Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The objective of this research is to determine if surface finish influences the mechanical properties of cast heat treated aluminum (A356-T6). Binder jetting of sand allows for complex molds to be designed and printed to decrease the amount of time, cost and material. This project is separated into three phases. First phase of the project is the development of a benchmark casting and evaluation of surface roughness. In this phase, the surface finish of several angles of print orientation were compared. Certain angles produced a very noticeable stair step feature. Second phase of the project characterizes the static tensile and fatigue properties of A356-T6 cast flat bars from molds of four print orientation angles (0°, 5°, 15°, 30°). Lastly, the third phase of the project is fluid penetrant inspection (FPI) testing. The intent of this phase is to determine if stair step features would affect the outcome of this common nondestructive evaluation process.

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Computer Science

A testing language to support test creation and comprehension is presented. Software testing is a central component of the software development process. However, effective tests can be difficult to write, reason about, and maintain. We present Falcon, a domain-specifc language to generate test code in a target language. Falcon abstracts common test idioms, making the test creation processes faster, makes test comprehension and reasoning easier, and is flexible in how tests are specified. Several case studies are presented highlighting how Falcon compares to other approaches and how it can be applied to real-world problems.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2022, History (Arts and Sciences)

From 1945 to 1963, atmospheric nuclear testing was critical to building and sustaining an effective nuclear weapons stockpile. It also created a variety of problems, from fallout to proliferation concerns. Atmospheric testing proved unsustainable over time because of these issues, and eventually needed to be replaced with new testing methods. Due to nuclear testing's simultaneous necessity and inherent risk, nuclear organizations and world leaders attempted to find a means to limit testing beginning in 1953, but firm agreement was repeatedly precluded by Cold War hostilities and testing needs. After a decade of negotiations, the United States and Soviet Union reached agreement on nuclear issues out of their common interest to address atmospheric testing's drawbacks, even as they held deep distrust of one another. A wealth of attained knowledge, dynamic political conditions, and improved testing technology enabled the first international testing limitation agreement, the Partial Test Ban Treaty, in 1963. This important defense agreement is an often overlooked mutual victory for both of the primary Cold War belligerents.

Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE), Wright State University, 2022, Materials Science and Engineering

Additive Manufacturing (AM), particularly laser powder bed fusion, is being studied for use in critical component applications. Tensile and fatigue testing shows differences when built using different laser powers. However, when fabricated in an as-printed geometry, the gauge sections of the two specimens are different and experience different thermal behavior. This work explores microhardness, microstructure size, Niobium segregation, and porosity from samples made with varying laser power and different build geometry sizes representative of the gauge sections in the tensile and fatigue bars. Results show that microhardness varies spatially across the sample. Smaller diameter metallographic coupons (fatigue diameter) have a coarser microstructure and lower microhardness than the larger diameter (tensile diameter) when built using the same parameters. Therefore, the fatigue and tensile properties are not comparing the same material structure. Understanding the effect of build geometry on microstructure provides insight towards consistency in AM mechanical properties testing strategies.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Genetic Counseling

Although many clinical genetic testing laboratories collect race, ethnicity, and ancestry (REA) information, there are documented issues inherent to the process. Obtaining a better understanding of clinical genetic testing laboratory practices surrounding REA data provides an opportunity to better understand how they contribute to and mitigate social inequities in genetic medicine. To investigate current REA data practices, this study aimed to characterize clinical genetic testing laboratory REA data collection, use, and storage practices as reported by laboratory employees. Participants (n=57) completed a survey addressing current collection, use, and storage practices, as well as opinions regarding REA data. Most laboratories reportedly collect (95%, n=41), use (82%, n=33), and store (71%, n=34) REA data. REA data collection and use varies in relation to test type, clinical specialty, admixed ancestry, and collection source. All (100%, 10/10) employees who perform variant interpretation (VI) report inclusion of population-based criteria in their VI protocol, but only half use REA data in VI very frequently (50%, 4/8), while half use it very infrequently (50%, 4/8). Participants had a greater endorsing than refuting opinion about the need for improved REA data practices (67%, 24/36) and transparency (38%, 13/34). Nearly half of participants reported REA data practices contribute to systemic racism (41%, 13/42) and healthcare inequities (47%, 14/30). Most participants reported it is the responsibility of laboratories to assess their REA data practices (70%, 21/30) and expressed at least some willingness to contribute to developing REA data practice guidelines (45%, 13/29). Quantifiably characterizing laboratory practices via employee reports builds opportunities for research further identifying factors exacerbating and mitigating any contributions REA data practices make to systemic issues, and may aid in the development of REA data practice guidelines.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving Systems (ADS) are ushering in a new era of transportation innovation and safety by incorporating technologies aimed at making the driving experience safer, more efficient, and comfortable. They assist in performing complex maneuvers, preempt potential risky situations, and take over the driver's tasks in critical situations. Innovation acceptance research for ADAS show that the increasing demand for safety and comfort are the two key prime movers of ADAS market. Hence, there is a need to comprehensively test for both during the process of product verification and validation. Due to complexity of the system, cost of testing and safety of the test engineers, a significant part of ADAS/ADS algorithms validation needs to be done virtually. Although simulation-based validation and verification (V&V) is not new, the requirements of test descriptions and software tools are not yet well understood. This project builds around the process of simulation for testing by exposing ADAS/ADS software to pre-defined scenarios. Different scenarios are built in a series of virtual simulators which have unique features, methods and assumptions that must be well-understood for the results to be proven valid. These essential features of the simulators are documented to understand the effect of simulator specific scenario parameters on simulation results. For the perceived safety and comfort aspect of ADAS, objective assessment of the Lane Keep Assist feature is performed which involves a MATLAB®-based tool for giving a scalar rating to the performance of the Lane Keep Assist system. For a series of simulations, the essential drive quality parameters and the corresponding “goodness score” ratings of ADAS based on suitable metrics are used to train and develop a Machine learning algorithm that gives a quality assessment of the Lane Keep Assist system. Finally, a methodology is proposed that can be used to perform the same asse (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

The fuel economy label (window sticker) is used by every vehicle manufacturer in the United States to report fuel economy for two purposes. First, the values reported on the sticker are certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are used for certifying emissions regulations like the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). Second, the fuel economy numbers are used by consumers to compare competing vehicles in the marketplace. These fuel economy numbers are generated through a process that involves standardized testing on a chassis dynamometer using standard drive cycles. As a result, the test requires an accurate replication of the resistive forces that a vehicle experiences in the real-world, which requires an accurate estimation of road load applied by the road and the surroundings opposing the vehicle motion. The estimation also depends on the type (aerodynamic shape, drivetrain configuration, etc.) of vehicle being tested. To get a description of road load that is as close as possible to reality, several noise factors and residuals need to be estimated as well, which forms the bulk of this thesis. Vehicle coastdown method is widely used to determine road load coefficients for testing vehicles on a chassis dynamometer for fuel economy certification. However, apart from being a time-consuming procedure for each variant in a mass production vehicle lineup, the repeatability of track coastdown testing procedure is sensitive to environmental conditions, the track surface condition as well as on the type of vehicle being tested (for example, SUVs, sedans, hybrid vehicles, manual transmissions, etc.). As a result, several attempts have been made to accurately model the coastdown road load parametrically. This thesis explores various ways in which such parametric models can be obtained and methods to minimize risks related to overfitting and collinearity of variables. Since, the vehicle's road load is dependent on several physical phenomen (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Instructional Technology (Education)

Instructional designers are often discouraged from testing their learning products due to the challenges faced when attempting to apply the traditional approaches of usability testing. As a result, scholars have been trying new methods to overcome those challenges. Remote usability testing, often operated by crowdsourcing websites, is one of those methods. However, crowdsourced usability testing websites are usually restricted to adult users. Consequently, the instructional designers of children's learning products do not have the advantage of harnessing the potentials of remote usability testing. As a first step for the instructional designers of children's products to overcome the challenges of the existing usability testing methods, this study was intended to create a set of guidelines for the design of remote usability testing websites for children's interactive products. Following a design and development research methodology, the researcher has used the literature's guidelines of usability testing with children and the principles of cognitive load theory in designing a remote usability testing tool to answer the following research questions: What can be learned about the remote usability testing guidelines in terms of the features and characteristics of the usability testing tool that are related to the children nine to ten years old? What can be learned from iterative design process to inform remote usability testing guidelines in terms of improving the role of parents in such a way that can reduce their workload while maintaining a good quality of usability testing results? And what concerns do parents have regarding their children's participation in crowdsourced usability testing? Observations, interviews, and fieldnotes were used to collect data in three iterations from 18 participants, nine parents and nine children. The results cover the specifications in the remote usability testing tool that worked with the children and the parents, and (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

A large number of tests were performed on LeJeune Bolt Company's TnA 144 high-strength structural bolt. The tensile and shear capacities of the TnA 144 were investigated as well as the effectiveness of the tightening method and hardness of the bolts. The TnA 144 has a minimum required tensile strength of 144 ksi and the tightening method combines torque and angle rotation that requires only a single operator For comparison, A325 and A490 grade bolts were also tested. A total of 1,759 structural bolts, consisting of three different grades and five different diameters, were tested. In conclusion, the tightening method consistently produced tension in the assembly above the required minimums for snug and final tension and had shear had tensile capacities consistent with the minimum required tensile strength of 144 ksi .

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2012, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

A 43 year old, three span prestressed concrete adjacent box beam bridge (35-17-6.80) in Washington Court House, Ohio, needed to be replaced and was considered to be a good candidate for full scale destructive field testing to better understand how this type of bridge behaves under varying magnitudes of damage. Three magnitudes of damage were created on the spans of the bridge for comparison. However, the scope of this study only covers the center and west spans. Each span was then subjected to loading to monitor how load was transferred to other beams and until the span was unable to resist any additional load to determine the overall capacity of each span. All beams of the bridge were instrumented with strain gages to record strains as well as string potentiometers to observe deflections of the beams as the spans were loaded. It was observed the capacity of each span was also comparable to the estimated capacity of each span with the applied damage. It was concluded that the bridge does behave well as a system and that the transverse tie rods and shear keys were able to transfer load to adjacent beams. To validate the results of the destructive testing on the severely damaged west span, a comprehensive finite element model was created. The strain and deflection results from the finite element analysis were compared with the results recorded during the testing of the west span. The model of the damaged bridge span adequately represented the results of the west span testing.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2009, Mechanical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The increasing concerns related to long term availability of petroleum-based fuels and the emissions from diesel-powered vehicles have given rise to a growing search for an alternate source of fuels for use in diesel vehicles. One of the most recent and promising findings in this field is “Bio-diesel”. The thesis uses a comparative study of NOx emission characteristics for regular diesel fuel and soy based biodiesel for a four cylinder, 60 HP turbocharged diesel engine for validation of the engine and the emission test rig. Modifications are recommended for the current test setup and test procedure to enable research quality testing of Algae based biodiesel.

PHD, Kent State University, 2011, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

This research explored the experiences of four third grade teachers since the 2003 inception of the Third Grade Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) and the 2009 establishment of the Third Grade Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) due to the mandates of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in public school settings in Northeastern Ohio. Also, this study sought to understand the third grade teachers' perceptions of their students' experiences with the OAT (OAA), and the influence of the OAT (OAA) on their curriculum and pedagogy. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, data were collected through three hour-long interviews with each of the four participants for a total of 12 hours of interview data and through 24 hours of observations of the teachers instructing and interacting with their students in their classrooms. Artifacts and fieldnotes added to understanding the phenomena. The essential themes discovered were that the home environments of students influence classroom learning and produce a perceived achievement gap between environmentally disadvantaged students and their affluent counterparts. In addition, the four teachers professed that their effective teaching practices and curricula have been altered by test preparation; thus, according to the participants, the test preparation reduced enriching learning experiences for students and created a stifling teaching environment. Additionally, the four teachers and their students experienced adverse emotions prior to and during the OAA testing. The four participants maintain that the OAA is poorly designed and developmentally inappropriate for third grade students. Furthermore, the teachers concluded that their high-stakes testing experiences negatively impacted their professional morale.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2010, EECS - Computer and Information Sciences

Recent progress in the use of data mining and statistical techniques to automatically classify related software failures and to localize defects suggests that if appropriate information is collected about executions of deployed software, then such techniques can assist developers in prioritizing action on soft failures reported by users and in diagnosing their causes. Users, however, are not reliable judges of correct software behavior: they may overlook real failures, neglect to report failures they do observe, or report spurious failures. Instead, I propose to employ users as independent checks on each other. Previous work demonstrated that executions with similar execution profiles often represent similar program behavior. By grouping similar executions together, developers can use user-submitted labels to corroborate each other: similar executions with the same label represent consensus, and similar executions with differing labels represent suspicious or confusing behavior. An empirical evaluation of two proposed techniques, Corroboration-based Filtering, Review-All-FAILUREs plus k-Nearest Neighbors, indicates that they discover significantly more failures and defects than the naive review-all-FAILUREs strategy. A third technique, round-robin cluster sampling, discovers failures and defects more quickly than RAF.

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2010, Civil Engineering

A vibration-based testing methodology is presented that assesses fatigue behavior of material for metallic structure. To minimize the testing duration, the test setup is designed for a base-excited multiple-specimen arrangement driven in a high-frequency resonant mode, which allows completion of fatigue testing in an accelerated period. A high performance electro-dynamic exciter (shaker) is used to generate harmonic oscillation of cantilever beam specimens, which are clasped on the shaker armature with specially-designed clamp fixtures. The shaker operates in closed-loop control with dynamic specimen response feedback provided by a scanning laser vibrometer. A test coordinator function is developed to synchronize the shaker controller and the laser vibrometer, and to complete the closed-loop scheme: the test coordinator monitors structural health of the test specimens throughout the test period, recognizes change in specimen dynamic behavior due to fatigue crack initiation, terminates test progression, and acquires test data in an orderly manner. Topological design is completed by constructing an analytical model and performing finite element analysis for the specimen and fixture geometry such that peak stress does not occur at the clamping fixture attachment points. Experimental stress evaluation is conducted to verify the specimen stress predictions. A successful application of the experimental methodology is demonstrated by validation tests with aluminum specimens subjected to fully-reversed bending stress.

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

A new specimen geometry for the characterization of thin sheet metals in simple shear is introduced. The objective of this work is to develop methods to generate experimental data that populate material models for numerical simulations. The new simple shear specimen, based on ASTM B831, can be tested in both quasi-static and dynamic conditions using a servo-hydraulic load frame and tension Kolsky bar, respectively. Specimens are fabricated from a 0.5in Al2024-T351 plate with their gage sections orientated in various directions. Tests are conducted at shear strain rates ranging from 0.01(1/s) to 9000(1/s). Traditionally, shear characterization is performed through torsion tests on thin walled tube specimens, which are impossible to fabricate from thin sheet metals. The proposed specimen geometry is evaluated by comparing data obtained using the new specimen to existing torsion data. Three-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is used to directly measure deformation on the surface of specimen gage sections for all tests. Stress versus strain curves obtained from tests using both specimen geometries agree, indicating that the new specimen geometry is suitable for use in characterizing thin sheet metals in shear. Additionally, the new specimen geometry is able to capture anisotropic effects which are averaged in torsion data on thin walled tube specimens. A parallel LS-DYNA simulation is conducted to investigate the strain state within the gage section during a test and compare to experimental data measured with DIC. Results show that a nearly uniform state of shear strain exists until large strains are developed. An intermediate strain rate apparatus is used to characterize Al2024-T351 and Cu-101 in compression at a strain rate of 100(1/s). The proposed intermediate strain rate apparatus consists of a linear hydraulic actuator to generate the loading and a long transmitter bar. The specimen is placed on the end of the transmitter bar and loaded directly by the (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Medicine: Clinical and Translational Research

Background: Beyond cosmesis, the impact of pectus excavatum on cardiopulmonary function remains controversial. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is often performed to assess functional impact in this patient population. One well-established measure of functional capacity is the percent predicted peak oxygen uptake (VO2). We sought to evaluate the association of predicted peak VO2 extremes (<80% and >95%) with patient and pectus characteristics to better delineate its applicability as a marker of disease or indication for treatment. Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted, including patients diagnosed with pectus excavatum between 2017 and 2022. Patient demographics, symptoms, imaging, and cardiopulmonary function were evaluated. Results: Of 678 patients who underwent CPET, 444 were categorized into low <80% predicted (n=257) and high >95% predicted (n=187) VO2 groupings. Patients were mean age 15.3 years, predominantly male (77%), white race (98%), and 594 (75%) were symptomatic. In univariate analysis, male patients, lower long volumes (FVC/FEV1), and severe pectus deformity (Haller and correction index) were related to worse peak VO2 (p<0.05). After adjustment, older patients (>18 years), males, and higher correction index were significantly associated with lower percent predicted peak VO2 (p<0.05). There was no association with symptoms in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion: In patients with pectus excavatum, peak VO2 differs according to age and gender; however, it also decreases with increased severity of the defect. Symptoms, however, are not predictive. The percentage of predicted peak VO2 may be a helpful indicator of impaired cardiopulmonary function in patients with severe pectus deformities. Further studies are warranted to assess the impact of repair.

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Both multiple-choice (MC) and cued-recall (CR) practice questions are beneficial for learning, but how do students choose to use each format of practice question? Will students' learning choices indicate they believe each format has non-redundant utility? Across three experiments, I proposed and evaluated two hypotheses regarding how students might regulate their use of MC and CR practice questions when they have access to both formats for the same material. Briefly, students might think the two formats are redundant, think the two formats are non-redundant in that both are uniquely beneficial, or think the two formats are non-redundant but that one is better than the other. To assess support for these hypotheses, some student participants had access to both MC and CR optional practice questions and could complete either or both formats as many times as they wanted. I found support for the non-redundant utility hypothesis. Specifically, most participants preferred completing MC questions and used only this format until they got each question correct about one time. However, about one-third of participants used both MC and CR questions for most material, and continued practice until they got each question correct more than one time with each format. In Experiment 3, I found that participants' learning plans indicated they entered the learning task with pre-existing beliefs about the differences in utility of each format of practice question. Thus, participants' learning choices and learning plans indicated that participants believe multiple-choice and cued-recall practice questions have unique utility and provided support for the non-redundant utility hypothesis.

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

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurological disease that is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern caused by polyglutamine repeat expansions within the HTT gene. Symptoms can include involuntary movements called chorea, cognitive decline, and mood instability. Additionally, those with HD have an increased risk of suicide, especially at the time of diagnosis. Genetic testing can be completed in the form of predictive testing, when an individual is asymptomatic, or confirmatory testing, when an individual has symptoms suggest of HD and a diagnosis needs to be confirmed. The Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA) genetic testing protocol aims to protect patient safety and well-being, which recommends genetic testing result disclosure occur in person. The 21st Century Cures Act is a law, enacted in 2016, that mandates automatic releases of healthcare information to a patient's electronic portal at the same time they are available to the provider. The automatic release of genetic testing results for HD poses possible psychological distress and physically harmful implications for individuals. Current literature lacks research surrounding patient preferences of result disclosure for genetic testing for HD, specifically in the context of the 21st Century Cures Act. Methods: Participants were recruited via MyChart (from an IHIS query) that were seen at OSU Wexner Medical Center between January 1, 2018 and August 1, 2023. Additionally, participants were approached for study participation at their follow up visits at the HD Clinic at OSU Wexner Medical Center. The study team distributed an anonymous 28 question survey to participants that had previously undergone genetic testing for HD with the aim of understanding their experiences of genetic testing as well as to see if there was a difference in result disclosure preference based on result type. To represent the 21st Century Cures Act, participants were asked to consider a hypothetical sc (open full item for complete abstract)

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

Cascade testing for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome (HBOC) is central to identifying family members at heightened risk for cancer. Despite the well-documented importance of cascade testing, such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Office of Public Health Genomics naming HBOC a Tier 1 Genomics Application, current data suggest that the uptake of cascade testing remains suboptimal (Fehniger et al., 2013; Menko et al., 2019). There are many cited barriers to family discussion of HBOC and cascade testing, and research suggests that healthcare providers can alleviate certain barriers by providing informational resources to facilitate patient-mediated communication (Chivers Seymour et al., 2010; Srinivasan et al., 2020, Frey et al., 2022). In this survey-based study, 103 individuals with a likely pathogenic or pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 were recruited. We assessed the reactions to and impact of a 2-minute animated video (BRCAShare), in conjunction with a family communication guide, on the intrafamilial sharing of genetic test results. The BRCAShare video, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), depicts a hypothetical scenario of a relative's recent diagnosis of HBOC. Surveys assessed three domains from enrollment to post-study: 1) participants' intent to share; 2) perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, or barriers to intrafamilial sharing of results and cascade testing; 3) the impact of family dynamic on sharing. All participants received the electronic family communication guide, while only one randomized group received the BRCAShare video in addition to the communication guide. Those who viewed the video had significantly higher odds of reporting intent to share compared to those who did not, suggesting that a video message is an effective method for increasing family communication about HBOC and cascade testing (p<0.05). Results also suggest that participants who viewed the video perceived sharing to be (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Engineering and Applied Science: Electrical Engineering

It has always been an important development strategy for software to keep pace with its evolution and meet stakeholder needs. Therefore, many software systems have very short release cycles. When many releases appear, how to test them becomes more and more important. Since the new features are often innovative, there are no conventional tools to test them, and manual testing is actually very cumbersome, not to mention that there are many non-testable features. This thesis mainly investigates the testability of the 109 features of 16 versions of the Mozilla Firefox browser from May, 2022 to July, 2023. The objects are the features of Firefox browser itself under the Windows 11 operating system, excluding additional plug-ins or Firefox browsers under other operating systems. Through manual testing and analyses, the features of the Firefox browser are divided into testable and non-testable, and the reasons why features are non-testable are given. Since the object being tested is the features of the browser, Selenium—a tool dedicated to testing browsers is considered. In this thesis, the Selenium package based on Python is used to simulate manual testing. By comparing the results of manual testing and the results generated by Selenium, we can gain insights into the limitations of Selenium testing, which contributes to improving automated testing in the future work. In this thesis, we also employ OpenAI's ChatGPT (version 3.5) to assess the testability of each feature. We then compare ChatGPT's answers with the manual analysis results.