PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

The present study aims to fill in the gap in the Turkish school-based violent victimization literature by exploring the predictors of general, crime-, and gender-specific violent victimization. Research hypothesis are derived from the framework of lifestyle-routine activities and self-control theories and are tested using data from The National High School Offending and Victimization Survey in Turkey. This survey was created and conducted upon the initiative of Dr. Osman Dolu, teaching and conducting research at the Police Academy in Ankara, Turkey. For this dissertation, the data on school victimization is based on a sub-sample from this national survey which included 1,204 students from 15 Mersin high schools. Binary logistic regression models were estimated using datasets with missing data and datasets with missing values imputed. Results indicate that the propositions of lifestyle-routine activities theory were generally supported. Particularly, self-mutilation (as a measure of delinquent lifestyle) was a robust predictor of general violent victimization and crime-specific victimization. Similarly, friends' delinquency, measured with gang membership and the number of gang friends, also impacted victimization in several models. Moreover, school-related opportunity measures were also often significant. In particular, school responsiveness to student misconduct, school control of weapons, and unsupervised areas significantly estimated school-based victimization in a number of models. However, gender-specific analyses supported the notion of “gendered opportunity” – that the predictors of opportunity for victimization vary somewhat across males and females. Findings of this study also support the results of much U.S.-based empirical literature about the effect of low self-control on school-based violent victimization in that it was a significant predictor of victimization in many models, though its effect was mediated and/or moderated in a number of instances. A (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Pamela Wilcox Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dolu Osman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Francis Cullen Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Wooldredge Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

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

Student success, defined broadly by a student's academic achievement and retention, can be impacted by a number of internal and external factors. One factor is a student's sense of community in the classroom. At BGSU, the sense of community within the classroom was positively impacted by the implementation of a learning assistant (LA) program. Sloan (2020) found that students in LA classrooms had an increased sense of community based on classroom community subscale scores. My research continued to follow student performance and success within LA classes and their correlation with identifiers and scores of classroom community, with a focus on the impact of the corona virus pandemic on the student classroom community. My study considered 4,066 student surveys from introductory STEM courses taught with undergraduate LAs at Bowling Green State University before, during, and after the onset of the corona virus pandemic. Student survey results were paired with sociodemographic data provided by the Bowling Green State University academic affairs office. These data tracked students by race, sex, retention status, and housing in their respective courses The complexity of this data set required a flexible and robust analysis strategy. To this end, I applied principles of disturbance ecology, where in changes in variance over time are considered. This strategy considered multiple factors; here, applied to understand the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cohort resistance, resilience, and recovery to the pandemic. Changes in the distribution of student scores of classroom community for both subscales between pre-pandemic and post- corona virus pandemic periods were evident. The data indicated an increase in the percentage of failing students in these courses. Sociodemographic differences iii were noted, with specific groups having experienced higher fail rates and more changes in their classroom community scale questionnaires. Specifically, students that reported as whit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Sirum Ph.D (Committee Chair); Julie Matuga Ph.D (Committee Member); Christopher Ward Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Education; Higher Education

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Genetic Counseling

Background: Multiple congenital anomalies (MCA) are often present in rare diseases and ~80% of rare diseases are of genetic etiology. Many patients must undergo a lengthy diagnostic odyssey to identify a molecular diagnosis. The availability of genetics care varies geographically as genetics healthcare providers tend to be based in larger cities or academic institutions. This study aimed to understand geographical barriers to access to genetic healthcare for children with MCA. Methods: This is a retrospective study of Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) patients born between January 1, 2015 to September 15, 2023 who had ICD codes indicating MCA. Geographical location (urban or rural), childhood opportunity index, sex, race, ethnicity, NICU admittance, and epoch (whether genetic testing was initiated before or after 1/1/2020) from 6,144 patients were extracted from the NCH Enterprise Data Warehouse. Survival models were developed for two intervals: 1) time from International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes for MCA appearing in the medical record to the first encounter with a clinic capable of ordering genetic testing and 2) time from the first genetic test ordered to the final result received. Models were stratified by NICU admittance. Results: We found that rurality was not associated with time to event in either model. White patients with MCA were seen in testing-capable clinics sooner and more often than non-white patients, however, once seen, white and non-white patients had similar diagnostic odysseys. Patients who had genetic testing before 2020 were less likely to return for further testing with newly available modalities. Females not in the NICU were more likely to complete their diagnostic odyssey after the first genetic test was ordered compared to otherwise similar males. Discussion: These findings highlight disparities between white and non-white individuals for both NICU and non-NICU cohorts when looking at time from ICD codes for MCA appearin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bimal Chaudhari MD, MPH (Advisor); Rose Hokanson MS, LGC (Committee Member); Kate Shane-Carson MS, LGC (Committee Member) Subjects: Genetics; Health; Health Care; Medicine; Public Health

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

This mixed methods study focused on why mathematical outcomes for African American and Latinx students are substantially lower than any subgroup at an Ohio elementary school. A critical participatory action research design and phenomenological approach was used to uncover what teachers and administrators deemed effective in improving math instruction and quantifiable data that explored proficiency and growth of African American and Latinx students compared to their White peers. Results indicate that opportunity gaps and the absence of positive relationship between African American students and teachers negatively impact their mathematical performance. The proposed action plan calls for: ongoing professional learning on community cultural wealth, the adoption of CRP framework, weekly professional learning communities, after-school program, and alternate times and spaces for PTO meetings.

Committee: James Olive (Committee Chair); Clarissa Peterson (Committee Member); Meredith Wronowski (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Mathematics Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Social capital theory has been studied for decades; one perspective is it's the attainment of resources through collective action. Volunteerism connects to social capital where social responsibility is derived, and volunteering opportunities can develop a network. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is a framework that assesses seven different types of capital, with social capital being the initiating factor for the CCF outcomes. Through a qualitative approach using narrative inquiry, nine participants of six youth-serving organizations described their connections with youth and community. A total of 72 themes emerged and seven categories were formed from these themes including; opportunities (it's the intersection of experience and exposure where this intersection creates possibilities.), connections (the linkage between two people where volunteers build relationships and capacity for youth.), environment (the place to belong where spaces are cultivated to serve and empower youth as well as consisting of constructive factors for youth building agency, autonomy, and meeting physical needs.), social responsibility (The responsibility of the volunteer is to be a good community member and showing up for the youth, by leading, guiding, and educating.), growth and development (youth and volunteers learning together.), trust (innately present and integrated), and self-efficacy (the outcome of how to navigate the world). Key findings defined themselves as reflective, community shaping and building, growth, purposeful, authentic, and safe. The findings led to a call for improved diversity and representation efforts amongst volunteering for youth, the bridging between youth and high-level leadership, and a space for youth to just be and exist. This research describes non-familial adult volunteer's connections with youth and community. Recommendations for research are to examine if we help youth feel safe, do we cultivate safe spaces for youth, and, how can we increase n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Shannon G. Washburn (Advisor); Dr. Julie M. Fox (Committee Member); Dr. Jera E. Niewoehner-Green (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Communication; Education; Educational Leadership; Individual and Family Studies

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Antitrust offenses are an important form of white-collar crime. They exemplify Sutherland's definition of white-collar crime as an offense “committed by people of high social status in the course of their occupation.” These offenses impose substantial economic harm, reducing competition and innovation. Yet, women in antitrust violations have received limited attention from researchers regarding their prevalence and roles. As such, this dissertation hopes to explore and shed light on women in antitrust violations in the United States through an opportunity perspective. This project creates a database and uses content analysis to collect information on schemes, cases, and entities. Antitrust cases were drawn from the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice and filed from January 1st, 1990, to December 31st, 2018. Cases were selected according to the following criteria. They 1) have an antitrust or related violation, 2) are criminal or civil, and 3) have at least one female defendant. Then, related cases were grouped into schemes for analysis. An additional sample of male-only cases was drawn using random sampling stratified by years to create a control sample. All court documents and supplemental information gathered from online searches were reviewed and coded into variables. There are four groups of variables in the coding scheme: 1) case information, 2) documentation, 3) defendant information, and 4) organizational information. Additional employment statistics are collected for selected industries. Overall, during the study period, 54 female antitrust offenders in 41 schemes were identified. The analyses explore gender differences in patterns within schemes, industries, occupational positions, and roles in the conspiracy. First and foremost, very few women are involved in antitrust offenses. No scheme is a woman-only conspiracy. Female presence is sporadic between 1990 – 2018. Moreover, the analyses revealed similarities and differences in t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Benson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Miranda Galvin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ben Feldmeyer Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Eck Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2022, Geology

Summit Lake is an urban kettle lake located in Akron, Ohio. Once used by industry, Summit Lake is currently being revitalized to provide recreational opportunities. It is important to study the lake's overall health to ensure it is suitable for increased recreational use. Seasonal water column profiles were measured and reveal that from May to October the lake is thermally stratified, the hypolimnion becomes anoxic, and orthophosphate as phosphorus is released from the sediment into the hypolimnion and averages 1100 μg/L by October. This phosphorus release may contribute to harmful algal blooms (HABs). During the sunny productive season, the drawdown of CO2 by algae and increased temperatures results in the precipitation of calcite in the epilimnion and deposition of a white calcite-rich sediment layer. During the remainder of the year organic matter deposition produces a brown sediment layer. The white-brown sediment rhythmites observed from 0-58.7 cm composite core depth have been shown to be varves based upon correlation to year 2003 sediment cores and 210Pb dating. Productive season meteorological precipitation was assessed to determine if heavy rain events increased algal productivity and in-turn produced thicker brown sediment layers. Results were inconclusive, but years with extreme rain events (2003, 2004, and 2011) corresponded to thicker brown layers the following non-productive season. The varve-age model allowed the sediment record to be divided into three time periods. The Industrial Period is defined by sediment with no calcite laminations below 58.7 cm composite core depth which varve-dated to 1980. At this time the residence time of Summit Lake water was short due to high input and extraction of water by industry and resulted in unfavorable conditions for abundant calcite precipitation. A massive brown mud layer from 58.7-96.2 cm composite core depth is interpreted as dredged spoil or possibly sediment disrupted by the 1977 bor (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: John Peck (Advisor); John Senko (Committee Member); Caleb Holyoke (Committee Member) Subjects: Biogeochemistry; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geochemistry; Geology; Hydrology; Limnology; Sedimentary Geology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Educational Studies

America's public schools are diversifying. This diversification demands that teacher preparation programs prepare novice teachers with a vision of teaching that accounts for cultural difference. Scholars like Gloria Ladson-Billings have done work on how teachers might move toward more culturally relevant teaching with all students, but Ladson-Billings herself observes the need for a more theoretical grounding for this kind of teaching. I investigate the vision of teaching found in the philosophies of Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Dewey, Nel Noddings, and Paulo Freire to see if any of them offer the theoretical grounding for culturally relevant teaching. When these philosophies are found wanting, I turn my investigation to an organization doing the explicit work of preparing teachers to teach culturally Other students—Teach For America. I also suggest the philosophy of Charles Taylor offers useful principles for grounding culturally relevant teaching. Through historical and qualitative study, I use Teach For America as a case study of a teacher preparation program preparing teachers to teach diverse students. This dissertation offers lessons for all teacher preparation programs seeking to better do this work and for all teachers wishing to be culturally relevant in the classroom.

Committee: Bryan R. Warnick (Advisor); Winston C. Thompson (Committee Member); Jan Nespor (Committee Member); Ann Allen (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education History; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Philosophy; Teaching

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

The public primarily learns about scientific information from the news media. These news media have been, unfortunately, found guilty of fueling: biased coverage of climate change, misinformation about climate change, and politicization of climate science. “Disinformation outfits,” who are comprised of industry actors, prominent climate change deniers, and their organizations also used or attempted to use the news media to discredit climate scientists with the goal of accelerating the level of public uncertainty about global climate change and slow action to prevent it. This thesis explores how the news media discussed a small but very vocal cohort of climate change denialists throughout the 1990s. The use of “fake experts” has been found to be one of the most powerful techniques for effective misinformation campaigns. This paper examines the inclusion of key climate change skeptics via quantitative content analysis in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Times of London from 1989-2006. This paper also researches the prevalence of legitimization strategies iv that weaker parties use to amplify their messaging. The results find that skeptic inclusion was much higher in U.S. conservative papers than U.K. conservative papers. Left-center papers were more likely to include “compromised” scientists and discuss climate change controversies than conservative papers. Conservative papers were more likely to include irrelevant “fake experts” and actively misuse and misrepresent scientific information, as well discredit climate scientists. Skeptics were discussed more during years of particular significance to climate change history suggesting they were capitalizing on media opportunity structures. This thesis also found evidence of early “source hacking,” or the targeting of journalists to spread misinformation.

Committee: Mike Sweeney Dr. (Committee Member); Rosanna Planer (Committee Member); Alexander Godulla Dr. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Environmental Science; History; International Relations; Journalism; Science History; World History

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students' perspective. First-generation college students who graduated from college participated in a Delphi study that addressed this question: What factors influence first-generation college students' ability to graduate college? Three rounds of data collection resulted in ten themes, roughly in order of importance based on feedback from study participants: Self Starter, Financial Support, Finding a Passion, Social Network, Self-Development, Cultural/Identity Development, Family, Campus Resources and Programs, Work, and Service. The dissertation concludes with three sets of recommendations for improving outcomes of first-generation college students, aimed respectively at secondary school personnel, college officials, and first-generation college students themselves. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Stebleton Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This study analyzed the discourses prevalent in two landmark, federally commissioned reports that sought to define the purposes of higher education. Taking a humanities-oriented lens and drawing on critical social theories, the poststructural critical discourse method, “What's the Problem Represented to Be” (WPR) guided analysis of access and educational opportunity in higher education in the reports. In the Truman Report, the discourse of a limited democracy discursively restricted full access and educational opportunity. In the Spellings Report, the discourses of the market and disadvantage led to a fuller notion of access and educational opportunity tied specifically to neoliberal aims. The analysis of discourses, silences, and effects uncovered that problematizations discursively produced the `capable' graduate in service to protecting democracy in the Truman Report and the `aspirant' graduate in service to market needs in the Spellings Report. I offer a conceptual recommendation considering the capabilities theory grounded in equity as an alternative. Whereas both Reports led to the tension that democratic and market aims are an `either/or' problem for access and educational opportunity, I contend that through the conceptual recommendation of capabilities grounded in equity, a `both/and' framing of access and educational opportunity problems could disrupt the stalled polarization of the aims. This alternative conceptual recommendation could generate policies and practices that promote equitable access and educational opportunity in higher education.

Committee: Vilma Seeberg (Committee Chair); Susan Iverson (Committee Member); David Dees (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Theory; Higher Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Arts and Sciences: Political Science

State-imposed restrictions on religious freedom challenge the rights of minorities. While some minorities live in authoritarian regimes, others live in countries with religious rights institutionalized in national constitutions and international human rights treaties. Despite these guarantees, minorities face restrictions on religion through laws and regulations that restrict what religion they choose and limit how they practice their faith. Thus minorities that in theory are supposed to have religious freedom also encounter religious freedom restrictions in practice. Faced with blockages that restrict their religious rights, minorities at times turn to transnational advocacy networks (TANs).

Committee: Laura Jenkins Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Andrew Lewis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rebecca Sanders Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Journalism (Communication)

This study worked to determine the amount of attention users of mobile application devices dedicate to opt-in privacy policies. As the average user is often faced with a variety of motivations and distractions when determining whether to download an application, this study created an experimental setting in which certain participants were told that they would have to justify their decision to download with a sample of their peers upon reviewing typical opt-in privacy policies, while others faced a time restraint when making a decision to download. Based on the academic literature, this study hypothesized that 1) When faced with a time restraint, participants would be less likely to download an application than those who did not face a time restraint; 2) Participants who were asked to justify the basis of their decision would be less likely to download an application than those who were not asked to justify their decision; 3) Participants who faced a time restraint and who were not asked to consider the basis of their decisions prior to download would be more likely to download an application than those in other experimental conditions; 4) Participants who did not face a time restraint and who were asked to consider the basis of their decision prior to download would be less likely to download an application than those in other experimental conditions; and 5) Participants who scored higher on a self-efficacy scale would be more likely to download applications than those who scored lower. It also questioned how the various factors outlined in this study (motivation, opportunity, and self-efficacy) worked together to affect the decision-making process. The results of this study help to show that while motivation and opportunity has often been shown to play a role in decision-making processes, age, experience, and self- efficacy may play a larger part in the access mobile application users are willing to provide to third-party developers than was previously consid (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hans Meyer Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2019, Business Administration

This study aims to find the motivational factors that influence professional immigrant entrepreneurs to transition from their corporate jobs to start their own ventures within the United States. International migration for education and entrepreneurial activity has seen a significant increase in the last five years in the United States. This niche group of entrepreneurs is defined as immigrant entrepreneurs with at least a four-year degree that first pursued a corporate job before starting a business. The purpose is to gain insights into this emerging group of immigrant entrepreneurs in order to help advance entrepreneurial activity within the United States. There were 20 semi-structured interviews recorded that were chain sampled from professional connections or referrals. The methodological approach for all participants was grounded theory with three participants selected for phenomenological inquiry. The data collected were transcribed and thematically coded to allow for individual and holistic comparisons. Results indicated there are similar intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can be categorized that influences an entrepreneur's decision to transition in career path. The outcomes from the study depict that an entrepreneur's environmental factors had the most significant influence in career transition. Additionally, the barriers faced by these entrepreneurs in terms of equal financial funding for their ventures in comparison to United States citizens led to an implication discovery of potentially developing a universal credit system.

Committee: Luke Pittaway Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Entrepreneurship

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2018, International and Comparative Politics

How do increases in environmental protests in China impact increases in the implementation of environmental policies? Environmental protests in China are gaining traction. By examining these protests, this study analyzes forty-one protests and their impact on government enforcement of environmental regulations. Stratifying this study according to five areas (Beijing, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Sichuan), patterns began to emerge according to each area. Employing a framework William Gamson introduced (2009), this study analyzes the outcomes of environmental contention, including the use of co-optation and preemptive measures. It finds that the success or failure of a protest has much to do with the local government's sense of social stability and the tactics protesters used. The information gleaned from this analysis helps anticipate how authoritarian governments (local and national) will continue to respond to environmental protests that are likely to continue to increase in number.

Committee: Laura Luehrmann Ph.D. (Committee Chair); December Green Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathryn Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Environmental Studies; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Policy and Leadership

This qualitative study used social capital theory as the interpretive lens to examine the achievement attitudes, gifted identification, racial identity development, beliefs, and behaviors of gifted, African American male high school students in select high schools at a large, urban school district in the Midwest. The primary objectives of the study were to: (a) understand the school experiences of gifted, African American male students in today's urban public schools; (b) expand the theoretical and scientific knowledge on the social, cultural, and racial implications on the achievement of gifted, African American male high school students; (c) pinpoint the factors that most positively and negatively shape the academic success of gifted, African American students who attend urban schools; and (d) contribute to current research to advance teachers, administrators, and school counselors understanding of gifted, African American students who attend urban schools. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted to collect data. Additionally, students' high school transcripts and gifted and talented assessment data were used as other major data sources. The sample comprised sixteen gifted, African American male students, from grades 10th to 12th. Educational opportunity structures, academic achievement, academic isolation and loneliness, academic expectations, and support of significant individuals versus non-support of significant individuals were five major themes that emerged from the study. Cultural competency of the teacher emerged as a subtheme from the study. Recommendations for school personnel, parents, and students are discussed.

Committee: James Moore III (Advisor); Ralph Gardner III (Committee Member); Antoinette Miranda (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

In 1903 W.E.B Du Bois identified that the greatest challenge of the 21 century would be the problem of the color line. Over 100 years later this color line continues to be structured as the opportunity line, creating areas of concentrated disadvantage for predominantly Black communities and concentrated advantage for majority White communities. Hypersegregation, and the ensuing disparity have been extensively documented quantitatively, but little is known about the day to day lived experience from the perspective of those living in isolation. It is only from hearing the voices at the margins that the inner workings of the structure of hypersegregation can be known. To lift up the voice of the Black residents living in hypersegregation three focus groups were conducted in Dayton, Ohio. Four central themes emerged: lack of opportunity for the youth, struggles living in a food deserts, the dangers of excessive access to alcohol, and the living environment is designed for them to fail. Taken altogether, research participants concluded that their environment was intentionally designed highlighting the apparatus of hypersegregation as structural violence.

Committee: Jennifer Malat Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Earl Wright II Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2017, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

Phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC) is the retention of ancestral ecological characteristics among related species, more so than would be expected by a simple Brownian motion process. PNC may be important in explaining biodiversity gradients, species' ranges, and species formation, but an ecological cause for PNC has been challenging to identify. One hypothesis is that PNC occurs when ecological opportunity (exposure to new, accessible niche space) is lacking. Ecological opportunity may be unavailable when habitats are ecologically saturated, but conversely, the availability of depauperate environments may provide opportunity. Because eastern Plethodon salamanders are characterized by strong PNC, studying a species within Plethodon characterized by niche lability may elucidate why PNC occurs. I investigated the biogeography of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and tested the hypothesis that the climatic niche of P. cinereus diverged when glacial retreat made competitor-free habitats available. I addressed this hypothesis by sampling 202 individuals from 107 populations throughout the range of P. cinereus, and I analyzed molecular sequences for three mitochondrial and three nuclear loci, totaling 4,686 base pairs. A time-calibrated phylogeny was inferred with the Bayesian phylogenetic program BEAST. Among intraspecific clades, I tested for climatic niche divergence and compared rates of evolution using climatic data. I found that three different clades invaded areas north of the last glacial maximum (LGM), with one clade occupying most of the range beyond the LGM. Niche models and rates of climatic niche evolution were compared between clades. Consistent with the ecological opportunity hypothesis, I found that the rate of climatic niche evolution was significantly greater for populations that colonized areas north of the LGM. This study provides an ecological explanation for PNC and its converse, niche lability, by examining the climatic niche (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shawn Kuchta (Advisor); Morris Molly (Committee Member); White Matthew (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Business Administration

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how entrepreneurial firms' founders develop the knowledge they need to identify novel opportunities. I argue that founders' human capital and social capital jointly influence the knowledge that they draw upon, and that this knowledge affects the nature of the opportunities they pursue. I draw on the organizational learning, innovation and entrepreneurship literatures to make the point that variations in founders' human and social capital characteristics affect the knowledge that they are able to access. This in turn shapes their understanding of the market and influences their alertness to unique opportunities (Kirzner, 1997; Shane, 2000). The focus on novelty in this research is a departure from the typical approach in the entrepreneurship literature, which focuses on the number of opportunities identified (Gruber, Macmillan, and Thompson, 2013; Shane and Venkataraman, 2000). More novel opportunities generate new products or services (Amabile, 1996; West, 2002), and thus represents a more meaningful measure of the potential value of an opportunity. I develop three studies as part of this dissertation to examine different aspects of the relationships between human and social capital and opportunity identification. The first is a qualitative study that explores how founders' human capital interacts with their social capital to shape the nature of the entrepreneurship opportunity identified. Given that we have limited theory on the combined effects of human and social capital, particularly as they relate to differing combinations (low versus high human and social capital), a qualitative approach assists in uncovering the role each plays in influencing novelty of opportunity identification. The data yielded a 2x2 model by which founders were categorized based on low and high levels of human and social capital. The evidence indicated that the nature of the opportunity an entrepreneur identifies is systematical (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mona Makhija (Advisor); Benjamin Campbell (Committee Member); Oded Shenkar (Committee Member); James Oldroyd (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Entrepreneurship

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2016, Physics

An athlete's quality of training has impacts on their long-term performance. Suboptimal training then prevents and athlete from achieving their full potential. The scope of the work focuses on the feasibility of a technology based on a wearable and wireless electromyography sensor to detect the onset of muscle fatigue in elite athletes. The work analyzes the biophysics of electromyography, techniques to measure muscle fatigue, and the business opportunities available. The analysis found that successfully measuring fatigue using electromyography sensors provide a difficult challenge and building a business around the technology may cause poor returns on investment. The innovation is better served when championed by a company that has the resources to develop the technology, not a startup.

Committee: Edward Caner (Advisor); Robert Brown (Committee Member); Michael Martens (Committee Member) Subjects: Biophysics; Business Costs; Physics