can infer the sequence of ontogenetic changes that resulted in the evolution of stems, leaves and roots from the axes of the most ancient vascular plants. From the morphological evidence provided by the fossil record, we can infer developmental changes and test these hypotheses by comparative development in features of extant plants. Reciprocally, as we know more about angiosperm development we can hypothesise the pathways that changed to result in ontogenetic alterations and test these hypotheses by inferences from the morphology of extinct plants evidenced in the fossil records. Examination of the most ancient seed plants has revealed that the evolution of leaves involved a step-wise acquisition of characters. While early seed plant leaves were determinate organs, they did not display complete ab-adaxial identity. The evolution of this feature suggests that ab-adaxial identity evolved from imposition of shoot patterning on the leaf. Comparison of the most ancient seed plants to the most ancient ferns reveals that leaves in each clade evolved through a different sequence of character acquisitions. KNOX proteins are important regulators of meristematic activity and leaf morphology in some angiosperm species. However, KNOX protein expression does not appear to regulate leaf morphology in Ceratopteris. Leaf morphology in Ceratopteris is laid down by marginal meristematic activity. Auxin transport appears to be an important regulator of this marginal meristem. Likewise, auxin transport mechanisms in the isoetalean lycopsids probably evolved in parallel with seed plants to regulate similar aspects of bipolar growth and body plan organization.

Committee: Gar Rothwell (Advisor) Subjects: Biology, Botany

PHD, Kent State University, 2013, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Biological Sciences

While environmental controllers of decomposition have been extensively studied, organic matter quality and biotic controllers of decomposition, such as detritivore preference and manipulation of detritus, are largely understudied. In the studies described in this dissertation, a range of biotic controllers of detrital dynamics in aquatic ecosystems are presented. Crayfish, as model shredders, produce a diverse pool of fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) through fragmentation of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) and fecal production in the laboratory. Crayfish process maple leaves at a greater rate than oak leaves, and produced a greater amount of FPOM from maple compared to oak. Crayfish-generated FPOM had lower C:N ratios and increased bacterial abundances compared to original CPOM. Further, hydropsychid caddisfly and simuliid blackfly larvae confer greater growth efficiency when reared on crayfish-generated FPOM compared to mechanically ground FPOM in the laboratory, indicating that crayfish increase bioavailability of FPOM. No differences in growth or metamorphosis of simuliid larvae were observed when larvae were lab-reared on crayfish-generated FPOM from CPOM of different tree species (i.e., sugar maple, sycamore, or white oak) or different stream conditioning times (i.e., 30 or 150 d). This suggests that crayfish processing reduces organic matter origin effects on bioavailability. Changes in macrophyte abundance in a tropical wetland due to competition and ecosystem management can affect litter availability and litter quality. In two field-based, replacement series experiments with floating-mat macrophytes (Eichhornia crassipes and Neptunia oleracea), no interspecific competition was detected. However, E. crassipes dominated experimental enclosure biomass through attrition. Decomposition rates were faster for E. crassipes litter compared to N. oleracea litter within enclosures, but no differences in decomposition rates were detected by flo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kershner Mark (Advisor); De Szalay Ferenc (Committee Member); Leff Laura (Committee Member); Rocha Oscar (Committee Member); Smith Alison (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology