bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The black inside the blue : black law enforcement officers' perceptions of racial profiling in Missouri
Authors:   , Green Clarence Jr.
Published: April 2021

Nationally, law enforcement agencies are under tremendous scrutiny in reference to racial profiling. A gap exists in knowledge of Black law enforcement officers? in Missouri perceptions of racial profiling. Missouri has experienced a disproportionate number of traffic stops of Black motorists for the last 11 years. A review of the literature revealed that police officers have an identity formed through practices of the organization. This notion was further explained by examining social-identity theory and the key concepts of Black law enforcement officers, racial profiling, and occupational socialization. This qualitative bounded case study used semistructured interviews with rural Black law enforcement officers from three counties in Missouri, conducted three focus groups with community members, and performed an artifact review of law enforcement agencies? policies. The following themes emerged: racial profiling is not tolerated, law enforcement officers are held accountable for their behavior, Black law enforcement officers joined agencies because they wanted the ability to help others, Blacks are racially profiled more than others, racial profiling had been experienced, confidence existed in law enforcement agencies to not racially profile, and Blacks were perceived as bad people. These results allow law enforcement agencies and law enforcement training academies to address selection and training needs of officers. The results also aid policymakers to expand the collection of data around profiling as well as aid community leaders in understanding the dynamics of racial profiling.
Molecularly imprinted polymers and their application as environmental sensors
Authors:   , Dai Jingjing
Published: April 2021

Molecularly imprinted polymers are specialty polymers with ability of selectively capturing target molecules. They show great potential to be environmental sensors for the detection of specific contaminant. The overall research objective is to investigate the sensing ability of MIPs based on two mechanisms fluorescence quenching and reflectance for two example contaminants 2, 4-dinitrotoluene and 2-butoxylethanol, which are fingerprinting contaminant of explosive manufacturing and hydraulic fracking. The water chemistry effects are explored on MIPs for their potential use as in-situ sensors in complex aquatic environments. Fluorescent carbon dots with different surface functionality were fabricated and their environmental fate was explored. Amino-functionalized carbon dots (AC-dots) were applied to fluorescently label a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) as a template. DNT is specifically captured by the cavities in the MIP and interact with AC-dots on the surface, resulting in quenching of the fluorescence of the AC-dots. Response to DNT reaches equilibrium within [about]30 min. The method has a dynamic range that extends from 1 to 15 ppm, and allows for quantitation of DNT in aqueous solutions, with a detection limit of 0.28 ppm. Selectivity tests conducted in presence of DNT analogs demonstrated the specific recognition of DNT. The effect of sample water chemistry on carbon dots labeled molecularly imprinted polymer (AC-MIP) sensor the detection of 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) was investigated. With the increase of ionic strength from 1 mM to 100 mM, the quenching amount of MIPs decreased about 19% and 30% with NaCl and CaCl2 respectively. In the range of pH from 4 to 9, quenching effect is slightly higher at basic environment for both MIPs and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) resulting from swelling properties of the films. NOM added the quenching amount to the sensor with a modified equation developed with NOM as a variable. In both lake water and tap water, DNT concentrations read by the sensors were very close to the HPLC measured DNT concentrations with the range from 72% to 105%. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) sensors for detection of 2-butoxyethanol (2BE), a pollutant associated with hydraulic fracturing contamination, were developed based on the combination of a colloidal crystal templating method and a molecular imprinting technique. MIPs exhibited higher binding than non-imprinted films (NIPs) due to the specific adsorption provided by molecular imprinting with imprinting efficiencies around 2. Optical tests were performed because of the uniformly ordered porous structure. The reflectance spectra of the sensors showed Bragg's peaks, which responded to the presence of 2BE; peaks presented increasing red shifts up to 50 nm with 2BE concentrations in the range of 1 ppb to 100 ppm, which allowed quantitative estimates of present 2BE concentration in aqueous solutions. The material has the potential for early detection of hydraulic fracturing sites contamination.
Three essays on economics of water resources management in Nepal
Authors:   , Poudel Krishna Lal
Published: April 2021

First essay consists of two steps. First, Technical Efficiency (TE) index is estimated for upriver and downriver ecoregions employing DEA technique. In the second stage, we censored the TE index and run the Tobit regression model to assess the socio-economic factors responsible for explaining technical efficiency of smallholder farming practices. The median technical efficiency values were 0.606 and 0.756 in upriver and downriver respectively. Tobit model indicates lower productivity of small scale farming units are due to inadequate water availability, lack of reliable inputs and poor market services. Access to farm credit and electricity are significant and positive factors explaining technical efficiency in both regions. The second essay examines the on-going consequences of climate change on water resources availability and how adaptation practices and strategies have developed in agricultural practices. Results indicate increasing temperatures, prolonged drought followed by intense precipitation, and greater frequency of flooding than in the past. About two-thirds of small creeks and springs have disappeared and others will soon disappear if current trends continue. Respondents prefer collective water management. Logistic regression analysis shows that farm income, market access, access to extension services, and market distance are significant predictors of adaptive behavior. Essay-3 deals the conveyance, economic and agronomic efficiency of water used, and factors affecting aggregate water use efficiency in the study regions. Farmers in the Mountain region were found relatively more effective at reducing water loss than farmers in the Hill and Terai regions. Water use efficiency scores regressed on farm related socio-economic variables shows that farm size, distance to water source, government agricultural extension services and access to credit positively affect water use efficiency in all regions.
Understanding the relationship between global and diversity learning practice types, critical thinking and awareness of self and others in college students
Authors:   , Wiley Jennifer L.
Published: April 2021

The ability to think critically and complexly amid novel experiences that require self- and other-awareness is something that leaders in an array of social institutions seek to develop in their communities. Global and Diversity Learning (GDL) practices, one category of high impact practices (Kuh, 2008), aim to increase students' awareness of self and others and imbue critical thinking skills that will help students see how their own background and experiences interact with those of peers. This study aims to understand the relationship of four GDL practices (education abroad, multicultural programming, intercultural living-learning communities, and global studies coursework) to desired learning outcomes. Through completing ANCOVAs and multiple regression analyses on an existing dataset of GDL participants, this study demonstrates the influence of gender, socio-economic status, and citizenship within GDL practice types. The study findings also reveal significant differences between group members' other awareness and critical thinking capacity. Understanding how different GDL practice types affect capacity development will allow university leadership to direct collaboration between departments and align programming, to allocate resources more effectively, and communicate potential outcomes based on empirical data.
Escalations : stories
Authors:   , Haynie Stephen
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The stories in "Escalations" cover a range of formal and dramatic content and operate on a sliding scale with regards to realism and surrealism: a woman waits in the darkness of her home for her husband, gun in hand, to investigate a potential break-in; a distracted husband realizes he has mistakenly returned from the grocery store with a woman who is not his wife; a small town's peacetime celebration leads to a disastrous dove infestation. Other stories foreground the manner of their telling: a surveillance team is contracted to follow a mysterious woman, only to find their desire for explanation and discovery delayed and thwarted; a middle-aged man's heroic rescue of a drowning child is ignored by the pool-side audience's criticism of his technique. Regardless the material or the narrative approach to the material, each story explores the conflicts that arise as characters navigate the tumultuous co-existence of both a private and public life. My critical introduction, "Missing Persons: Character Reduction and Recalcitrance in the Short Story," argues that a study of the concept of character in the short story distinguishes key issues of narrative ideology and craft that must be considered if one is to accept the short story on its own terms. Borrowing Austin M. Wright's term for how a work's material resists the shaping influence of its form, and extending his scope beyond issues of structure and closure, I propose that the short story demonstrates significant recalcitrance when it comes to the "visibility" of character. In the same way that a literary work becomes trivial when its form is entirely perceived, so do characters lose their vitality and mystery when they are completely understood. My critical introduction will examine the ways in which the short story limits, delays, and obscures the exposure of its characters as a method of productive resistance. It will ultimately argue that when character â€œvisibilityâ€ and exposure is reduced or diminished, the character is more defined by the situation in which they are read than by our knowledge and understanding of them as individuals.
Alternative materials for radiovoltaics
Authors:   , Nullmeyer Bradley R.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This work explores alternative materials for the improvement of radiovoltaic devices. First, lithium fluoride is explored as an effective material for generating and retaining tritium radionuclides for use in radiovoltaics. This development aims to solve a decades-old problem of inadequate tritium hosts, which have been consistently limited in their ability to retain the radioisotope and effectively deliver energy to transducing semiconductors. This new method of tritium production and retention offers new possibilities for use of what has been deemed the safest radioisotope, and offers a simple, rapid production process, which can greatly reduce cumbersome isotope loading processes associated with existing methods of fabrication for devices reliant on tritium or other radioisotopes. The primary focus of this work is the exploration of molten selenium-sulfur as a radiation-resistant semiconductor for radiovoltaic devices. Radiovoltaics have thus far been unable to utilize high energy alpha and beta radiation due to rapid performance degradation imposed by radiation damage. This work includes the exhibition of long-term power output from an alphavoltaic device fueled by 210Po. The 57+ day lifetime of this device is in great contrast to reports of conventional semiconductors, which have consistently exhibited short lifetimes. Moreover, this report details a neutron diffraction study of irradiated Se-S material, which indicates strong radiation-resistance in the liquid phase. With liquid selenium established as a promising material for radiovoltaics, this work also presents a neutron diffraction study on the material's atomic structure, which has been the subject of dispute in published literature. The neutron diffraction study is accompanied by Reverse Monte Carlo analysis, resulting in reliable conclusions regarding the overall structure near the melting point. The analysis of Reverse Monte Carlo models in comparison to experimental data identifies in the pair correlation function a key indicator of 3-fold coordinated defects which disrupt the liquid selenium structure under extreme conditions.
Al-Tahtawi's translations of French works : a precursor to Nahda's and literary modernity in the Arab world
Authors:   , Al-Awawdeh Nabil
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] "This thesis showed that the Nahda project, despite its partial failure because it did end with the end of the century due to the new circumstances and new intellectual movements, did change the Egyptian society in particular and Arab society in general. The issues encountered by the intellectuals during their path to Nahda provided a variety of danger that might still be obstacles in front of Arabs to progress and advance and catch up to the other nations and they have to deal with it differently." --Page 185.
The effects of visual programming on elementary school students' computational thinking
Authors:   , Nan Ding
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Computational thinking (CT) has been identified as a key skill that people need in the rapidly developing information age. The research community proposed that exposing CT to young children would be beneficial for the development in their abstract thinking, critical thinking and problem solving skills. A variety of visual programming environments were designed and developed in recent years to fulfill this purpose. The current study implemented an Hour of Code visual programming activity, "Make a Flappy Game" on six classes of elementary school students, aiming to further our understanding of the effects of visual programming activities on elementary students' computational thinking by describing what students learn to do. Based on Brennan and Resnick's framework, the current study measured computational thinking in three dimensions: 1) students' understanding in key computational concepts; 2) students' usage of key aspects of computational practice; and 3) the key aspects of computational perspectives students demonstrated during the visual programming activities. A total of 119 elementary school students participated in the study. During the study, the students first filled in a pre-test questionnaire, and then performed the "Make a Flappy Game" visual programming activity, and then filled in a post-test questionnaire. The results show that overall students achieved significant improvement in their understanding in computational concepts. However, the results also indicated that the significant gains were due to a relatively small number of students who made substantial improvement. A considerable number of students still having difficulties understanding the concept of conditions and how the coding blocks actually work behind the visual representation. The results demonstrated students' implemented key aspects of computational practice: experimenting and iterating, testing and debugging. And the results also demonstrated students' computational perspectives in expressing, connecting and questioning. The study shed lights on the design of visual programming activities and the potential implementation of visual programming activities into elementary school classrooms
A hierarchical Bayesian analysis of multiple order constraints in behavioral science
Authors:   , Haaf Julia M.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Psychology is an empirical science, and oftentimes the main target of interest is an empirical effect. For example, we may be interested in human perception and ask participants to react to light spots flashing up on a screen as fast as they can. Psychologists typically ask whether, on average, participants respond faster to bright lights than to dim ones. In my dissertation, I attempt to extend this question on the individual participant's level: Does everyone react to bright lights faster than to dim ones? In case of perception, this seems reasonable: After accounting for sample noise, we probably would expect that indeed everyone is better at perceiving higher-signal visual stimuli. Yet, we may not expect that everyone throws a ball further with their right hand than their left hand. Clearly, left-handed people may not. And in other areas, we do not have any expectation of whether everyone truly shows an effect or not. In my dissertation, I provide the means of studying the "Does Everyone" question. I develop a set of statistical models including a model where some people show an effect while others show the opposite effect; a model where some people show an effect while others do not; and a model where all people show an effect. I provide a Bayesian model-comparison approach to quantify evidence for these theoretically motivated models. And, finally, I show how the modeling approach can be applied both in a single-experiment setting and in meta-analysis to quantify evidence across many studies.
Unconscious information progressing in working memory
Authors:   , Barton Amy Underwood
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Conventionally, the contents of working memory (WM) have been viewed as tightly coupled with conscious awareness. However, recent experimental findings regarding unconscious visual perception indicate that items suppressed from awareness may also be maintained in WM (Soto, Mantyla, and Silvanto, 2011, 2011; Bergstrom and Eriksson, 2015). To explore this phenomenon, my colleagues and I assessed behavioral performance and the contralateral delay activity (CDA, an index of working memory load), while subjects viewed memory items (Gabor patches or greyscale rectangular bars) on one half of a stereoscopic display. Some memory items were suppressed from conscious sight using continuous flash suppression (CFS) while others remained visible. After a retention interval, participants decided whether the probed memory item (either suppressed or visible) was of a changed orientation. In Experiments 1 and 2, behavioral results indicated that change detection for visible memory items was significantly impaired by increasing the load of suppressed items. Psychophysiological results in Experiment 2 indicated CDA amplitudes were smaller following the presentation of the suppressed items, suggesting that their presence displaced previously encoded visible items from WM. We infer that suppressed items interfered with maintenance of the visible items without being stored in WM themselves.
Investigating the role of arginine 21 in the structure and function of human [alpha]A-crystallin
Authors:   , Phadte Ashutosh S.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Cataractogenesis in the eye lens occurs as a result of protein aggregation. Of the multiple mutations in [alpha]A-crystallins associated with the development of congenital hereditary cataract, three identified mutations target R21 within the N-terminal domain of the protein. On structural and functional characterization of a recently identified mutant of [alpha]A-crystallin, [alpha]A-R21Q, we revealed the contribution of R21 in dictating the interaction of [alpha]A-crystallin with other proteins. [Alpha]A-R21Q showed and enhanced chaperone-like function, and increased binding to lens fiber cell membranes. Transduction of mutant proteins in ARPE-19 cells prevented their apoptosis in the presence of oxidative stress, suggesting a role for R21 in modulating the anti-apoptotic function of [alpha]A-crystallin. In addition, the R21Q point mutation rescued the chaperone-like activity of [alpha]A-G98R crystallin as well as palliated [alpha]A-G98R mediated cytotoxicity otherwise observed in transduction experiments. Although another mutation, R157Q rescued the chaperone-like activity of [alpha]A-G98R, the double mutant exhibited a loss of its cytoprotective function. The results therefore implicate an important role of R21 in regulating the functional aspect of [alpha]A-crystallin. [Alpha]A-crystallin derived peptides have been shown to prevent non-specific aggregation of unfolding proteins in vitro. We show that the [alpha]A-crystallin derived mini-chaperone (mini-[alpha]A) mediated stabilization of self-aggregating [alpha]A-G98R crystallin and bovine [gamma]-crystallin occurs via compensation of lost surface charge. The observation therefore suggests a plausible mechanism of action of [alpha]A-crystallin derived peptides of therapeutic interest.
Genetic architecture and marker-assisted breeding for salt tolerance in soybean
Authors:   , Do Tuyen Duc
Published: April 2021

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that inhibits plant growth and causes seed yield loss in soybean. Although a major gene for salt tolerance on chromosome (Chr.) 3 was mapped, cloned and characterized, it does not fully explain genetic variability for tolerance in soybean. Two mapping approaches, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS), can complement each other to identify genomic regions and molecular markers associated with traits of interest. QTL mapping is more suitable to map traits governed by rare alleles in a designed population while GWAS is better in mapping traits underlined by few genes of large effect in the natural population. This study was performed to identify additional loci and new sources for salt tolerance by using both approaches. For bi-parental QTL mapping, salt tolerance of 132 F2 families was evaluated by accessing leaf scorch score (LSS), chlorophyll content ratio (CCR), leaf sodium content (LSC), and leaf chloride content (LCC). Their genotypes were obtained using the Illumina Infinium SoySNP6K BeadChip assay to map salt tolerant gene(s). A major locus significantly associated with LSS, CCR, LSC, and LCC was mapped to Chr. 3 with LOD scores of 19.1, 11.0, 7.7, and 25.6, respectively. In addition, a second locus associated with salt tolerance for LSC was also detected and mapped on Chr. 13 with a LOD score of 4.6 and an R2 of 0.115. The evaluation of salt tolerance of an F5 population derived from the same cross showed that combining salt tolerant alleles of major and minor loci significantly increased salt tolerance. On the other hand, GWAS for salt tolerance was conducted using SNPs of two datasets, SoySNP50K iSelect BeadChip and 3.7M SNP dataset (from whole-genome sequencing data), across 305 soybean accessions of a diverse panel. The known gene on Chr. 3 was confirmed by three gene-based markers (GBMs) that integrated into both datasets. Other genomic regions significantly associated with salt tolerance were identified on Chrs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 14, 18, and 19 by analyzing 3.7M SNP dataset, in which the position on Chr. 8 strongly predicted a new minor locus for salt tolerance. The genotype-phenotype correlation using three GBMs discovered six new salt tolerant sources that may carry novel gene(s) for salt tolerance. By complementation tests and segregation analysis of salt tolerance among F2 plants developed from a cross of Fiskeby III and a salt tolerance accession, PI 468908, it was speculated that salt tolerance from PI 468908 was possibly controlled by a new gene instead of the known gene on Chr. 3. These significant loci in new salt tolerant sources coupled with significant SNP markers could be useful for marker-assisted selection in molecular breeding programs to improve salt tolerance in soybean.
Regression analysis of longitudinal covariates with censored and longitudinal outcome
Authors:   , Chen Li
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Longitudinal data contain repeated measurements of variables on the same experimental subject. It is often of interest to analyze the relationship between these variables. Typically, there is one or several longitudinal covariates and a response variable that can be either longitudinal or time to an event. Regression models can be employed to analyze these relationships. Ideally, longitudinal variables should be continuously monitored and their complete trajectories along the time are observed. Practically, however, this is unrealistic, either economically or methodologically. Often one only obtains so called sparse longitudinal data, where variables are intermittently observed at relatively sparse time points within the period of study. Such sparse longitudinal data give rise to an issue for the analysis of the response of time to an event, where survival analysis is typically implemented, e.g. the Cox model or additive hazards model. In both models, the values of covariates of all subjects at risk are needed in order to calculate the partial likelihood. But in the case of sparse longitudinal data, the availability of these observations may not be satis fied. Moreover, if the response variable is also longitudinal, it is possible that the response and covariates are not observed altogether, or at least not close to each other enough to be considered as observed simultaneously. Although a wealth of studies have been dedicated to longitudinal data analysis, very few of them have seriously considered and rigorously studied the situation aforementioned. In this dissertation, we discuss the regression analysis of longitudinal cavities with censored and longitudinal outcome. To be specific, Chapter 2 targets the additive hazards models with sparse longitudinal covariates, Chapter 3 studies the partially linear models with longitudinal covariates and response observed at mismatched time points, also known as asynchronous longitudinal data, and Chapter 4 explores longitudinal data with more complex structures with linear models. Kernel weighting technique is the key idea to all the stated researches. Estimators are derived based on kernel weighting technique and their asymptotical properties were rigorously examined, along with simulation studies for their fi nite sample performance, and illustrations using real data sets.
Using impact asthma echo to influence physician self-efficacy and guideline adherence
Authors:   , Myers Danny
Published: April 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence on provider self-efficacy and guideline adherence as a result of participation in Impact Asthma ECHO. The researcher addressed the following research questions: How does participation in Impact Asthma ECHO influence primary care provider self-efficacy? How does engagement in the learning activities of Impact Asthma ECHO promote clinical guideline adherence? Participants included 19 Primary Care providers participating in Impact Asthma ECHO via online video-conferencing. The researcher utilized a data-triangulation method, collecting data via self-efficacy surveys, Continuing Medical Education surveys, a Community of Inquiry coding template, and Medicaid Claims Data. While findings of the study were limited by a relatively small subset of participants, the significant contribution of the present research is the utilization of the modified Community of Inquiry coding template for the purposes of evaluating group engagement and learning in a synchronous, web-based videoconferencing educational session.
Adaptive and augmented nonlinear filters : theory and applications
Authors:   , Sun Tao
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Nonlinear estimation and filtering have been intensively studied for decades since it has been widely used in engineering and science such as navigation, radar signal processing and target tracking systems. Because the posterior density function is not a Gaussian distribution, then the optimal solution is intractable. The nonlinear/non-Gaussian estimation problem is more challenging than the linear/Gaussian case, which has an optimal closed form solution, i.e. the celebrated Kalman filter. Many nonlinear filters including the extended Kalman filter, the unscented Kalman filter and the Gaussian-approximation filters, have been proposed to address nonlinear/non-Gaussian estimation problems in the past decades. Although the estimate yield by Gaussian-approximation filters such as cubature Kalman filters and Gaussian-Hermite quadrature filters is satisfied in many applications, there are two obvious drawbacks embedded in the use of Gaussian filters. On the one hand, with the increase of the quadrature points, much computational effort is devoted to approximate Gaussian integrals, which is not worthy sometimes. On the other hand, by the use of the update rule, the estimate constrains to be a linear function of the observation. In this dissertation, we aim to address this two shortcoming associated with the conventional nonlinear filters. We propose two nonlinear filters in the dissertation. Based on an adaptive strategy, the first one tries to reduce the computation cost during filtering without sacrificing much accuracy, because when the system is close to be linear, the lower level Gaussian quadrature filter is sufficient to provide accurate estimate. The adaptive strategy is used to evaluate the nonlinearity of the system at current time first and then utilize different quadrature rule for filtering. Another filter aims to modify the conventional update rule, i.e. the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) rule, to involve a nonlinear transformation of the observation, which is proven to be an efficient way to exploit more information from the original observation. According to the orthogonal property, we propose a novel approach to construct the nonlinear transformation systematically. The augmented nonlinear filter outperforms Gaussian filters and other conventional augmented filters in terms of the root mean square error and onsistency. Furthermore, we also extend the work to the more general case. The higher order moments can be utilized to construct the nonlinear transformation and in turn, the measurement space can be expand efficiently. Without the Gaussian assumption, the construction of the nonlinear transformation only demand the existence of a finite number of moments. Finally, the simulation results validate and demonstrate the superiority of the adaptive and augmented nonlinear filters.
Epidemiology of non-aureus staphylococcal mastitis in dairy goats
Authors:   , Bernier Gosselin Veronique
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The hypothesis of this work was that molecular-based speciation and strain-typing methods would help differentiate staphylococcal species with greater potential for persistence of intramammary infection (IMI) or for induction of an inflammatory response of the mammary gland from less pathogenic species. Therefore, the specific objectives of this work included 1) the validation of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as a rapid, cost-effective molecular-based method for reliable species identification of staphylococcal isolates, 2) the evaluation of the persistence of intramammary infections (IMI) during lactation and over the dry period using strain-typing, 3) the evaluation of the role of teat skin as a potential reservoir for IMI using strain-typing, 4) the validation of a commercial small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) competitive ELISA on milk, and 5) the evaluation of the association between SRLV seropositivity, staphylococcal IMI, and milk somatic cell count. MALDI-TOF was shown to have good typeability and excellent accuracy for the identification of staphylococcal species isolated from goat milk. Species causing IMI associated with higher somatic cell score included Staphylococcus chromogenes (goatlevel), and Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus simulans (udder-half level). Species that were associated with more persistent IMI were Staphylococcus caprae and S. simulans. Based on frequency of isolation from milk and teat skin, S. epidermidis, S. caprae, S. simulans, and Staphylococcus xylosus were considered as possible udderadapted pathogens, whereas Staphylococcus arlettae, Staphylococcus equorum, and Staphylococcus lentus might be considered either opportunistic or environmental pathogens. Additionally, pre-partum skin colonization by S. caprae was a risk factor for S. caprae IMI at the onset of lactation. Frozen-thawed milk was a suitable alternative substrate to serum for a commercial SRLV competitive ELISA test. Overall, the species most consistently identified as more pathogenic than others were S. caprae, S. simulans, and S. epidermidis.
Local quantities and topological invariants of hermitian matrices
Authors:   , Kissinger Gregory Scott
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This thesis contains developments of two related topics, both born out of a desire to understand the electronic eigenstates of crystal lattices with the fewest assumptions possible. The rst topic is the free-electron network model [1, 2], also known in some other sources as the free-electron theory of conjugated molecules [3], although as stated, here the model will be applied to lattices rather than molecules. The second, and larger, portion concerns the theory of the Berry phases, and the closely related Berry connections and curvatures, which we will refer to as the local quantities, in the sense that they are functions of the Bloch momentum k over the reciprocal space of a periodic system such as a crystal. The integrals of these local quantities over the rst Brillouin zone of a crystal lattice yields integer values called the Chern numbers, which are a type of topological invariant. Topological invariants determine the properties of topological insulators. An example is the Chern insulator phase [4, 5], which has protected electronic edge states circulating around the perimeter of a two-dimensional crystal. In particular, to calculate the local quantities we will use the characteristic adjoint matrix BH( ) of a matrix H, which has the property that any of its columns is an eigenvector of H for the appropriate eigenvalue [subscript] [6].
A novel role for the ATP7A copper transporter in cancer
Authors:   , Shanbhag Vinit C.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Copper is a trace metal with a ready capacity to gain or donate electrons. This property is harnessed by numerous enzymes to perform vital functions in the body. In humans, copper is required for various biochemical processes, including cellular respiration, connective tissue development, iron transport and pigmentation. The same redox property that makes copper useful can also have deleterious effects if the proper balance is not maintained. Cellular copper homeostasis is maintained by several different proteins, including CTR1 (copper transporter 1), a high affinity copper importer, as well as ATP7A and ATP7B copper exporting ATPases. ATP7A controls the cellular export of copper and this function of ATP7A is largely regulated by its subcellular localization. Under low intracellular copper concentrations, ATP7A protein is localized to the TGN (trans-Golgi network), where it transports copper to newly synthesized cuproenzymes. Under elevated intracellular copper concentrations, ATP7A traffics to the plasma membrane, subsequently releasing its copper load by fusion with the plasma membrane. To maintain copper homeostasis, ATP7A undergoes constitutive trafficking between the TGN and the plasma membrane. Several key regions in the protein are required for its internalization and successful retrieval from the plasma membrane. Previous studies had shown that a single di-leucine motif in the cytoplasmic tail of ATP7A was required for its internalization. It is hypothesized that multiple di-leucines in the carboxy-terminus of ATP7A are involved in the internalization of the protein. The study presented in this thesis, identified a second di-leucine motif in ATP7A that is a bonafide sorting signal sequence required for internalization and maintaining the steady state localization of the protein. ... Taken together, these findings identify roles for the ATP7A copper transporter at the nexus of platinum-drug resistance, tumorigenesis and metastatic pathways, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic drug target at multiple stages of carcinogenesis.
Developing secondary students' understanding of the generality and purpose of proof
Authors:   , Conner Kimberly Anne
Published: April 2021

In spite of their fundamental role in mathematics, prior studies have found that high school students struggle to develop conceptual understanding of proof, and in particular, understand the generality requirement for proofs. Using design research methodology, I investigated an alternative method of introducing ten advanced 9th grade students to proof using problems and instructional strategies that emphasized the generality and purpose of proofs. The design study consisted of 14 sessions, each lasting approximately 30 minutes, that were held twice a week for seven weeks. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with students at the beginning and end of the study to track changes in students' understanding of proof. Findings from this dissertation study are presented as three stand-alone articles. In the first article, I present a framework for assessing students' understanding of different proof components based on Stylianides' (2007) definition of proof. I argue that the proposed framework provides a more nuanced perspective of students' understanding of proof and allows the researcher or teacher to identify aspects of proof that students understand as well as ways that they can improve their argument. In the second article, I analyze my design conjecture that using universal claims, or claims involving the universal quantifier "all" or "any", would afford opportunities for students to 1) engage in the reasoning-and-proving process, 2) talk about reasoning-and-proving, and 3) develop an intellectual necessity for proof. In the third article, I trace one student's successes and challenges in constructing proofs that adhered to the generality requirement over the course of the study. In this article, I demonstrate how her understanding of the purpose of proof supported her transition from empirical to deductive arguments on proof tasks. I conclude in chapter 5 with implications for research and teaching.
Forging a national diet : beef and the political economy of plenty in postwar America
Authors:   , Deutsch Christopher Robert
Published: April 2021

Few foods items are more associated with the United States than beef yet it was not until the 1950s that Americans ate more beef than any other meat. The triumph of mass beef consumption was not accidental or a preordained event. As this dissertation argues, beef became the most consumed meat in America because of a policy enacted by a succession of presidential administrations and was aided by popular demand. Beef policy, as understood by its enactors, was an attempt at creating a nation undifferentiated by diet and unified by eating a meal fit for the leader of the free world. Drawing on primary research materials found at the National Archives in College Park, MD, and at five presidential archives, along with government publications and beef industry literature, this work shines a light on a policy of domestic security that went unnamed and uncelebrated yet had a profound effect on how Americans ate. Within the five presidential administrations between 1945 and 1974 could be found a dedication to securing economic peace between producers and consumers as each side battled over the shape of the economy after World War II. This work situations beef policy within several historical fields, including the history of policy and politics, food studies, environmental history, social history, and women's history. By drawing on a diverse group of fields, this dissertation uncovers the complex factors that transformed a nation of aspirational beef eaters into literal ones.
A reversal of fate : unravelling the role of central 5-HT in cardiorespiratory control in neonatal and adult rodents
Authors:   , Magnusson Jennifer
Published: April 2021

We seek to address the extent to which a specific loss of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) affects the control of respiration, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate (HR) across vigilance-states based on existing evidence suggesting that 5-HT defects increase the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and neurogenic hypertension. SIDS is the leading cause of infant mortality between 1 month and 1 year of age, occurs during sleep, and up to 70% of all SIDS cases have at least one 5-HT system abnormality. Neonatal rodents lacking central 5-HT exhibit severe apneas, and a reduced ABP and HR. Central 5-HT has been implicated in the etiology of neurogenic hypertension, presumably due to projections of 5-HT neurons within the midline raphe to vagal and presympathetic regions of the brain. However, data from studies examining the specific role of central 5-HT function is conflicting or inconclusive. Neurogenic hypertension accounts for more than 90% of all hypertensive cases and the normal fall in ABP that occurs during non-rapid eye movement sleep is absent in some patients with hypertension. Understanding the mechanisms associated with the development of hypertension is critical not only to lower blood pressure, but to lower its associated cardiovascular events. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of central 5-HT in the control of ABP during sleep and reveal, mechanistically, the physiological role of 5-HT in the autonomic control of ABP in neonatal and adult rodents. The overarching hypothesis for this dissertation is that central 5-HT is required for the maintenance of ABP and autonomic tone at rest in both neonatal and adult rodents.
Impact of sutherlandia frutescens on hepatic steatosis in high-fat fed rats
Authors:   , Nguyen Nhu Y.
Published: April 2021

Hepatic steatosis is closely associated with development of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus. Western medicine for these metabolic conditions is less accessible to many developing countries because of cost, availability and need for clinical monitoring. These impediments might be addressed by development of evidence-based phytotherapies, especially those that are currently used and for which evidence of safety and efficacy can be provided ... Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the beneficial effects of Sutherlandia on hepatic steatosis by showing that consumption of this plant extract reduced HFD-induced accumulation of hepatic triglycerides by a mechanism that may involve increased fatty acid oxidation. This medicinal plant, therefore, may be a promising phytotherapy for hepatic conditions involving excess triglyceride accumulation.
Effects of consultation on professional learning communities
Authors:   , Preast June Laney
Published: April 2021

School consultation has been used to increase fidelity of implementation for team processes (Burns, Peters, and Noell, 2008) and resulting interventions (Noell, Witt, Gilbertson, Ranier, and Freeland, 1997). Professional learning communities are teacher teams with the overall purpose of changing educator behavior through collaborative engagement with colleagues and use of data to inform instructional practices (DuFour, Eaker, and DuFour, 2005; McLaughlin and Talbert, 2006). School-based teams, such as problem-solving teams, do not often follow implementation guidelines (Burns and Symington, 2002), thus hindering a crucial element of a successful response to intervention (RTI) model (Burns and Coolong-Chaffin, 2006). The discussion of student data and intervention strategies happening within PLCs is important for the continuation of an RTI model within schools (Burns and Gibbons, 2012). ... Each team was observed with the rubric using a multiple baseline design, including baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases. The intervention phase involved the researcher providing consultation on an identified area of weakness and guiding the team through an intervention, using an instructional consultation framework. The results from the study indicated a change in PLC implementation when consultation was added. Each team displayed an improvement in their implementation of PLC practices that was maintained after consultation ended. However, the improvements for each team during the intervention and maintenance phases were small, in comparison to the baseline phase. Future research is needed to determine the impact of consultation with PLCs on student outcomes. Implications for research and practice, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
Impacts of the state 4-H Council experience : a phenomenological study
Authors:   , Anderson Bradd LeBow
Published: April 2021

Leadership has long been recognized as a subject central to the human experience. Prepared leaders can wield critical influence in the rise of cultures, the growth of human opportunity, and the lasting direction of world events. Studies of leadership inform the earliest writings of Aristotle, the history of warfare, the early success of the American space program, the impact of Nelson Mandela, and countless other examples of forces that have shaped our world today. It is logical to expect that the study of leadership will also inform the world of tomorrow, as young people mature to assume roles that guide the mechanisms of social change and cultural advancement. This study focuses on the impact of leadership experience, through engagement with a large-scale program designed to foster its effectiveness and success. The program is focused on the experience of adolescents and rooted at the University of Missouri, one of 69 Land Grant Universities, established by the Morrill Act of 1862 to expand access to higher education. Once established, the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 expanded the Land Grant University mission to include the Cooperative Extension Service, which will henceforth be referred to as Extension, an outreach component of Land Grant University programming which sent agents into rural areas to connect end users with the products of their university's agricultural science research. When they encountered target audiences who were unreceptive to their innovations, some of these agents found success in shifting their outreach focus from adults to youth, who were often more open to new approaches (www.4-h.org/about/4-h-history). ... The State 4-H Council model is an experiential youth development opportunity that is in line with the Missouri 4-H mission to engage youth as "valued, contributing members of their communities in partnership with caring adults" (4h.missouri.edu). It is intended to produce youth outcomes consistent with the Missouri 4-H vision to create an environment in which "youth and adults learn, grow and work together for positive change" (4h.missouri.edu). This study adds understanding to the impacts that can accrue from service on a state 4-H council and help inform the development of these councils in state 4-H programs beyond Missouri's borders. In doing so, this study will reveal elements of Missouri's State 4-H Council model that could be adapted by other avenues of leadership development, identifying factors that promote and detract from success and providing greater insight into the leadership experience.