Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Urban Studies and Public Affairs

There has been a long-standing perception by the American public that bureaucrats are incompetent. Public administration scholars have studied the negative perceptions of bureaucrats and the work of these scholars has brought about a dichotomous characterization of bureaucrats. On one end, scholars characterized bureaucrats as incompetent individuals with truncated personalities who add to the inefficiencies of the bureaucracy (Hummel, 2008). At the other end scholars find bureaucrats to be ordinary individuals with a remarkable sense of purpose, competence, and dedication (Goodsell, 2015). The characterization of bureaucrats serves as the backdrop to the study's purpose which was to develop communicator profiles of government bureaucrats. Developing a taxonomy of profiles of their communicator styles and predispositions allowed us to gain an understanding of the competency levels, as it pertains to communication, that exist in current modern bureaucracies which supported and opposed the negative long-standing perception of the general American public toward bureaucrats. The taxonomy of communicator profiles may provide bureaucrats with self-awareness, and concrete understanding of their communication predispositions and styles when performing their jobs. This concrete knowledge may enable bureaucrats and their managers to seek ways in which to enhance communication styles and predispositions during service delivery as well as provide opportunities to mitigate their predispositions so that they may interact with the public in manner that is more in-line with that of responsible public service characterized by kindness, charity, and benevolence (French, 1983). A public sector workforce that interacts with the public with higher levels of communication competency creates an environment of perceived effectiveness, and citizens who come face-to-face with bureaucrats will experience a higher-level quality of service which in turn will ameliorate the perceptions h (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Music History

Musicologists have been debating the concept of European national music styles in the Baroque period for nearly 300 years. But what precisely constitutes these so-called French, Italian, and German “tastes”? Furthermore, how do contemporary sources confront this issue and how do they delineate these musical constructs? In his Music for a Mixed Taste (2008), Steven Zohn achieves success in identifying musical tastes in some of Georg Phillip Telemann's instrumental music. However, instrumental music comprises only a portion of Telemann's musical output. My thesis follows Zohn's work by identifying these same national styles in opera: namely, Telemann's Orpheus (Hamburg, 1726), in which the composer sets French, Italian, and German texts to music. I argue that though identifying the interrelation between elements of musical style and the use of specific languages, we will have a better understanding of what Telemann and his contemporaries thought of as national tastes. I will begin my examination by identifying some of the issues surrounding a selection of contemporary treatises, in order explicate the problems and benefits of their use. These sources include Johann Joachim Quantz's Versuch einer Anweisung die Flote zu spielen (1752), two of Telemann's autobiographies (1718 and 1740), and Johann Adolf Scheibe's Critischer Musikus (1737). I will supplement the information provided by these writings with my own analysis in order to clarify their meanings. Next, I will examine a selection of Telemann's other operas with the intention of showing how language can be used for dramatic purposes. Finally, I will conduct a thorough analysis of selections from Orpheus, drawing on conclusions made in the two previous chapters. By drawing on genre-based musical elements and aligning them with texted portions of this opera, Orpheus emerges as a key to national tastes in Baroque music.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Psychology

Responses to Likert scales are potentially influenced by response styles and not only by the latent trait level or attitude strength to be measured. This thesis focuses on the extreme response style (ERS) in responses to a Big Five personality test. An attempt is presented to jointly model the latent personality trait and ERS using an extension of Item Response Theory – the Item Response Trees, such that the response style effect can be removed. In order to do so, it is assumed that the ERS effect is independent of the latent trait. This attempt consists of two separate studies that are identical in the used methods but focus on two different Big Five datasets.

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

Prior research has showed that mainland Chinese international students (MCIS), as the largest and fastest-growing international student body in the United States, face high rates of mental health concerns but demonstrate low levels of help-seeking behaviors, such as seeking professional counseling services. The main goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between acculturative stress, attachment style and coping style of mainland Chinese international students in the United States. The study also investigated how two demographic factors, namely English proficiency and length of stay in the US would impact the coping style. The participants were 119 self-identified mainland Chinese international students enrolled at higher education institutions in the United States. The participants completed: an online survey about their demographic information, the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory, the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale and the Brief COPE Inventory. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that the English proficiency level was significantly and positively correlated with adaptive coping style, and the length of time in the US was significantly and negatively associated with maladaptive coping styles for mainland Chinese international students. Associations between attachment style and coping style were also discovered. In addition, acculturative stress, avoidance attachment, anxiety attachment, English proficiency level, and length of time in the US explained 14.6% of variance in adaptive coping, and 22.6% of variance in maladaptive coping. English proficiency level significantly contributed to the adaptive coping model. Acculturative stress and length of time in the US made significant contributions to the maladaptive model. Findings of this study suggest that outreach programs and positive social networks would be helpful for mainland Chinese international students to (open full item for complete abstract)

BS, Kent State University, 2016, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

The purpose of this study was to explore the classic American style labeled preppy; to evaluate and interpret its static and dynamic elements over time. Going beyond Ivy Style, this research begins in 1962 when Esquire magazine presented an editorial by Jerry Darvin, The Basic College Wardrobe. The timing of this article was designated as a starting point as it is beyond the height of Ivy Style in the 1950s, yet predates the emergence and popularity of preppy fashion brands. Analysis of Darvin (1962) and Birnbach (1980) Preppy Handbook revealed several overlapping elements and garments that define the preppy style: navy blazer with gold buttons, button down oxford shirt, khaki pants, loafers, and repp ties. Based on specific parameters, instances of the five key preppy pieces were identified and interpreted from editorial and advertising content in the September issues of Esquire magazine from 1962 to 2015. As the style evolved and intersected with fashion, changes were seen in terminology, fabrication, fit, reason for wearing, and pop culture surrounding the wearer. Political leaders, media celebrities, and the rise of mega-brands have all had their influence on preppy menswear. Understanding the origins and evolution of these individual pieces enhances our knowledge of classic American menswear, increasing appreciation for the significance of uniform, and the concept of uniform in society. Preppy is the fashion of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

The analysis of style in translation discipline typically relies on methods borrowed from literary studies. Most of the style-related research conducted in translation studies has either focused on the style of the author or on the text type as manifested in the translation as opposed to the style of the translator. The few studies of translator style that have been carried out using corpus methodologies present some methodological limitations related to corpus compilation and control which affect the analyis of style. To address these limitations, the present study adopts an interdisciplinary approach combining Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), and methods from Corpus Stylistics, and Machine Learning Stylometry in order to develop a rigorous framework for studying translator style. The suggested framework is developed based on the investigation of the translations and creative writings of Denys Johnson-Davies (J-D), a British creative writer and an Arabic-English translator. This study attempts to trace instances where the style of J-D the translator intersects with the style of J-D the author. It investigates the effect of J-D's translating activity on his own writing and vice versa in order to determine the extent to which the two activities influence each other. The computational stylistic (corpus & machine learning) and the thematic (LSA) analyses suggest that J-D's style as a translator impacted his style as a writer. In addition, it was evident that translation helped J-D to develop his writing skills and style. Indeed, the translating activity served as a source of inspiration and intertextuality for his creative writing. As for the interaction between J-D's creative writing and the post-creative writing translations, the findings show that J-D's creative writing impacted the selection of short stories he translated after the production of his creative writing, which revolved around themes he developed as a creative writer.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2014, Dentistry

Statement of Problem: A common complication in implant dentistry is the unintentional implant screw loosening. The critical factor in the prevention of screw loosening is the delivery of the appropriate target torque value. Mechanical torque-limiting devices (MTLD) are the most frequently recommended devices by the implant manufacturers to deliver the target torque value to the screw. Two types of MTLDs are available: friction-style and spring-style. Limited information is available regarding the influence of device type, sterilization and clinical use on the accuracy of MTLDs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of MTLDs when they are brand new, after sterilization and after clinical use. Materials and Methods: This study was divided in three parts. In Part I, five MTLDs from six different dental implant manufacturers (Astra Tech/Dentsply, Zimmer Dental, Biohorizons, Biomet 3i, Straumann (ITI) and Nobel Biocare) (n=5 per manufacturer) were selected to determine their accuracy in delivering target torque values preset by their manufacturers. All torque-limiting devices were new and there were three manufacturers for the friction-style and three manufacturers for the spring-style. The procedure of target torque measurement was performed 10 times for each device and a digital torque gauge (Chatillon Model DFS2-R-ND) was used to record the measurements. In part II, all MTLDs (N=30) used in Part I were sterilized following manufacturers' recommendations. The sterilization procedure was repeated 100 times and all MTLDs were retested as described in Part I. In part III, 27 MTLDs which have been in clinical service at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry were collected. 13 were friction-style and 14 were spring-style. A total of 6 different dental implant companies were represented (Astra Tech, Zimmer Dental, Biomet 3i, Straumann, Nobel Biocare and Thommen Medical) and all MTLDs had been in use for at least 6 months without being reca (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1989, Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Music

During the annual meeting of the MidAmerican Conference Band Directors Association at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago (December, 2003) it was proposed and accepted to conduct a comprehensive study describing and discussing issues and topics related to the athletic band programs of the MAC. During the meeting a model survey instrument, based on the studies of Holvik (1971), Patzig (1983), and Fuller (1995) was presented. Revisions were made by the MAC athletic band directors refreshing the model to include additional topics of value to the Association. During the spring and summer of 2004 the model was reviewed by a panel of collegiate band directors who agreed to serve as readers and advisors. In its final form the questionnaire focused on 33 topics. In April 2005, the questionnaire was sent to the 14 athletic band directors of the MAC via email in a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format. The spreadsheet version, presented on CD-ROM, and a standard hard copy were sent via U.S. Mail. All of the athletic band directors responded fully and positively resulting in a comprehensive collection of data describing the staffing, administration, rehearsal and performance practices, traditions and trends of the athletic bands of the MAC. Survey questions concerning contemporary topics, updating the three model studies, produced information on: the evolution of professional title to “Director of Athletic Bands”, access to and use of technologies in planning and instruction, the affect of athletic department game management and marketing efforts, and the nature of university and community efforts to address sportsmanship issues that affect athletic bands

Master of Technical and Scientific Communication, Miami University, 2004, Technical and Scientific Communication

This report contains a detailed exploration of my internship at Convergys Corporation, where I worked as a technical editor in the technical documentation (tech docs) team of the User Performance Support (UPS) group from June - October, 2002. In Chapter 1, I explain the history and organizational dynamics at Convergys and detail the role of the UPS group. In Chapter 2, I describe my projects and contributions to the tech docs team, and I introduce my core project, which was the creation of a style guide for the tech docs team. In Chapter 3, I detail how I used the Anderson Problem-Solving model to identify the problem that resulted in the style guide and to arrive at a suitable solution. In Chapter 4, I analyze this application of the problem-solving model, and I conclude by explaining how the MTSC program equipped me for work at Convergys and beyond.

Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology, Cleveland State University, 2012, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

The separation and re-unification of the mother and child requires the attention of scholars. Re-establishing a relationship with his or her mother alleviates the threat of the consequences that a child experiences when his or her mother is incarcerated. Fifty three incarcerated mothers were interviewed on their communication with their children while separated. A content analysis was used to gain insight on the types of conflict, conflict strategies, conflict styles, and cause of conflict. Using an interpersonal skill deficiency model this study found that there was a difference between conflicts described as ending negatively and conflicts described as ending positively. During conflicts that ended negatively, incarcerated mothers used less strategies and conflict styles indicating a lack of constructive skills during times of frustration and anger. Relationships were also found between incarcerated mothers' attitudes toward parenting and verbal aggressive messages, parenting style and incarcerated mothers' attitudes toward parenting, and verbal aggressive messages and incarcerated mothers' socio-communicative style. By giving incarcerated mothers competent and constructive skills to deal with conflict management, especially the conflict topic of incarceration, the mother-child relationship may be strengthened.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Leadership Studies

This causal-comparative study examined learning style differences in and computer self-efficacy and satisfaction with online professional development. Thirty teachers enrolled in a Lesson Lab BreakThrough Mathematics online course completed three different instruments: Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (Kolb, 1999); Computer Usage Self-Efficacy Scale (Cassidy & Eachus, 2002); and Web-Based Learning Instrument (Chang & Fisher, 2003). Kolb's Learning Style inventory divulged the percentage of participants with the Assimilator learning style was much higher than the other three learning styles—Accommodator, Diverger, and Converger. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to examine group differences in computer self-efficacy and satisfaction with online professional development. T-test of related samples compared pre- and post-computer self-efficacy scores. The results indicated a significant increase from pre- to post- survey (p = .027). Pearson Correlation revealed no significant relationship between computer self-efficacy (pre or post) and satisfaction with online learning. The results of this study revealed participants in an online course do not differ significantly by learning style, with respect to computer self-efficacy and satisfaction with online learning. However, computer self-efficacy increased significantly from pre- to post- survey.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, College-Conservatory of Music: Theory

This dissertation proposes a flexible formal analytical approach to C. P. E. Bach's late keyboard sonatas (Hamburg period, 1768-1788). This approach offers a solution to a vexing dilemma, namely, the irreconcilability between form (in its dialogue with sonata genre types) and content (which need not align with generic expectations) in these sonatas. The dilemma stems from Bach's fantasia-like treatments in his sonatas. The fantasia-like treatments are a source of eccentricities and digressions in Bach's sonatas from which can arise an incongruence between musical details and formal expectations. Generally, there are two different analytical approaches to this dilemma. The first is to restrict the analytical scope to clear-cut, genre-conforming, formal examples. The second is to focus on idiosyncratic details neglecting their significance to any formal process in its dialogue with the sonata genre. Neither approach reveals a dynamic relationship between the idiosyncratic details and the formal process. To underscore this dynamic relationship, I argue that Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of dialogized heteroglossia recognizes the role of incongruent details in shaping the formal process. By means of dialogized heteroglossia, one is able to bridge the gulf between form and content because this concept recognizes what I call a non-mechanical view of unity and diversity, a topic discussed variously in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe. The non-mechanical view of unity and diversity offers a way to conceive unity by involving a bottom-up approach. It rejects an all-encompassing external structure that encapsulates hierarchical relationships between the general and the particular, respecting the properties of the musical materials. Dialogized heteroglossia captures the interanimation among the details and acquires meanings that arise from the materials' mutual illumination. Through a close inspection of how the incongruent details partici (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, 2023, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

With her body of work, Virginia Woolf joins a host of female novelists decrying the lack of power that women in general wield in a patriarchal society. Specifically, her novels To the Lighthouse and Orlando provide a hopeful response to the dismal depiction of the female artist in Victorian literature, namely Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Because of its subject matter of domestic abuse, unfortunately the experience of too many women in a society in which husbands are given too much power, Tenant was not regarded with respect in Bronte's lifetime. The novel so obviously portrays a woman without power in such dire circumstances it is indeed unsettling for most audiences. However, in her novel, Bronte's inventive techniques of using embedded and nonlinear narration to bring this mistreatment to light illustrates how the unbalance of power debilitated the expression of the female artist in her character Helen Graham. Although there is no direct evidence that Woolf read Anne Bronte's novel, Woolf responds to this hopeless depiction with modernist experimental and more nuanced strategies such as free indirect style and interrupted narration to paint a much more hopeful picture of the possibility of the female artist confronting the power of the patriarchy with success and freedom of expression. In doing so, she upends Victorian tropes and expected narrative structure to provide a scathing critique of the Victorian patriarchal culture in which she, herself, was raised.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Psychology - Clinical

This project aimed to investigate interoceptive profiles among those with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD) to elucidate alterations in visceral signal perception and inform treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CVD is the number one cause of death in the United States, with an individual dying every 36 seconds; one in every four deaths is due to CVD. CVD treatment costs the United States $219 billion each year and requires patients to undergo habitual physical activity, often occurring within cardiac rehabilitation programs. Although these programs have been helpful, they are underutilized and riddled with barriers. Higher levels of anxiety sensitivity (AS), or the tendency to be fearful or catastrophize anxiety and its related physical sensations, have been found in individuals with CVD and associated with the avoidance of physical activity due to increased worry and fear surrounding their cardiac sensations. Since AS is an essential clinical target in patients with CVD, it is unsurprising that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) aimed to decrease the distress associated with physical sensations have been deployed within this population. A recent meta-analysis found that MBIs improved both psychological and physical outcomes in adults with CVD. Considering that AS and MBIs have been important factors in treating individuals with CVD, it is surprising that interoception, or the awareness of visceral sensations, has not been sufficiently studied within this population. Thus, this study assessed interoceptive sensibility (IAs), or self-reported interoception, via the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2). The MAIA-2 allows for the breakdown of IAs into eight dimensions and reportedly accounts for an anxious hypervigilant versus mindful attention style to visceral signals. Latent profile analyses (LPAs) were used as they are person-centered, rather than variable-centered, to identify distinct subpopulations (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2023, College of Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between burnout, perceived leadership style, and job satisfaction in educators to understand teacher attrition and, ultimately, the teacher shortage in the United States. Previous research in this area focuses on connections between leadership and job satisfaction (Pepper & Thomas, 2002; Watlington, Shockley, Guglielmino, & Flesher, 2010), as well as the established links between job satisfaction and burnout (Gupta & Rani, 2014). However, studies around perceptions of leadership styles have not modeled the interplay between perceived leadership style, job satisfaction, and teacher burnout in the field of education specifically. A quantitative study with multiple regression was utilized to build predictive models, including the three main study variables (leadership, job satisfaction, and burnout) as well as extraneous variables (e.g., years of experience). It was hypothesized that perceived leadership style would be predictive of both job satisfaction and burnout. More specific models were also hypothesized, with perceived leadership style mediating the relationship between job satisfaction and burnout and years of experience mediating the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction. Approximately 350 participants were recruited through an online panel to participate in the web survey. Findings from the present study indicate that while perceived leadership style and teacher burnout are both significant predictors of job satisfaction, leadership style does not mediate the relationship between job satisfaction and burnout. However, years of teacher experience did partially mediate the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction. Implications of the specific interconnectedness between these important educational factors are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Communication Studies (Communication)

In this rhetorical analysis, I radically re-evaluate the theoretical aspect of Richard Hofstadter's paranoid style through psychoanalysis and Nietzschean philosophy on morality. I reframe a theoretical perspective of the paranoid style as an ideological and moral discursive system that organizes itself around the affect of ressentiment against the racialized Other. I examine three paranoid conspiracy theories – MAGA, QAnon, and January 6th – to illustrate the rhetorical, ideological, and moral logic of paranoid conspiracy theories and how reactionary subjects radicalize into new paranoid conspiracy theories. I argue that each paranoid conspiracy theory is merely a radicalization of ressentiment of the Other from a prior paranoid conspiracy theory (e.g., Birtherism to MAGA and MAGA to QAnon). My rhetorical analysis points to an often-neglected aspect of conspiracy theory analysis, morality.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

Non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, can be defined as the “intentional, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue performed without suicidal intent using methods that are not socially sanctioned” (Martin et al., 2017, p. 425). Lifetime prevalence has been found to be between 5.9% and 18% (Cassels et al., 2019; Klonsky, 2011), indicating that there is a need to understand NSSI so that individuals can be helped to reduce the frequency of their harming behaviors. There is reason to believe that one's attachment style is associated with the engagement of NSSI (e.g., Wrath & Adams, 2019). Research shows mixed results regarding the types of adult attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, fearful, dismissive) that are and are not associated with NSSI. The current study sought to clarify discrepancies by examining the association between NSSI and adult attachment styles in a sample of 445 young adults, where 196 (44.0%) individuals stated that they have never engaged in NSSI, and 249 (56.0%) who have engaged in NSSI before. Results suggested there was a significant association between fearful and preoccupied attachment styles and NSSI, and that secure attachment was significantly correlated with not engaging in NSSI. Moreover, the fearful attachment style was correlated with scratching, preoccupied attachment was correlated with biting, and lower dismissive attachment scores were correlated with burning and biting. Significant differences in the reasons why someone engaged in NSSI were found regarding attachment styles and specific NSSI behaviors. This research is important because it helps show justifications for why someone engages in NSSI, that different levels of attachment traits exist, and that even those with secure attachment traits can still engage in NSSI behaviors.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1950, English