Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Biology

Floral traits, including color, morphology, and scent, play a crucial role in attracting specific pollinators, with floral scent being a significant component for both short- and long-range pollinator attraction. In dioecious systems, where male and female flowers are present on separate plants, sexual dimorphism of floral displays is driven by differing selective pressures on male and female reproductive success. In some dioecious species, females engage in Bakerian mimicry—offering no nectar rewards yet mimicking male pollination syndromes to deceive pollinators. Research has observed Bakerian mimicry in several species, but its evolutionary conservation within the largely dioecious Caricaceae family remains underexplored. We used Vasconcellea parviflora as a model to examine the characteristics of Bakerian mimicry within the Caricaceae. We characterized sexual dimorphism in floral display, collected and analyzed floral volatile quantity and composition, and assessed nectar production in males and females. We found that V. parviflora females have smaller floral displays and produce no nectar rewards unlike males. There is, however, increased emission rates of floral scent compounds in females relative to males, potentially representing an evolutionary trade-off in females between producing no nectar rewards at the cost of increased volatile production to ensure pollinator attraction.

Committee: Richard Moore (Advisor); Yoshinori Tomoyasu (Committee Member); Cassie Majetic (Committee Member) Subjects: Biochemistry; Biology; Botany; Ecology

Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Chemical, Paper and Biomedical Engineering

Cyclohexane is used in the production of consumer products and fuels and as a solvent. Based upon its industrial relevance, cyclohexane was selected as a representative volatile organic compound (VOC) with which to investigate the role of metal oxide supports in potassium/manganese (K/Mn) – based catalysts. Mn-based catalysts are effective catalysts due to their several oxidation states, mobility of oxygen vacancies, and redox properties. Cryptomelane, a K/Mn-based catalyst material, has been shown by others to be an effective VOC oxidation catalyst. In this study, K/Mn-based catalysts supported on various metal oxide materials were investigated for cyclohexane deep oxidation. The short-term activity of K/Mn on supports followed the trend: Fe3O4 > MnO2 > Al2O3 > TiO2 > SiO2. The performance of Fe3O4-supported and MnO2-supported catalysts with varying K/Mn and Mn loadings were investigated further. The catalysts were characterized for surface area, pore size, morphology, crystallinity, and crystal structure. At 350°C, the catalysts with the lowest loading of 0.63 mmoles K/Mn/g Fe3O4 exhibited the best short-term catalytic activity in the deep oxidation of cyclohexane, while 0.63 mmoles K/Mn/g MnO2 performed best over 95 hours. FTIR spectroscopy was used to assess partial oxidation product build-up on used catalysts.

Committee: Dr. Catherine Almquist (Advisor) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

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

White-tailed deer are one of the most widespread mammalian herbivores throughout both North and South America. Throughout much of this broad geographic range, deer populations occur at densities that greatly exceed historic estimates. At high densities, deer can negatively suppress juvenile tree growth, inhibit plant regeneration, and alter plant communities which can have long-term cascading effects on small mammals, birds, and plants. Anthropogenic development can help support overabundant deer populations by creating novel foraging opportunities via disturbance regimes and supplementary foraging opportunities. Moreover, apex predators that can help regulate deer populations have been extirpated from many areas, which enables deer populations to reach high densities. The objectives of this dissertation are to identify how white-tailed deer use anthropogenic landscapes at multiple spatial scales, determine the plant chemical properties that influence deer forage selection, and discern how unique predator communities influence the spatiotemporal activity of deer in multiple ecosystems. My first study developed a novel method to measure activity densities of white-tailed deer in multiple habitats that also excluded non-target species from interfering with data collection. In my second study, I measured the activity densities of deer in forest ecosystems that are fragmented by anthropogenically developed meadows. I found that during times of the year when resources are abundant across the landscape, deer preferred meadow patches that contained an abundance of plants that provided deer with a better foraging opportunity than the adjacent forest patches. The third study in this dissertation examined how plant chemistry and volatile scent-cues influence the forage selection of white-tailed deer. During summer I found that deer preferred plants with higher carbohydrate content, likely due to these plants providing fat reserves before winter. Whereas during winter, deer we (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Ward (Advisor); Mark Kershner (Committee Member); He Yin (Committee Member); Melissa Schmitt (Committee Member); Christie Bahlai (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Conservation; Ecology; Plant Sciences; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Nutrition Program, The Ohio State University

Tumorigenesis relies on cellular metabolism reprogramming driven by oncogenic mutations, profoundly affecting gene expression, cellular differentiation, and the tumor microenvironment. Metabolomics profiling is a potent tool for monitoring tumor metabolism, assessing treatment response, predicting metabolic shifts, measuring drug efficacy, and tracking drug resistance. We investigated lung cancer cell cultures to understand the metabolic processes underlying cancer-associated VOCs and identify related protein-encoding genes. Utilizing SESI-HRMS, we identified VOCs associated with lung cancer, distinguishing between NSCLC and SCLC. Treatment-induced changes in VOC profiles were also observed. To overcome ion competition in data collection, we developed dGOT-SESI-HRMS, leveraging the mVOC database and spectral stitching. Validation with anaerobic bacterial cultures uncovered robust data collection and paved the way for biological interpretation using this novel VOC screening tool. This method enabled robust analysis of the volatilome associated with interventions in mice, revealing unique profiles associated with distinct microbiome compositions and cancer. Our analyses circumvented the metabolic and genetic heterogeneity in humans to established pre-clinical models for standardized VOC analyses. Additionally, mass spectrometry based metabolomics can be a powerful tool when combined with other –omics techniques. Unbiased high-throughput metabolomics techniques uncovered metabolic deregulations associated with acquired ibrutinib resistance in lymphoma and allowed us to construct metabolic maps to reveal key players like IL4I1 influencing metabolic reprogramming. This integrated approach highlights the power of metabolomics for revealing systemic metabolic and volatile changes in cancer cells and facilitates advancements in cancer detection and treatment monitoring for improved outcomes.

Committee: Jiangjiang Zhu (Advisor); Lalit Sehgal (Committee Member); Rachel Kopec (Committee Member); Martha Belury (Committee Member) Subjects: Nutrition

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Structure fires encompass organic and inorganic fuel sources from both natural and synthetic materials. Incomplete combustion of these materials harvests several hundred byproducts including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Firefighters are required to wear a certified National Fire Protection Association personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble. In recent years, new and more advanced PPE control measures have been introduced (i.e., interface control measures, particulate-blocking materials, and the utilization of base layer clothing worn underneath the ensemble) with the intention of attenuating the ingress of known carcinogens to the inside of the gear. Providing interface control measures and adding particulate-blocking materials appeared to provide a protective benefit against less-volatile chemicals, like naphthalene and styrene. Using a fireground exposure simulator (FES), this mannequin-based study evaluated the effectiveness of four different PPE conditions with varying contamination control measures (incorporating PPE interface design features and particulate blocking materials) to protect against ingress of volatile and semi volatile contaminants in a smoke exposure chamber. Furthermore, we investigated the effectiveness of long-sleeve base layer clothing to provide additional workplace protection against skin contamination. Outside gear airborne concentrations were collected within the smoke exposure chamber. Personal air concentrations were collected from mannequins under PPE at the breathing zone, abdomen, and thigh heights and under the base layer at the abdomen and thigh heights. Sampled contaminants included benzene, toluene, styrene, and naphthalene. Workplace protection factors (WPFs) for all compounds were lower under hoods and jackets compared to under pants. Observed across all four conditions, median WPFs increased from the hood and jacket down to the turnout pant. We al (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jun Wang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Sivaraman Balachandran Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Beth Genter Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kenneth Fent Ph.D. (Committee Member); I-Chen Chen Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Health

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2021, Civil Engineering

As people spend most of their time inside the buildings, the improvement of the indoor air quality has received considerable attention. The major contaminants inside the building is volatile organic compounds (VOCs) referred to the carbon-contained organic substances in the air. VOCs are usually not acutely toxic, but they cause an adverse health effect when human are exposed to a concentration of ppmv level of VOCs. Thus, it is critical to mitigate the VOCs level inside the building. To achieve the purpose of removing VOCs and improving the indoor environment, an innovative photocatalytic membrane we designed and fabricated. This new photocatalytic material can be applied to the indoor surface and used as a smart functional surface. Furthermore, the fundamentals related to its photocatalytic activities and practical applications were explored by integrating the experimental, physics-based and data-driven approaches. Nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using a sol-gel method and a post-annealing heat treatment. The annealing temperature and time affect their microstructures and surface chemical compositions. It was found that these characteristics are relevant to the adsorption and photocatalytic activities of the nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalysts. Therefore, a physics-based kinetic model was developed to distinguish the impact of three different mechanisms, including adsorption, photocatalysis, and direct light photolysis, on the removal of VOCs. The kinetic modeling and experimental results show that a higher annealing temperature leads to not only less adsorption, but also nitrogen loss. To predict the kinetics of contaminant degradation and facilitate the choice of the optimal photocatalyst, three data-driven machine-learning (ML) models were developed to predict the photocatalytic degradation performance. The ML model inputs include tens of organic contaminants and other experimental variables, including light level, photocatalyst dosage, (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Xiong Yu Dr. (Advisor); Chung-Chiun Liu Dr. (Committee Member); Anna Samia Dr. (Committee Member); Michael Pollino Dr. (Committee Member); Huichun Zhang Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Materials Science

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been increasingly used over the past decades. Emissions of fine particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from AM processes have been associated with adverse health effects. In this study, we compared the particulate and chemical emissions from five different types of AM printers, from two different labs, within the studied facility. Fine particle-counting instruments and VOC-detectors were utilized to compare the pollutant concentrations at the background level to those measured during the time periods when the desktop extruders and plastic printers were operating. The control measures were implemented, respectfully, throughout the duration of the printing process (HEPA air cleaners or local exhaust ventilation). The experiment in the Teaching Lab involved studying 20 desktop extruders running simultaneously, whereas the experiment in the Plastic Printing Lab involved studying stereolithography (SLA) printers, fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers, Polyjet printers, and a Projet printer. The concentrations of fine particles and VOCs were compared for each printer in the following manner: background phase vs. printing phase and printing phase without the control vs. printing phase with the control. The results showed that VOC concentrations measured with a PPBRae ranged from 0 to 4500 ppb. In most processes (except SLA), the concentrations increased during the printing phase. On average, a 1.5-fold increase was observed in the concentrations of VOCs emitted from the plastic printers, except for the SLA printers. When the HEPA air cleaners were utilized in the Teaching lab at the LOW and HIGH setting, the VOC concentrations decreased by 2.1-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively. The implementation of controls did not decrease the VOC concentrations in the Plastic Printing Lab. The fine particle concentrations measured with a P-Trak ranged from 0 to 58000 particles/cc. In most processes (except Polyjet and Projet), the concentrations (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiina Reponen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Sergey Grinshpun Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Biological Sciences

Understanding plant-plant communication further elucidates how plants interact with their en-vironment, and how this communication can be manipulated for agricultural and ecological purposes. Part of understanding plant-plant communication is discovering the mechanisms be-hind plant-plant recognition, and whether plants can distinguish between genetically like and unlike neighbors. It has been previously shown that plants can “communicate” with neighbor-ing plants through airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can act as signals relat-ed to different environmental stressors. This study focused on the interaction among different genotypes of the annual plant Ar-abidopsis thaliana. Specifically, a growth chamber experiment was performed to compare how different genotypes of neighboring plants impacted a focal plant's fitness-related phenotypes and developmental stages. The focal plant genotype was wild type Col-0, and the neighboring genotypes included the wild type Landsberg (Ler-0), and the genetically modified (GM) geno-types: Etr1-1 and Jar1-1. These GM lines have a single point-mutation that impacts their abil-ity to produce a particular VOC. This allows for the evaluation of a particular role that a VOC may have on plant-plant airborne communication. Plants were grown in separate pots to elimi-nate potential belowground interactions through the roots, and distantly positioned to avoid aboveground physical contact between plants. In addition, to avoid potential VOC cross-contamination between different treatments (genotypes), each neighboring plant treatment oc-curred in separate, sealed growth chambers. Results showed that when A. thaliana Col-0 plants were grown alongside neighbors of different genotypes, they exhibited some significant differences in fitness-related traits, such as increased rosette width, stem height, aboveground biomass, and total fruit number. However, these results differed with neighbor identity, and when the experiment was (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Maria Bidart Dr. (Advisor); Heidi Appel Dr. (Committee Member); Vipa Phuntumart Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Firefighters are exposed to toxic environments upon entering burning structures. Many structures contain synthetic materials which release toxic chemicals when on fire. These chemicals can enter the body through multiple routes of exposure, including inhalation and skin absorption. Thus, fire departments have implemented on site decontamination procedures to remove hazardous chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the surface of firefighter turnout gear. Several methods are being practiced at the local level, including washing gear with soap and water, and washing gear with water alone. The water-only decontamination method requires less time and supplies yet has not been investigated as a suitable method for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from turnout gear. Therefore, we evaluated the efficiency of this method by measuring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration levels before and after water-only decontamination. The turnout gear was sampled after live residential structure fires. Firefighter turnout gear was worn throughout attack, Overhaul Search and Rescue, and Rescue from Fire operations. All firefighters came to a central location for sampling after completing their job responsibilities. The water-only decontamination method resulted in an overall 42% median increase in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration. The results indicate that the water-only method is not an efficient on-site decontamination method.

Committee: Tiina Reponen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Erin Haynes Dr.P.H (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Safety

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Engineering and Applied Science: Chemical Engineering

The present dissertation work aims at developing of the photocatalysts which have significantly higher activity as well as stability in visible light. In our early steps we have developed a series of photocatalysts based on transition metals (M' = V, Cr, Fe, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, Cu, Y, Ce, and Zr) incorporated TiO2 (Ti/M' = 20 atomic ratio) materials synthesized by a one-step liquid flame aerosol synthesis technique. Among all the catalysts tested, Cr-doped titania demonstrated a superior catalytic performance with a rate constant about 8-19 times higher than the rest of the metal-doped catalysts. We have optimized the Cr content in TiO2, the system with Ti/Cr atomic ratio 40 proven as a highly effective catalyst. Based on the characterization of the materials and reaction analysis, we proposed plausible reaction pathway for the catalytic activity under visible light conditions. Next, we studied the effect of leaching and stability of Cr-TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), co-precipitation, and sol-gel synthesis techniques. The leaching of the Cr into the liquid phase was found to be the primary cause of a reduction in the activity of the catalyst. We developed Si/Ti/Cr catalyst by FSP method which stabilizes and enhances the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst. Unlike the Cr/TiO2 systems, optimal flame-made Cr/Ti/Si catalyst established high efficiency under visible light, stability, and reusability without any Cr leaching even after five consecutive cycles. In the second half of the work, we successfully developed a novel rapid and continuous process for the synthesis of nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) with flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) equipment. The N incorporation into TiO2 by achieved by simple modification (addition of dilute nitric acid) in the precursor for the synthesis. The N atomic % in the range of 0.09 % to 0.15 % for the primary nitrogen source (nitric acid) has enhanced to remarkable 0.97 % when secondary N source was (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Peter Panagiotis Smirniotis Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Anastasios Angelopoulos Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gregory Beaucage Ph.D. (Committee Member); Vesselin Shanov Ph.D. (Committee Member); Makram Suidan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, Food Science and Technology

In this dissertation, the use of static headspace sampling and analysis of volatile organic compound (VOC) using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) has been proven to be rapid and efficient. The determination and discrimination of VOC profiles from each eye, blind and split areas within a cheese from a given factory was successfully made. VOC profile inhomogeneity was evident in cheeses between factories. Evaluation of biochemical pathways leading to the formation of key VOCs, differentiating the split from the blind and eye segments within factories indicated release of additional CO2(g) by-product. Results suggest a factory-dependent cause of split-formation that could develop from varied fermentation pathways in the blind, eye and split areas within a cheese block. The variability of VOC profiles within and between factories exhibit varied biochemical fermentation pathways that could conceivably be traced back in the cheese making process to identify parameters responsible for split defect. Moreover, cheese samples from 4 manufacturing stages, out-of-press, end of pre-cool, end of warm room and at time of cutting, were obtained and analyzed for VOC profiling using SIFT-MS. Significant discrimination of the VOC profiles among the stages was observed, suggesting a varied VOC behavior in each manufacturing stage. The VOC profile of cheese from the end-of-warm room was highly discriminatory; there was an increased inhomogeneity in VOC profiles between vats toward the final manufacturing stages. Variabilities were most probably related to varied fermentation activities, changes in microflora, biochemical factors, and physical and environmental conditions. Finally, a more basic approach in the analysis of VOC using SIFT-MS was done to validate the methodology used in this study. Binary aqueous mixtures of randomly selected pure VOCs were prepared and analyzed. The impact and extent of reaction of an increasing concentration of a given VOC to another (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: W James Harper (Advisor); Sheryl Barringer (Advisor); John Litchfield (Committee Member); C. Lynn Knipe (Committee Member); Christopher Simons (Committee Member) Subjects: Food Science

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2006, Chemistry (Arts and Sciences)

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) with ion and differential mobility spectrometry (IMS and DMS) was investigated for forensics studies. SPME is a rapid extraction technique. IMS and DMS are ambient pressure separation techniques. IMS characterizes ions based on differences in gas-phase mobilities in weak electric fields and DMS in alternating strong and weak electric fields. Development of SPME/IMS and SPME/gas chromatography (GC)/DMS systems are addressed in this dissertation. SPME with IMS was explored for detection of chemical warfare agents in soil. The analytes used in this study were diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP), diethyl methylphosphonate (DEMP), and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP). A thermal desorption inlet was developed to interface SPME with a hand held ion mobility spectrometer. SPME-IMS offered good repeatability and detection of DIMP, DEMP, and DEMP in soil at concentrations as low as 10 ug/g. Fuel and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) studies were examined by GC-DMS. A micromachined differential mobility spectrometer with a 10.6 eV photoionization source was used as the GC detector. GC-DMS produces second-order data that is applicable to chemometric analysis. Savitzky-Golay filters were explored as a tool for data smoothing of jet fuel data obtained with GC-DMS. Covariance maps were proposed for data visualization. Improved chromatographic resolution and signal-to-noise ratios were achieved with Savitzky-Golay filters. Fuels were also examined by GC-DMS. Fuzzy rule-building expert system (FuRES) was used as a pattern recognition method to classify gas chromatograms of fuels. Variations in day-to-day sample collection were evaluated with analysis of variance-principal component analysis (ANOVA-PCA). A classification rate of 95 ± 0.2% was obtained for the fuels using FuRES. Twelve samples collected one month later were classified correctly with the previously developed FuRES model. In addition to fuels, GC-DMS was used to characterize benzene, (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Peter Harrington (Advisor) Subjects: Chemistry, Analytical