Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Organizations including institutions of higher education recognize the importance of increasing gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership ranks among women, especially if they want to be top competitors in their industries. Gender diversity increases collaboration, innovation, varied perspectives, increased staff retention and buy-in for new employees determining if they want to work for an organization in question, and a more comprehensive talent pool (People Management, 2021). Previous strategies used to increase gender diversity in leadership have included providing professional development or mentorship opportunities for all women; however, these strategies fail to take into account an intersectional lens and the various ways in which non-white women are affected by discrimination and inequity. “White women have it both ways, they may be may victimized by sexism, but racism enables them to act as exploiters to Black people” (bell hooks,1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2). Race and gender in particular create additional barriers to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) and their advancement. “White female racism undermines the feminist struggle (bell hooks, 1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2)”, further alienating or distancing BIWOC in organizations. Given the additional barriers BIWOC confront, what can organizations and institutions of higher education do to further support opportunities for advancement, that may thereby increase their sense of trust, belonging, and organizational commitment? This Critical Hermeneutic Phenomenological Action Research study explored the lived experiences of current and former Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) higher education leaders, defined as director and above, and their perceptions of and access to opportunities that support positional advancement, including formal or informal mentorship and sponsorship. The frameworks used to inform the study include Critical/Critical Ra (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Adaptive skills are a vital part of life and having the ability to complete adaptive tasks has the potential to increase an individual's independence throughout their lifetime. Within the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), there are 2 teaching procedures that can be used to teach such skills: discrete trial teaching (DTT) and errorless learning (EL). While both are used in instruction, they differ in their approach. DTT allows clients to respond during training. If the client responds incorrectly the error correction procedure is used. Conversely, EL uses prompts during teaching to reduce the number of incorrect responses on the part of clients. These prompts are faded over time until clients respond correctly on their own. The purpose of this study was to complete a systematic review of the current literature and determine what teaching procedure, discrete trial teaching (DTT) or errorless learning (EL), is most effective in teaching adaptive skills to adolescents. No studies directly comparing the two were found. The researchers selected this topic to study because there are clients that need to learn adaptive skills to increase their independence. However, the most effective teaching procedure is unknown for these clients. Results indicated that the current literature is sorely lacking in the comparison of DTT and EL to teach adaptive skills. These findings suggest that further research is needed to identify which teaching procedure is best for teaching adaptive skills to individuals with ASD, which is important for therapeutic outcomes.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Media and Communication

This project examined traditional gendered discourses surrounding the ends and means of sexuality, the emerging role of digital sexual technologies in purported sexual empowerment, and the socio-material aspects which revolve around these technologies, sexual medias, and sexual discourses. Combining critical feminist insights with media ecology, this project explored happenings within the sociosexually violent pre- and present-COVID-19 United States ecology, documenting novel and rigorous contributions in our increasingly algorithmic world. This study of the U.S. context critiques foundational constructs created by Enlightenment decisionmakers who rationalized colonial rhetorics and logics built into each preceding iteration of capitalisms from industrialism into neoliberalism since national origin. As such, it extends critiques of mechanistic models of the human body and sexual communications and situates them within the vastly uncriminalized sexual violences, as well as insufficient sexual education standards. Theoretically, I argue that a mechanization of humans has occurred, been pushed to its extreme, and is flipping into a humanization of objects. To demonstrate this, I critical feminist rhetorically analyzed 75 biomimetic sextech advertisements from the brand Lora DiCarlo, contextualizing them in salient discourses within 428 present-COVID-19 TikTok videos, investigating: “What rhetorical themes occur within advertisements for biomimetic sexual technologies marketed to vulva-havers in the late-stage present-COVID-19 neoliberal U.S. landscape?” “How have biomimetic sexual technologies marketed to vulva-havers effected how their sexual experiences are created and maintained in the sociosexual U.S. landscape?” and “How are biomimetic sextech changing vulva-havers sexual sense-making, experiences, and relations within the sexually violent late-stage capitalist present-COVID-19 U.S. landscape?” Using a feminist eye, this brings to media ecology a contextualization (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

The overarching goal of my dissertation is to ameliorate the North American primary burrowing crayfish taxonomic impediment by describing new species and revising taxonomic classifications. I specifically focus on revising the taxonomy of Cambarus diogenes and other members of what I provisionally term the Devil Crayfish Group (DCG) using an integrative taxonomic approach. My work elucidates the evolutionary relationships between the species in this group and generates a robust taxonomic framework that will help managers identify and prioritize species for conservation. In chapter 2, I take the first steps towards resolving the taxonomy of the DCG by testing the hypothesis that this group is monophyletic through phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequence data (mtDNA) from multiple specimens of the eight DCG species and a broad sampling of taxa representing approximately 70% of the species in what is currently recognized as the genus Cambarus. My analyses show that seven of the eight species from the DCG form a clade that is distinct from the remainder of what has traditionally been recognized as Cambarus. Based on these results and on unique morphological and ecological characteristics, I split seven of the eight DCG species from Cambarus and elevate the subgenus Lacunicambarus to generic rank to accommodate them. I redescribe Lacunicambarus and the devil crayfish sensu stricto (Lacunicambarus diogenes comb. nov.) and designate a neotype for the species to facilitate subsequent revisionary work. In chapters 3, 4 and 5, I continue my investigation of what is now the genus Lacunicambarus. In each case, I increase depth and breadth of my sampling as I gradually collect additional specimens to use in my morphological and molecular analyses. As my datasets increase in size, so too does my understanding of Lacunicambarus, allowing me to describe several new species. Specifically, in chapter 3, I describe the Crawzilla Crawdad, Lacunicambarus chimera, a specie (open full item for complete abstract)

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

Our local and regional food systems are predominately modeled on a failed capitalist market-based economy. In the absence of corporate accountability, and/or support on the federal policy level, local and regional leadership and self-organized networks are critical to the scaling across and evolution of a moral and equitable food system. Networked food systems leaders are developing the capacity to solve wicked problems, and spark change. Understanding the values and practices of local food systems leadership, that initiate, influence, and support activities is essential to understanding how to foster conditions for local and regional food network growth. My dissertation research is designed to better understand the leadership practices, values and use of power which contribute to the flourishing of food system networks. In this mixed method study, I set out to answer the question, “What is the nature of leadership in emerging local and regional food networks that provides the foundation for a network to strengthen and scale?” The leadership practices, values, and use of power in three local/regional food networks are studied; synthesizing social network analysis data with semi structured interviews, using the results of an iterative thematic analysis as the foundation from which to consider a critical analysis. This dissertation establishes Human Centeredness as a foundation for Leadership as Practice to occur in self-organized food systems networks. Human Centeredness, for the purposes of my framework and model, is a recognition of the importance and contribution that relationships and connection, essentially a human centered way of being make to laying the foundation for leadership as practice to occur. The findings also reveal the need for a greater understanding of the importance of power and accessing various forms of power within and beyond the known boundaries of networks. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository a (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2021, College of Education and Human Services

Background: Several attempts have been made to examine factors that influence 30-day readmissions in a hospital setting to ensure that inpatient care is accompanied by an effective post-discharge plan that can decrease 30-day readmissions to guide hospitals to use practices that increase hospitals `quality implications (Shah et al., 2015; Kripalani et al., 2007; Rinne et al., 2017, Jenks, Williams and Coleman, 2009, Shah, Press, Husingh-Scheetz & White, 2016; Sickler et al., 2015; Pruitt, 2018; Hansen et al., 2013; Simmering et al., 2016; Alper, O'Malley, & Greenwald, 2019). Purpose: To determine the role of post-discharge care in 30-day readmissions along with the typical clinical outcomes identified, we examined a small urban hospital population and the patient characteristics in each post-discharge care setting (HSC, HHC, LTAC, and SNF). Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in patients with COPD hospitalizations using the data from a small urban community hospital from 2014 to 2019, n = 1,008. Results: Home health care was identified as having the highest readmission rate in this small urban community hospital using a test of proportions. The weighted variables from a researcher-developed covariate scoring table were analyzed using a Chi-square analysis. The findings provided a reference framework for a systemized discharged planning process according to how the variables/groups were scored.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of research on the implementation of trauma-informed practices published in leading journals within the field of school psychology and within the auxiliary school-based mental health fields of social work and school counseling. The intention is to identify whether a call to action is warranted for school psychology researchers and practitioners to enhance their awareness and preparedness to address the increasing presence of trauma and its impact upon student development. Additionally, the inclusion of related research in the fields of social work and school counseling is motivated by an acknowledgment that the efforts required to systematically address the impact of trauma on student development necessitate a collaborative team strategy with school-based mental health professionals, school personnel, and administrators. Furthermore, as researchers have identified the disproportionate impact of trauma on urban schools (i.e., those whose populations are characterized by high poverty and a majority presence of minoritized identities), a supplementary aim of this systematic review is to investigate the prioritization of these demographics within published works.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2021, Educational Leadership

This conceptual research uses an Afro-Pessimistic lens to analyze the lack of Black Self-Determination in the United States of America (U.S.A). It sought to find out if counter-narratives could play a cultivating role. Upon completion of the analysis several concepts to deepen and expand understanding of the lack of Black Self-determination was revealed. Collectively the concepts help dissect counter-narratives into four types (counter-narrative moments, movements, periods, and permanents). This occurred by considering the conditions that make up counter-narratives and the functional possibilities of the counter-narratives given such conditions. Accounting for the make-up (substance) and the function of counter-narratives indicated two cultivating categories: liminal and permeant. To deepen understanding of and conceptually test counter-narratives within these categories, they were put into an Afro-Surreal Futuristic script (chapter 4). The script engaged the Afro-Pessimistic while aiming towards the Afro-Futuristic, by drawing upon the Afro-Surreal as a bridge. It was the bridge because it focused attention on the strengths in what had survived over time and could aid moving forward towards distinctly different realities. By doing so, counter-narratives that cultivated Black Self-Determination had to functionally help move beyond the current states maintaining the problem (Afro-Pessimistic conditions) and get to new states (Afro-Futuristic conditions) with levels of permanence. My exposure to being Black and living a Black Self-Determined existence is foundationally shaped by: 1) being born in the latter part of the 20th century in the U.S.A; 2) consistently sharing life with people born across generations; and 3) having grown up around countless responsible elders who were blood related or like family. The oral histories, witnessed accounts of racism, racial diversity of my grade-school classmates, slew of examples where adults chose to uphold certain values de (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

This project addresses biodiversity, ecology, biology, and evolutionary aspects of mites associated with dung beetles as well as the biodiversity of other Mesostigmata mites found on soil from tropical regions. In Colombia, we studied some model species of mites from the families Megalolaelapidae and Macrochelidae, which are among the most abundant and specialized mites associated with dung beetles. Additionally, we studied other soil Mesostigmata species from other tropical regions such as Sumatra. In this study, we include studies in ontogeny, biology, the coevolution of genitalic structures, and description of new taxa.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Medicine: Systems Biology and Physiology

Background: The gastric mucosa of the stomach is continually exposed to environmental and physiological stress factors which can cause local epithelial damage. While much is known about the complex nature of gastric wound repair, the stepwise process that characterizes epithelial restitution remains poorly defined. Objective: This work seeks to elucidate effectors that drive gastric epithelial repair using a reductionist culture model, gastric organoids. Major Findings: Chapter 2 Assessing permeability, repair and cell death in the gastric organoid system This work establishes approaches to assess restitution in gastric organoids as well as identify the type of cell death induced by two photon microscopy. Two photon-induced photodamage results in caspase-activated apoptosis in the damaged cell, which mirrors natural cell shedding within gastric organoids. Similar to in vivo, localized photodamage results in rapid dead cell exfoliation, coinciding with the migration of adjacent viable cells to cover the denuded area, sustaining epithelial continuity. Measurement of dead cell exfoliation and closure of the damage area are reliable analyses to assess epithelial repair in gastric organoids. Under normal conditions, Lucifer yellow serves as a consistent extracellular marker to indicate epithelial barrier integrity. However in deficiency conditions, Lucifer yellow does not yield quantitative data to shed more light upon gastric organoid repair. Chapter 3 Comparison of genetically encoded calcium sensors to assess calcium mobilization in gastric organoid repair studies While calcium is a known accelerator for gastric repair, prior studies have been limited in the available technology for measuring calcium signaling. With the recent generation of a more sensitive genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI) ( transgenic mouse, we tested organoids from mice expressing the previously generated GECI Yellow Cameleon 3.0 (YC 3.0) and a modified Yellow Cameleon Nan (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2018, Management Science

The overall goal of this project is to adopt and build on three of the Saudi vision 2030 “thriving economy” theme third-level objectives that include (1) Localize military industry, (2) Nurture and support the innovation and entrepreneurship culture, and (3) Grow Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) contribution to the economy. One of the very important initiatives of the adopted thriving economy theme to the area of concentration is planning to grow the economy by manufacturing half of the defense needs within the Kingdom, with the intention to offset the economy, keep more resources in Saudi Arabia and to create more job opportunities for its citizens. The main research question explores: How can a conceptual model provide value to Saudi military spare parts manufacturing and contribute to the Saudi 2030 Vision? The research process includes creating a conceptual model intended to assist with the fit of low-complexity defense spare parts manufacturing industries, utilizing technology transfer and a business incubator. The model will include (1) adopt a Systems Approach to better understand the nature and the scope of the problem statement (2) Develop a conceptual model that can provide value to the military manufacturing industry. The value provided can be measured by two dimensions: valuable products and growth to the military manufacturing industry. (3) Fit the Saudi military spare parts manufacturing to the developed conceptual model along with the alignment of the adopted Saudi Vision 2030 at the Saudi manufacturing industry level. (4) Validate the conceptual model framework. This conceptual framework will address the need to develop a flexible model that contributes to the current and future challenges as there is a lack of an adequate model to guide Saudi government on how to develop the SMEs defense manufacturing industries in order to become aligned with their country's vision 2030. In summary, the developed model called “Seven Systems for Bu (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Medicine: Systems Biology and Physiology

Classically much of the focus in cancer biology has been on driver genes, i.e. tumor-suppressors and oncogenes, and how somatic mutations in these genes influence tumor phenotype. Large scale profiling studies like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) have produced massive repositories of genomic and transcriptomic data. This data has facilitated discovery and characterization of somatic drive mutations across cancers. In addition to these driver mutations cancer also have onco-passenger mutations that are passively acquired. These mutations are particularly common in tumors with extensive structural variations resulting in chromosomal deletions or amplifications. These variants are thought to target driver genes but result in copy number changes in hundreds of genes surrounding the driver genes- these genes are onco-passenger genes. Though individual instances of onco-passenger events have been characterized, a systematic understanding of their role in cancers is lacking. In addition to somatic changes, tumors also carry common heritable variants or germline polymorphisms. Recent studies have shown that these polymorphisms play critical roles in modulating gene expression across tissues. These regulatory polymorphisms are also related to numerous loci associated with predisposition to complex diseases. These studies indicate that germline polymorphisms could have a significant role in cancer biology. However, in contrast to somatic mutations we lack a systematic understanding of the functional role that germline polymorphisms play in cancers. The body of work presented here leverages the TCGA dataset, and using rigorous computational and statistical analysis hope to provide a more comprehensive picture of the role that onco-passenger genes and germline polymorphisms play in cancers.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

The Allium tricoccum complex is native to eastern North America and encompasses broad and confusing morphological variation. Previous studies have led to contrary classifications to account for the diversity of morphologies in the Allium tricoccum complex. Living plants of the complex, leaf tissue samples and soil samples were collected from 28 natural populations in seven states. Plants were cultivated in the Ohio University common garden for biweekly observations of morphological traits; growth patterns and phenology of leaves, flowers and fruits; and weekly photography of plant structures. Morphology, phenology, ecology, and genetic diversity were analyzed to delineate and compare distinct taxa found in the Allium tricoccum complex. Two new characteristics of the species were described for the first time: scape growth direction (orientation) and depth of bulb in the ground. Two major groups in the Allium tricoccum complex, Red Ramps (A. tricoccum sensu stricto) and Green Ramps, were broadly distinguished based on many differences in leaf shape and size; pigmentation of leaf, scape and bulb; number of buds, flowers and fruits; scape growth direction, bulb size and depth in the ground. Three distinctive taxa within the broader Green Ramps group were separated based on differences in morphology, ecology, phenology and geography.The Green Ramps group consisted of A. burdickii (Hanes) G. N. Jones in the Great Lakes and Great Plains regions; a South Green Ramps taxon in the Interior Highlands of Kentucky and Tennessee, similar to A. burdickii but distinct in its tendencies toward narrower leaves, more flowers, shorter perianth and shorter stamens, consistent retention of leaves during scape elongation, and preference for more silty or clayey soils; and a Highland Green Ramps taxon in the Appalachian Mountain region, producing broader distinctly petiolate leaves similar to A. tricoccum, with somewhat intermediate flower and fruit traits between A. burdickii and A. tric (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2018, Public Health

A common approach of abstinence promotion is the virginity pledge, a promise to abstain from sexual intercourse. A systematic review was performed in order to assess existing literature pertaining to virginity pledges and their effectiveness among the American adolescent and young adult population. Twelve publications of cohort and cross-sectional designs met the criteria and were included in the qualitative analysis. While most studies support a statistically significant difference in sexual initiation or age of sexual debut between pledgers and non-pledgers, the pledgers that did participate in sexual relations had similar risk-taking behaviors to those that did not pledge. Religious commitment, high levels of morality, and highly supportive environments were often highly correlated to making a virginity pledge.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2017, Environmental Sciences PhD

1. The large Diptera family Tachinidae is a diverse and recent group of koinobiont endoparasitoids feeding on a wide range of insects and some other arthropods. 2. Unfortunately, taxonomic confusion and poor understanding of tropical faunas has made difficulties for both basic and derived ecological research on tachinid flies. 3. Here I present evolutionary and ecological hypotheses for tachinid flies, with focus on the large tribe Blondeliini. Chapter 2 summarizes evidence for a latitudinal gradient in tachinid fly species richness within the Americas, using 7 survey data sets within both the temperate zone and tropics. In Chapter 3, I use several nuclear genes to construct a phylogenic framework for the tribe Blondeliini. Despite overall low support values, it was possible to infer several genus groups as well as describe overall evolutionary trends in host use and biogeography in the tribe. Chapter 4 is a conspectus of the Blondelia group of genera, which are distinctive for the female “keel and piercer” oviposition device. Both genetic and morphological evidence were used to delimit the included genera and species groups of Eucelatoria. Chapter 5 is a revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group, the females of which are distinctive for their elongate piercers. Total ecological, morphological, and genetic evidence were used to describe previously named species as well as 17 species new to science.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Relationship between organizations and ecosystem services produced in the Truckee-Carson River System is many-to-many. This implies that production of each ecosystem service requires inputs from multiple organizations, and each organization is involved in co-production of several ecosystem services. Given geographical location of the Truckee-Carson River System and unfolding effects of a changing climate such as chronic water shortages punctuated by periods of floods, it is inevitable to make challenging decisions about which ecosystem services should be produced in a particular year or season. Analyzing what organizations are involved in production of selected ecosystem services and how they are linked to production of each ecosystem service could be the first step towards understating complexity of a decision making context and role that organizations play in allocation of limited water resources in the Truckee-Carson River System.

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

The strictly freshwater red algal order Batrachospermales has undergone numerous taxonomic rearrangements in the recent past to rectify the paraphyly of its largest genus Batrachospermum. These systematic investigations have led to the description of new genera and species as well as re-circumscription of some taxa. Specimens collected from two locations in southeastern USA were initially identified as being allied to Batrachospermum sensu lato, but could not be assigned to any previously described species. Comparison of DNA sequence data for two gene regions and morphology with other batrachospermalean taxa resulted in the proposal of a new monospecific genus Lympha mucosa gen. et sp. prov. to accommodate these specimens. A phylogeny of L. mucosa showed it is sister to the genus Volatus, but has morphological similarities with Batrachospermum sections Turfosa and Virescentia. This new taxon adds to the freshwater red algal diversity of southeastern USA, a region already known for biodiversity and high endemism of the aquatic flora and fauna. Lympha mucosa occurs in open and shaded sites of temperate streams and is abundant during summer months. Although most freshwater red algal taxa are considered shade-adapted, many species exhibit differences in photosynthetic rates and characteristics that indicate they have a much greater ability to acclimate to higher irradiances. Specimens of L. mucosa were collected from open (sun-acclimated) or shaded (shade-acclimated) sites and were exposed to low (<20 µmol photon m-2 s-1) or high (220 µmol photon m-2 s-1) for 72h in controlled conditions to examine photoacclimation. To observe regulation for this process at the transcriptional level, the L. mucosa plastid genome was assembled to provide sequence data for photosynthetic genes involved with light harvesting machinery. Of the six light-harvesting genes selected, two involved with photosystem I and one involved with phycoerythrin synthesis were downregulated at high ligh (open full item for complete abstract)

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

This study examines morphological diversification of the late Oligocene ampullariid species from the Rukwa Rift Basin of Tanzania. Six new species of ampullariids are described, including five species of Lanistes and one species of Carnevalea. The high-spired Lanistes species described record the earliest appearance of this morphotype in the fossil record. Carnevalea santiapillai records the first appearance of this genus outside the Eocene of Oman. Paleoecological interpretations suggest a paludal to lacustrine ecology for C. santiapillai and a lacustrine ecology for L. nsungwensis. Lanistes songwensis and L. songweellipticus were interpreted as fluviate species whereas L. microovum and L. songweeovum were capable of inhabiting both lentic and lotic habitats. Morphological variations among paleoenvironments provide evidence for tectonically induced local radiation of Lanistes. Overall, this study provides valuable insight onto the taxonomy, evolution and the biogeographic affinities of the Paleogene freshwater gastropods of Afro-Arabia, and thus contributes significantly to closing the “African Gap.”

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Marriage and Family Counseling/Therapy

Many couples present to therapy struggling to resolve conflict and it is well documented that conflict management is linked to relationship satisfaction and stability (Gottman, 1993; Gottman, 1994; Noller & White, 1990; Kurdek, 1994). Unfortunately, few assessments exist that guide Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) in addressing the unique conflict resolution needs of diverse clients. To address this gap, the current study explored the potential use of the newly created Couples' Conflict Resolution Styles Assessment to better understand the conflict resolution styles that members of a couple present to therapy with. This assessment was adapted from two scales used to evaluate conflict management styles in the workplace (The Conflict Management Styles Quiz, Adkins, 2004; Self-Assessment Test for Conflict Management, Meier, 2004; and The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Thomas & Kilmann, 1977, 2007). The adapted assessment was given to couples, seeking couple therapy at a Midwestern University training clinic, during the assessment process. Risks of therapy and the assessment process were explained while discussing the informed consent in the first session. The sample included a diverse population of 128 couples from 20-75 years old, various races/ethnic groups, and a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. An Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted to test the factor structure of conflict resolution styles commonly utilized at various employment settings. The factors examined were: competing, accommodating, compromising, avoiding, and collaborating. If this model can be adapted to couples, this assessment can be used by clinicians to modify treatment plans and therapeutic interventions to accommodate the differing conflict resolution styles utilized across couples. Further, couples may improve their communication through understanding partner conflict resolution style differences within the couple relationship.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2015, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Parasitoid wasps are a collection of hymenopterans whose larvae feed on the body of a host, eventually killing it (Godfray 1994). The parasitoid wasp Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae, Telenominae) parasitizes the eggs of both phytophagous and predaceous pentatomids, including a number of important agricultural pests (e.g., Temerak and Whitcomb 1984, Schaefer and Panizzi 2000). Comparisons of strains from Maryland and Brazil has begun to raise questions as to whether T. podisi is a single species (Borges et al. 2003). This study considers populations of T. podisi throughout the species range to determine if there is evidence to support the hypothesis of T. podisi as more than one species. Cytochrome oxidase I is sequenced for 50 specimens of T. podisi from North and South America, along with one specimen each of Telenomus sechellensis Kieffer, Telenomus grenadensis Ashmead, and Trissolcus basalis Wollaston. A number of species delimitation methods are considered, including DNA barcoding with pairwise distances, the General Mixed Yule Coalescent Model (GMYC) and Poisson Tree Process Model (PTP) (Fujisawa and Barraclough 2013, Zhang et al. 2013). DNA barcoding attempts to detect the transition between interspecific and intraspecific variation by a gap in the distribution of genetic distances, and this gap is clear in the histogram of p-distances (Hebert et al., 2004). Mean p-distances between specimens from Ohio and Brazil fall within the rightmost curve in the distribution, suggesting that these populations may be separate species. A maximum likelihood tree and the results from GMYC and PTP suggest that the situation may be even more complicated. Both support the hypothesis of T. podisi as more than one species; PTP identifies 16 different species and GMYC 14. While a clade consisting of the majority of specimens from the continental US is identified as one species in both methods (support=0.905 in bPTP), so is a clade of two Ohio specim (open full item for complete abstract)