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

The central aim of thesis is to argue that the solution to semantic paradox consists in viewing principles for semantic notions as defeasible. I argue first that the main problems posed by semantic paradox are for the foundations of linguistic semantics. I then argue that these problems require us to view certain principles as defeasible, which means that we are warranted to use those principles unless we have evidence to the contrary. The most plausible such principles to view as defeasible are those for semantic notions, like the T-rules for truth, according to which from 'P' one can infer ''P' is true' and from ''P' is true' one can infer 'P'. Moreover, viewing the principles as such is sufficiently rigorous for the science in which they are to be used and provides the best description of our ordinary use of them. The explanation for why the principles are defeasible is provided by viewing the notions as open-textured, which means that however tightly we define these notions there will remain certain cases unsettled by those definitions. I complete the investigation by modelling the defeasible reasoning with the principles in a default logic and study the theories that result.

Committee: Stewart Shapiro (Advisor); Neil Tennant (Committee Member); Chris Pincock (Committee Member) Subjects: Philosophy

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2025, Educational Leadership

Higher education is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by demographic shifts, economic pressures, and evolving workforce demands. As institutions expand online learning and professional education to adapt, deep tensions have emerged between administrators, faculty, and other stakeholders. These tensions – rooted in questions of governance, institutional mission, academic labor, and the role of the university in the 21st century – have created fractures that often impede progress and erode trust. This dissertation interrogates these tensions through the lens of my lived experiences as a leader navigating the complexities of online learning and professional education in higher education. Using a narrative research approach, I employ Curriculum Fragments (Poetter, 2024), Teacher Lore (Schubert & Ayers, 1992), and narrative points-of-entry (Schultz et al., 2010) to examine key moments of leadership, conflict, and institutional change. Through a series of vignettes, I critically reflect on the struggles and challenges inherent in leading systemic change within a complex and often resistant institutional culture. These narratives are analyzed through multiple theoretical lenses – Adaptive Leadership Theory (Heifetz, 1994), Culture-Based Leadership Theory (Quantz, 2007), Conflict Theory (Collins, 1975), and The Abilene Paradox (Harvey, 1988) – to illuminate the power dynamics, structural constraints, and cultural forces that shape decision-making in higher education. Findings from this research emphasize the necessity of approaching institutional change with cultural awareness, shared governance, and a deep understanding of resistance as a signal rather than an obstacle. The analysis reveals that leadership in higher education must move beyond technical solutions and toward adaptive work – work that engages stakeholders as co-creators of change rather than passive recipients of top-down directives. Further, this study highlights the ways in which facu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Poetter (Committee Chair); Brian Schultz (Committee Member); Guy Parmigian (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Business Administration, Cleveland State University, 2023, Monte Ahuja College of Business

In an era of intensified competition and globalization, emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) grapple with strategic paradoxes stemming from institutional complexity. This research employs a paradox perspective to explore how EMNEs reconcile these challenges, spotlighting paradoxes like profit versus corporate social responsibility, internationalization versus localization, and short-term versus long-term objectives. Drawing from a longitudinal study of eight Chinese EMNEs, we craft an integrated model elucidating the factors influencing these paradoxes during internationalization. Our model addresses five pivotal questions, ranging from the definition of strategic paradox to the role of paradoxical thinking in managing competing demands. Theoretically, this study bridges paradox theory with institutional complexity in the context of international business. It underscores the amplifying role of external factors in making implicit strategic paradoxes explicit and accentuates the intricate interplay between internal and external determinants. Furthermore, it reveals how the influence of these factors is modulated by the institutional backdrop EMNEs operate within. Practically, our findings illuminate how paradoxical perspectives empower EMNEs to navigate strategic challenges. We pinpoint key factors that heighten these challenges, offering insights for top management. The longitudinal case studies provide a blueprint for EMNEs, guiding strategic decision-making in similar scenarios.

Committee: Ping Deng (Committee Chair); Fengxia Zhu (Committee Member); Guowei Jian (Committee Member); Timothy DeGroot (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Management

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Leadership

Within the field of early childhood education, a multitude of paradoxes exist. The tensions between early educators and the broader community have yielded barriers for advocacy, preventing the voices from those working directly with children from being heard in conversations where impactful decisions are made. This study aimed to explore the feelings and perceptions of those working directly with young children regarding advocacy, professionalism, and the barriers within systems intended to support the work of early care and education. Issues regarding roles and responsibilities, relationships within the work of caring for young children, definitions of advocacy, and concerns regarding work environments were discussed across six interviews with women from a variety of backgrounds who have moved positions and programs within the field.

Committee: Shauna Adams (Committee Chair); Mary Ziskin (Committee Member); Pamela Young (Committee Member); Richard Stock (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Leadership; Psychology

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

Committee: Edgar F. Daniels (Advisor) Subjects: British and Irish Literature; Religion

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Political Science

This dissertation examines the patterns and dynamics of state behavior in cyberspace. Cyberspace opened up a new theater of interstate peacetime competition wherein a set of unexpected targets emerged as the competition expanded. Contrary to expectations of earlier cybersecurity scholarship that focused on the threat of a devastating cyber attack, the majority of state activity in cyberspace does not result in grave destruction in human life and property. In the first dissertation paper, which provides the theoretical framework for this dissertation project, I ask, why were the early expectations about the cyber threat incorrect, and what do states compete over in cyberspace? Why do we observe high levels of activity below the threshold of armed conflict, but very little activity above it? I argue that the cyber security studies academic sub-field is experiencing a shift away from the war frame towards competition as the core concept. Through an in-depth comparison, I show that the stability-instability paradox can also explain the macro-dynamics of international cyber competition. Additionally, I argue that through cyber operations, states seek diverse material and non-material gains, carefully managing the competition below the threshold of armed conflict through several potential mechanisms. From the operational perspective, state activity in cyberspace can take two main forms: 1) operations aimed at achieving change by compromising networked systems, and 2) operations aimed at producing change by affecting humans behind keyboards. In the second dissertation paper, I focus on continuous cyber operations, which fall into the first category. I ask, under what conditions do continuous cyber operations lead to escalation or to intensification of interaction dynamics? In this paper, I use experimental design informed by wargaming to build simulation scenarios for testing whether the use of continuous cyber operations would lead to escalation, and under what conditions (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Richard Harknett Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jack Mewhirter (Committee Member); Brendan Green Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

Male technology leaders have faced mounting expectations regarding topics related to inclusion, diversity, and equity (IDE). The impact of COVID-19, events exposing racial injustice, as well as political discord in the US have increased sensitivities to when and how leaders should respond to this highly charged arena. This study seeks to understand more about male leaders' experiences of navigating the tensions and expectations that often accompany enacting IDE practices. Leaders that have experience in leading technology organizations as well as a background in technology or product development participated in interviews exploring various aspects of their experience with IDE topics. The interviewed leaders shared diverse experiences about vulnerability, privilege, making mistakes and taking risks. Often their experience highlighted paradoxes or situations where there was tension between what they were being asked to do and what they felt they should do. The most apparent paradoxes in my interviews had to do with (a) caring for others and revenue generation, (b) challenging and supporting, and (c) being self-centered and being other-centered. The experiences of those interviewed revealed three different approaches taken by leaders in response to IDE initiatives, represented in my study by three different “personas.” Having a strong level of intent toward and impact on IDE defined the first group, while a moderate level of intent and limited impact involving IDE were associated with the second group. The last group had little to no intent and impact concerning IDE topics and practices. The leader's characteristics for each persona are defined, including how that leader would need support and what their reaction to crucial paradoxes might be. The construct of personas can provide leaders with clarity regarding behaviors for supporting IDE and training ideas they can request for themselves or for their companies; it can also help leaders recognize the importance of ref (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Donna Ladkin PhD (Committee Chair); Lize (A.E.) Booysen DBL (Committee Member); James Traeger PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Gender; Management; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

Scholars have recently noted that work stress paradoxically requires more and predicts less recovery from that stress. As a result, the people who most need to recover from work stress have the most difficulty doing so. This recovery paradox is both practically pressing and theoretically underexplored. The present study aims to clarify the timing of this paradox (i.e., whether it is the result of daily stress, chronic stress, or both), its underlying mechanisms, and potential solutions. Taking an integrated resource theory and decision-making theory approach, the current model positions personal resources (i.e., energy and negative affect) and leisure decision-making as key mechanisms explaining the recovery paradox. The role of chronic work stress and leisure habits in these processes are also explored. Diary data was collected from working adults (N=83 participants) twice per day, after work and before bed, over the course of two work weeks (N=693 survey days). Multilevel analyses did not support the original model focused on the mechanisms of depleted energy, unsystematic leisure decision-making, and low leisure mental and physical activeness; however, an alternative model was supported, connecting work stress to poor recovery via negative affect, unsystematic leisure decision-making, and low leisure diversity (i.e., low variety in types of leisure activities). Leisure diversity and physical activity were identified as strategies that seem to facilitate recovery even, and perhaps especially, for the highly stressed. Overall, the present results suggest that the recovery paradox (a) manifests quickly but is exacerbated by chronic work stress, (b) may be explained by affective and decision-making mechanisms, and (c) may be combatted with diverse and physically active leisure. These findings provide theoretical detail to the recovery paradox, a new and key observation in the work stress recovery literature, and provide practical recommendations for stressed workers (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Clare Barratt (Committee Co-Chair); Margaret Brooks (Committee Co-Chair); Joseph Furgal (Other); Scott Highhouse (Committee Member); Dara Musher-Eizenman (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

William Shakespeare's tragedies dwell upon death, loss, grief, and sacrifice. But one of the common, underlying and at times unexpected components that recurs throughout the tragedies is honor. For Shakespeare's honor is tied to human life, as Julius Caesar insinuates to his wife, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once” (2.2.32-33). Shakespeare's honor is largely connected to how one lives their life, whether it be honorably in bravery, or cowardly in fear. The concept is further developed in Othello, when Iago says, “Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, / Is the immediate jewel of their souls” (3.3. 183-184). If one does not possess an honorable character, in other words, he or she owns nothing of import. This is reiterated in Richard II, when Mowbray says, “Take honor from me, and my life is done” (1.1.183). However, Shakespeare's portrayal of honor often displays an ambivalence between the Christian and the pagan-humanist values of honor in his age. He toys with the concept of honor radically within the minds of several of his most prominent characters, namely the protagonists in King Lear, Coriolanus, and Macbeth. For these three men, honor becomes a moral trap, and they each meet tragic fates as a result. In this paper, I seek to illuminate the different functions of honor and how this coincides with Shakespeare's overall theme which suggests that honor and (quality of) life go hand in hand, which demonstrates the idea that the pursuit of glory can prove to be a snare for the overly ambitious man.

Committee: Don-John Dugas (Advisor); Vera Camden (Committee Member); Ann Martinez (Committee Member) Subjects: Literature

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Psychology-Industrial/Organizational

Numerous studies have demonstrated many contradictory elements in the creative process. Yet for managers seeking creative solutions, there is little research on how to frame problems and give feedback that will aid employees in confronting the creative paradox. To better understand this problem, 235 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to focus on original solutions and practical solutions either sequentially or simultaneously while working on a two-phased, open-ended creative problem. The phases involved idea generation and idea selection and revision. Participants also received either informational or controlling feedback during the two phases. Results supported the use of sequential instructions to focus an individual's attention first on originality and then on practicality, over a focus on both during each phase. Based on these results, managers seeking creativity should collaborate with employees on creative problems, begin with a safe period for brainstorming, and offer directive feedback to ensure the applicability of solutions. Results further support the need for research to examine problem familiarity and creative ability in relation to the creative paradox.

Committee: Andrea Snell PhD (Advisor); Paul Levy PhD (Committee Member); James Diefendorff PhD (Committee Member); Amanda Thayer PhD (Committee Member); Asoke Dey PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Management

The traditional distinction between global and local brands is losing salience driven by globalization and digital technology. Using the paradox theory, this dissertation investigates a third option: brands that are both global and local—something paradoxical. The space is currently called glocal or hybrid, but it has not been investigated to the extent of its adjoining areas of global and local, remaining a gap in the literature. There is a need to address this gap as the internet changes the interaction between cultures, which reduces the traditional distinction between global and local brands and breeds new forms of hybridization (Edelman, 2010). The question I initially sought to answer was in this context: “What is driving success for global and local brand leaders?” The first study included interviews with 50 global and local brand leaders and analyses using the Grounded Theory Method. The study found leaders struggling with a brand paradox—attempting to become both globally accepted and locally authentic. I named this construct Omni-brand. The next question I sought to answer was: “What antecedents identified in Study 1 have significant effects on global acceptance and local authenticity?” In Study 2, 259 professionals representing 96 brands were surveyed, and I used structural equation modeling to validate the antecedents of Omni-brand. In Study 3, I asked the question: “How is Omni-brand measured as perceived by consumers?” To this end, a quantitative study was conducted which evaluated 33 well-known brands with 729 survey respondents to formulate a third-order Omni-brand construct for customer perception. The model was constructed using second-order construct global acceptance with components of innovation, product performance quality and perceived brand globalness, and second-order construct local authenticity with components of brand authenticity, local insights, local iconness and originality. The study gives each of the 33 brands an overall score for b (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Casey Newmeyer PhD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Marketing

M.A. (Master of Arts in English), Ohio Dominican University, 2019, English

Works of Modernism often portray figures at odds with nature, society at large, or the self. These figures may seem outwardly sick or lost, but their problems may emerge from some deeper place of irresolute confusion. In the figure of the Captain in Conrad`s The Secret Sharer, Michel in Gide`s The Immoralist, or Clarissa Dalloway and her psychic counterpart, Septimus Warren Smith, in Woolf`s Mrs. Dalloway, we see a battle taking place. In Rousseauian terms, the battle already exists between the wills: the general will versus the will of wills. However, how does this fractionalization of will correspond to these characters or to the state of each author around the time of writing the work? Can we see some of this same complexity of Modernism discussed by Freud in his theory of the drives of men and women, specifically in the death drive [Thanatos] as it emerges in these fictional personas and the challenges of the will each faces? Can we read the characters as avatars of the authors, questioning the tenets of Modernism, challenging personal identity and uncovering the deeper paradoxes that life in the Modern world initiates among the creative-minded? Do the writings of Henri Bergson in his Creative Evolution, a masterpiece of the era, also aid the reader to better ascertain how and why these characters bear out some of the similarities, maladies, and challenges of each of their respective author's life experiences? Does a desire for creatively solving problems and resolving Modern challenges to identity predispose a character or author, for that matter, to an emotional or psychological cataclysm of sorts? Applying some of these author's non-fictional writings or other biographical sources may also help to resolve some of these questions, as well as allowing the reader to better grasp the impact of Modern societal forces and personal contacts within their lives.

Committee: Martin Brick Ph.D. (Advisor); Jeremy Glazier M.F.A. (Other) Subjects: Literature; Modern Literature

Master of Science, Miami University, 2019, Physics

The information paradox of a black hole is currently an unsolved problem in physics; a black hole has few internal parameters (total mass, charge, and angular momentum), so it appears the information about its constituent matter is mostly lost. It is possible to consider the information as still existing inside the black hole, but in 1974, Hawking showed that black holes slowly evaporate by emitting radiation. This radiation, having a thermal distribution, does not appear to carry any additional information about the black hole's constituent matter, so the information appears to be lost. In this paper, we examine the information paradox via topological information perceivable by inertial and accelerated detectors. We conclude that acceleration introduces a new class of thermodynamic information.

Committee: Herbert Jaeger (Advisor); Samir Bali (Committee Member); Edward Samson (Committee Member) Subjects: Physics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Philosophy

Sentences have meanings: the things we say, and the things we believe. Semantics is the theory of meaning, and thoughts, or the meanings of sentences, are among the objects of semantic theory. But what are meanings? What is the place of meaning in the natural world? In the discussion below, I shall motivate formal constraints on the logical and metaphysical foundations of semantic theory. Some philosophers have suggested that semantics is a piece of modal metaphysics. The modal approach to meaning covers a lot of empirical and conceptual ground, but ultimately fails, since the mechanism invoked to recombine the metaphysical and the epistemic dimension leads to inconsistency by paradoxical reasoning. The lesson is that sameness of meaning is a hyperintensional notion. Other paradoxes follow more generally from assuming that thoughts can be individuated to a more or less precise degree, e.g. as the only thoughts having a certain property. These assumptions are often very plausible. Some contemporary accounts of the intensional paradoxes save consistency at the cost of rejecting these plausible assumptions. This puzzling situation leads naturally to wonder about the conditions for referring to thoughts: how do we individuate them? Reference to abstract objects may be established by abstraction. On this proposal, sameness of meaning is equated with hyperintensional equivalence. Such notion cannot be as fine-grained as contemporary accounts of structured propositions take it to be, on pain of ruling out a compelling pragmatic account of redundancy in the use of language. Any plausible hyperintensional notion of equivalence faces, in higher-order logic, the Russell-Myhill paradox. However, consistency can be restored by a dynamic understanding of abstraction. On the resulting picture, thoughts are “shadows of sentences”, to use an image of W. V. O. Quine, and quantification over thoughts is understood predicatively. This is the logic and metaphysics for (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stewart Shapiro (Advisor) Subjects: Linguistics; Logic; Philosophy

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Management and Information Systems

This dissertation investigates how benefits derive from information systems (IS). Using theory and research from multiple disciplines, including psychology, strategy, and IS, I investigated the roles of system use, perceived information quality and the context of organizational culture in the realization of IS benefits. The productivity paradox (Brynjolfsson, 1993) suggests a consistent positive relationship between IS use and IS benefits has not been established or explained. Understanding, and resolving, the productivity paradox is paramount to the future of IS. A common explanation for this paradox is the mismanagement of IS resources. This means contextual factors within the organization affect the benefits derived from the IS. Specific guidelines have been recommended to integrate context specific theorizing in IS research (Hong, Chan, Thong, Chasalow, & Dhillon, 2014). Following these guidelines, I investigate the role of organizational culture in the Information Systems Success Model (ISSM; DeLone & McLean, 1992; 2003); a model that predicts a significant relationship between perceived information quality and net benefits, through the mediator of system use. I have identified two specific facets of organizational culture as meaningful factors influencing the benefits derived from IS, information sharing attitudes and perceptions of IS strategy. I considered not only direct effects of these factors, but also interplay between factors and alternative models through systematic model trimming. I used a survey to measure model variables, along with secondary data collection in the form of system use logs and individual performance scores. I found the system use variable to be sensitive to measurement. This sensitivity resulted in two separate and meaningful variables: computer-recorded objective system use and self-reported system use. My results indicated the benefits of IS are related directly to objective system use, but objective system use is not related (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alan Brandyberry PhD. (Committee Co-Chair); Mary Hogue PhD. (Committee Co-Chair); Dong-Heon Kwak PhD. (Committee Member); John Thornton PhD. (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Information Systems; Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Anthropology

The Roman Empire sustained one of the longest and largest ruling powers in history, from the first century BC to the fourth century AD, through imperial programs of political and cultural assimilation. Prior to post-colonial reevaluations of historical colonization and imperialism, the Roman process of cultural integration (Romanization) was lauded as unidirectionally constructive and civilizing for the indigenous populations. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that indigenous populations in culturally- and politically-reconstituted regions of the early Roman Empire experienced diminished access to resources and, consequently, poorer physiological health relative to pre-Roman occupation populations. This research tests the hypothesis that Roman rule had similar detrimental effects on an indigenous community in the eastern Empire. I test the hypothesis via a bioarchaeological study of violence, physiological health, and dietary resource allocation. Critically applying a theoretical framework of structural violence to the analysis of skeletal remains from the Roman (AD 130-270) cemetery at Oymaagac, Turkey, this study investigates how Roman imperial rule impacted locally and regionally the indigenous populations of the Pontus. Because the indigenous populations of northern Anatolia assimilated to Roman imperial rule with little political and social restructuring, it is predicted that, relative to Western indigenous populations, limited or weak evidence of structural violence existed among this rural community. Operational variables of violence—traumatic lesions (fractures), diet (carious lesions, antemortem tooth loss, calculus, abscesses, and stable carbon and nitrogen ratios), childhood growth perturbations (linear enamel hypoplasias), non-specific infection (periosteal new bone and periodontal disease), and physical activity (osteoarthritis, rotator cuff disease, and intervertebral disc disease)—utilized in bioarchaeological studies are contextualized with (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Clark Larsen (Advisor); Mark Hubbe (Committee Member); Laurie Reitsema (Committee Member); Sam Stout (Committee Member) Subjects: Ancient Civilizations; Ancient History; Archaeology; Classical Studies; Epidemiology; Human Remains; Middle Eastern History; Pathology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Microbiology

The methane paradox - the phenomenon of unexpected biological methane production in oxygenated habitats – has been long-documented in marine waters and more recently inferred in freshwater lakes and soil habitats. In Chapter 1, the two primary mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon are described. I then identify the biomarkers and organisms implicated thus far in methane production from oxygenated habitats. Lastly, the contributions of the methane paradox to site-wide emission estimates and the implications of this process for global methane predictions are discussed. Chapter 2 presents the first genome enabled understanding of organisms performing the methane paradox in well-oxygenated soils. Oxygenated soils from a freshwater wetland located adjacent to Lake Erie contained significantly higher in situ methane concentrations and nine times greater methanogenic activity than corresponding deeper soils. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing resulted in the discovery of Candidatus Methanothrix paradoxum, a novel acetoclastic methanogen species which accounted for nearly all of the inferred methanogenic activity in oxygenated soils. This oxic surface activity was estimated to contribute up to 80% of site-wide methane fluxes. Chapter 3 extends the genomic analyses to the larger methanogenic community in the Lake Erie freshwater wetland. Here I first compare methane production potential rates across surface and deep soils and show surface soils typically have greater methane production rates than deeper, anoxic soils. Metagenomic analyses demonstrated distinct clades of mcrA sequences from surface and deep soils and metatranscriptomic analyses were used to profile the activity of these sequences in each depth. This chapter also provides a more detailed genome-resolved investigation of the dominant and active methanogen across the site, Candidatus Methanothrix paradoxum. Lastly, the metabolic potential and activity of other methanogen ge (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kelly Wrighton (Advisor); Gil Bohrer (Committee Member); Joseph Krzycki (Committee Member); Virginia Rich (Committee Member); Michael Wilkins (Committee Member) Subjects: Microbiology

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 2018, EECS - Computer Engineering

This thesis proposes a new algorithm for quantifying the extent to which any element of any set is unusual in that set. The algorithm operates by estimating strictly increasing transformations of experimentally measurable frequencies of occurrence. These transformations represent fuzzy set membership functions that can be used to decide which of any two elements of the set can more often be recognized when surrounded by the other elements, but not how often, by any algorithm that uses arbitrary procedures to measure and compare the elements of the set, and hypothesizes that measurements which most resemble each other are most likely to have been obtained by measuring the same entity. The relationship between Fuzzy Logic and Probability is explored, and the usefulness of the algorithm is experimentally evaluated by applying it to the practical task of binocular depth perception.

Committee: Francis Merat Ph.D. P.E. (Committee Chair); Lewicki Michael Ph.D. (Committee Member); Loparo Kenneth Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Engineering; Epistemology; Mathematics; Philosophy; Statistics

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Media and Communication

Female athletes are now participating in sport at younger and younger ages (Kian et al, 2013). In 2015 it is assumed that a post-Title IX athlete lives in a world with widespread social acceptance (Kane 1989.) Kane concluded in 1989 that female athletes and events are highly underreported in the mass media and young girls and women are often presented in stereotypic ways. The sad thing is that 26 years later not much has changed. However, female athletes are still underrepresented, and trivialized in mainstream media (Messner, et al. 2015). Building on this foundational knowledge, it is important to know how girl athletes negotiate their bodies and identities in this sport domain as they construct their own female athlete identities. This dissertation examined how girl athletes prefer to be represented through self-constructed photo essays. In past research (Krane et al, 2010; Krane et al, 2011), female athletes choose to emphasize their own power and strength in the athleticism and girl athletes overall, appreciate these types of images. This exploration of girl athletes' choice of photo representation is grounded in an multidisciplinary approach that conjoin an intersectional feminist framework and the Communication Theory of Identity as well as Cultural Contracts theory. Thirteen girl athletes constructed their own photo essays depicting what it means to them to “be a female athlete” and a one-on-one interview discussing their photo essays. Analysis of the interviews exposed 6 higher order themes that emerged from the data: school (the good and the bad); female athletes> are better than male athletes; look pretty play pretty; relationships; we want female role models; I am a female athlete. Overall, the girl athletes emphasized notions of female athlete empowerment and strength. However, they acknowledged the multicity of their identities and how those identities are contested. Ultimately each girl athlete discussed how their identities create tension and how the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sandra Faulkner PhD (Advisor); Vikki Krane PhD (Committee Member); Radhika Gajjala PhD (Committee Member); Lara Lengel PhD (Committee Member); Ray Schneider PhD (Other) Subjects: Communication; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Sports Management