bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal performance of a Nam-Ju nanostructured copper oscillating heat pipe
Authors:   , Stover Stefan
Published: September 2024

As electronic devices increase in performance and decrease in size, more efficient thermal management systems are necessary to combat high heat fluxes. Copper heat pipes, and oscillating heat pipes are devices commonly used in the electronics industry to remove high heat fluxes, safeguarding sensitive electronic components from thermal damage. The surface application of cupric oxide nanostructures to the interior heat pipe channel leads to a reduction of temperatures in the evaporator region of the oscillating heat pipe assembly by as much as 59.1 percent. The application of cupric oxide nanostructures to the oscillating heat pipe surfaces provides a simple and effective way to further reduce temperature differences between the evaporator and condenser regions of a copper oscillating heat pipe.
LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of visual happiness : the development of documentary journalism, from magazine picture stories to Netflix serials
Authors:   , Poore Derek
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This Master's thesis examined what makes photo-journalists fulfilled professionally in the digital video space. Internet video journalism is the latest iteration in the development of visual communication that has its roots all the way back at the invention of photography. Later iterations included the motion picture, the documentary, the picture stories of LIFE magazine and National Geographic, and photo essays by the Magnum collective. The video medium is now accessible "by advances in technology and economics" to anyone that wants to tell a story, because they can record video with a smartphone in their pocket. This thesis examined whether photo-journalists, with their keen visual awareness, and knack for storytelling, are uniquely positioned to become documentary filmmakers on new mediums as photojournalism continues its delicate dance through the 21st Century. Six visual journalists were used as subjects for this research, using qualitative interviews to study what visual stories bring them professional fulfillment, and why they believe their methods are successful. This research examined the challenges they face telling stories with digital video, explains the data's limitations, offers conclusions, and proposes ideas for further research. Finally, three common themes were gleaned from this research, and they echo throughout the history of visual storytelling.
The intersection of political activism and brand advertising
Authors:   , Jones Madeline
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The following document is a Master's thesis completed in accordance with graduation requirements for the Masters of Arts in Strategic Communication at the University of Missouri. This document explores the use of political activism in brand advertising, defined broadly as brand promotions that take stances on social-political issues that align with the brand's consumers and stakeholders. Research follows a qualitative visual analysis methodology in analyzing a selection of brand advertisements that qualify as political activism in brand advertising and were released between December 1, 2016 and February 1, 2018. This thesis leverages framing theory as a guide to investigate this communication phenomena and situate the concepts of brand activism, corporate social responsibility and advocacy advertising in the cultural context preceding the 2016 presidential election. These results inform the use of message framing in a relatively new context, namely, the use of political activism in brand advertising, as well as provide practical insights into political brand activism.
A textual analysis of bottled water print ads
Authors:   , Mahajan Pamela
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Bottled water ads provide an opportunity to study a product that is essentially identical across brands. This research looks at the magazine print advertisements of three bottled water brands, Smartwater, Fiji and Propel, through the lens of Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action. Habermas stated that for effective communication to take place it must be comprehensible, truthful, sincere, and legitimate. Three of Habermas' four norms (comprehensibility, truthfulness, and legitimacy) were studied using textual analysis. The print ads were then analyzed to determine the persuasive techniques used. The majority of the ads were found to meet Habermas' three norms, excluding a Propel ad that didn't meet the norm of truthfulness. The most common persuasive technique used was making a claim, located a total of 13 times overall, with special ingredients and association following and each used 10 times overall.
Molecular genetic analysis of DRO1 genes in soybean
Authors:   , Nguyen Na
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Under drought conditions, a strong and deep root system provides advantages for exploring and exploiting moisture in deeper soil layers where water is still sufficient. In rice, the Deeper Rooting 1 (OsDRO1) gene has been identified, characterized and proven functional in drought avoidance. OsDRO1 is negatively regulated by auxin and is involved in cell elongation in the root tip, which causes roots to grow asymmetrically and to bend downward in response to gravity. Higher expression of OsDRO1 increased root growth angle, which made roots grow in a more downward direction and led to yield improvement under drought conditions. In soybean, different GmDRO1 homologs were found. Those are potential candidates for genetic and functional characterizations. We established the phylogenetic relationship of GmDRO1 genes with other plant species, determined the chromosomal locations of GmDRO1 genes and paralogs, the expression pattern, and their structural variants. The main objective of this study is to investigate the roles of GmDRO1 genes in soybean root system architecture. Soybean transgenic hairy roots were used to investigate the influence of DRO1 genes on the soybean root growth angle. Results obtained in this study did not support the hypothesis of gene enhancing deep root growth angle by GmDRO1 homologs in soybean.
Missile guidance law design with impact angle constraint based on SDRE scheme
Authors:   , Wu Tongde
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This thesis studies the homing missile guidance problem of intercepting constant velocity moving targets, with different terminal impact angles in a three dimensional engagement scenario. According to the literature, there is a one to one correspondence between the Line of Sight (LOS) angle and the impact angle on the collision, thus the guidance problem with impact angle constraint can be converted to the control of the terminal LOS angle [1]. This mission can be treated as a nonlinear optimal control problem. The State-Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE) method, as a systematic nonlinear optimal control approach, has gained great popularity in solving guidance and control problems. In this research, a three-dimensional missile guidance law is designed based on the SDRE scheme with three different impact angle constraints. Additionally, to meet the practical requirement, a state-varying weighting matrix is proposed to reduce the control magnitude. The simulation shows the good guidance performance. Moreover, the autopilot lag and the measurement noise are considered to test the robust capability of the SDRE controller.
Evaluation of stress in concrete using ultrasonic waves
Authors:   , Stone Damien
Published: September 2024

This research investigates the use of ultrasonic waves to evaluate the stress and damage in concrete. Tests were conducted on 6 in. x 6 in. x 12 in. plain concrete specimens (f'c = 6,000psi) at different loading stages that include 20, 40, 60, and 80 percent of the concrete compressive strength. Unloading at each stage was also recorded to evaluate the damage in the concrete structure. Use of higher amplitude waves were used to trigger nonlinear ultrasonic behavior. Various voltage amplitudes were used in this research at various loading stages, which included 200, 400, and 900V. The data showed a difference in wave velocity (time of flight), amplitudes, and frequency components. The time of flight (TOF) increased in a linear fashion with increased damage (previous load level). However, load on the specimen (at low level of load) decreased the time of flight readings. The amplitudes of higher frequency harmonics of waveforms decreased with damage and load level. However, both the slope of the TOFs and harmonic amplitudes with load level were not the same for the specimens tested making determination of a constant to evaluate stress in concrete difficult.
Interrogating transnational media representations of "harmful" bodylore
Authors:   , Atuhura Dorothy
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The category of "harmful" cultural practices' has become a central and defining concept in global health and development policy. A key target of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), as part of its objective of achieving "gender equality and empowering women and girls", is to eliminate what it terms "harmful" cultural practices'. Such practices are numerous, highly prevalent in the Global South, particularly Africa and Asia, and (largely) resistant to international intervention. These include, amongst others, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), lip plates, breast ironing, labia stretching, and tattooing. A number of highly funded international projects and media initiatives have sought to alleviate or end the harm suffered by women who carry out such practices. However, despite the level of funding and political energy that has been expended into initiatives aimed at eradicating these practices, "harmful" practices still appear to persist and to remain largely immune to these campaigns. Indeed, it is difficult to find examples where initiatives have led to the successful eradication of "harmful" bodily practices at all. For example, in 2016 in its "data work on FGM/C" report, UNICEF noted that "current progress is insufficient" and "if trends continue, the number of girls and women undergoing FGM/C will rise significantly over the next 15 years". Thus, the question that I sought to answer in my study is: "Why do "harmful" traditional practices continue to persist" despite the funding, media-based initiatives and campaigns aimed at eradicating them? As one initiative that has been at the fore front of eradication campaigns, this study examined transnational visual documentary media using a transnational feminist methodology to explore how transnational media discursively constructs "harmful" body modification practices, how particular knowledge forms circulate across geographical boundaries, and how these practices are constituted through this media as an important global development and global health issue worthy of global critical attention. The study found that because this media has been instrumental in creating and spreading awareness about these practices to mainly Global North audiences and policy elites, their representation of these practices as "harmful" embodies a politics that (mis)represents the lived realities of women who perform these practices, precluding the possibility of more nuanced and culturally sensitive interventions.
Full Bayesian models for paired RNA-seq data and Bayesian equivalence test
Authors:   , Bian Yuanyuan
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] "In my doctorate research, I have developed Bayesian models to analyze the paired RNAseq data for different types of design. The developed methods are especially of important practice for gene expression analysis using high throughput read-count data. I also proposed and studied a Bayesian test procedure for the equivalence test with parameter margin, which has a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical statistics. In the first part of my dissertation, I presented a full hierarchical Bayesian model (PairedFB) for the paired RNA-seq count data that accounts for variation of treatment effect among pairs and controls the FDR through the posterior expected FDR. The approach was shown to be able to control FDR at nominal levels and obtain slightly higher power than other methods when their actual FDRs are comparable. The real data analysis also indicates the model tends to find more biologically significant genes. In the second part of my dissertation, I extended the Bayesian model in the first part to the differential expression analysis under multiple conditions (e.g., time points, genotype, etc.). Specifically, I developed a Bayesian partitioning model that jointly models all the possible combinations of gene expression status with the use of the "inverse moment nonlocal prior". Furthermore, I modified the posterior expected FDR under the multiple groups situation so that FDR could be controlled for each group of gene expression patterns. I demonstrated that the proposed model is capable of controlling FDR under nominal levels for each combination of expression patterns, and obtaining satisfactory power even when equivalent expression testing is involved. In the last part of my dissertation, I proposed a Bayesian approach to perform the equivalence test with parameter margin. The properties of posterior distribution of parameter of interest were studied and its frequentist properties were evaluated in terms of type I error and power comparing with other frequentist methods. The developed Bayesian test procedure was shown to control type I error close to 5 percent and obtain higher power than currently best frequentist test. Using the example dataset, I demonstrated that the proposed Bayesian test could provide unique and intuitive post-experimental evidence of supporting one hypothesis in addition to reporting the dichotomized decision." --p. 192
Dynamically-scalable distributed cluster and cloud computing framework for IoT media data
Authors:   , Gargees Rasha S.
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand; as daily new smart-devices are connected to Internet and adding to a deluge of data created by our society. Compounding the challenges is that this data is very heterogeneous, including device or human activity trace data, structured data, sensor information, and media data. The computing needs for the IoT continue to rise in terms of scalable compute power, storage, and complex data processing pipelines to accommodate these diverse sources of data. For this reason, it becomes essential to develop a flexible framework that is able to efficiently manage the IoT data in a real-time and scalable approach. In this thesis, we propose a novel framework to handle IoT data. Our framework is dynamically extensible, lightweight, resources efficient, and has the ability to handle stream data as well as batch data. We leverage intelligent agents along with the publish-subscribe pattern to achieve a run-time extensible, event-driven, high-performance computational architecture. Additionally, we have incorporated localized and centralized databases into the framework to support structured and unstructured data for compute processing and analytical tasks. We have implemented the proposed framework and evaluated its performance using a visual object-detection case study on both a local cluster and within cloud-computing infrastructure. Our analysis shows that this framework utilizes the CPU, memory, and network resources efficiently. Additionally, the framework can scale horizontally as adding more processing nodes reduces the time and increases the goodput. Moreover, we can measure the data velocity and active state of compute agents to employ proactive system scaling for streaming-data fluctuations instead of reactive measures based on CPU utilization at the host-level.
The relationships between foreign buyers' mediated power and Bangladeshi suppliers' psychologically defensive workplace behavior
Authors:   , Rana Rafiqul Islam
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The study examined the relationships between the mediated social power of buyers from developed countries and the psychologically defensive workplace behavior of the suppliers from developing countries, in this case, Bangladesh. According to French and Raven (1959), social power is the ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to change in the direction intended by the influencer. In addition, the defense against the stress and anxiety found in an individual, interpersonal, group, and organizational social system is termed as psychology defensive workplace behavior (PDWB) (Allcorn & Diamond, 1997). These theories formed the theoretical background of the study. After conducting an online survey among Bangladeshi textile and apparel (T&A) managers and quantitative analysis of the data, the results show that Bangladeshi T&A managers' perfectionistic behavior, arrogant-vindictive behavior, and narcissistic behavior were affected by foreign buyers' reward and coercive power. Particularly, perfectionistic and narcissistic behavior showed an interaction effect of buyers' coercive and reward power, suggesting a need for fine balance between the two power bases to discourage such negative workplace behavior. This study will help foreign buyers to better negotiate with Bangladeshi suppliers to maintaining proper workplace condition and compliances. This study will also help industry professionals and educators to better educate factory suppliers on how to deal with workplace pressure and manage subordinates.
Physiological and pharmacological characterization of the N1303K mutant CFTR
Authors:   , DeStefano Samantha
Published: September 2024

Background: N1303K, one of the common, severe disease-causing mutations in the CFTR gene, causes both defective biogenesis and gating abnormalities of the CFTR protein. The goals of the present study are to quantitatively assess the gating defects associated with the N1303K mutation and its pharmacological response to CFTR modulators including potentiators VX-770 and GLPG1837 and correctors VX-809, and VX-661. Methods: Gating behavior and pharmacological responses to CFTR potentiators were assessed using the patch-clamp technique in the excised, inside-out mode. We also examined the effects of GLPG1837, VX-770, VX-809 and VX-661 on N1303K-CFTR surface expression using Western blot analysis. Results: Like wild-type (WT) CFTR, N1303K-CFTR channels were activated by protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation, but the open probability (P[o]) of phosphorylated N1303K-CFTR was extremely low ([less than or equal to]0.03 vs [about]0.45 in WT channels). In addition, N1303K mutants showed abnormal responses to ATP analogs or mutations that disrupt ATP hydrolysis and/or dimerization of CFTR's two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs). However, the Po of N1303K-CFTR was dramatically increased by GLPG1837 ([about]17-fold) and VX-770 ([about]8-fold). In addition, VX-809 or VX-661 enhanced N1303K-CFTR maturation by 2 -3 fold, and co-treatment with GLPG1837 or VX-770 did not show any negative drug-drug interaction. Conclusion: N1303K has a more severe gating defect than previously reported Po of [about]0.1. Our results suggest a defective function of the NBDs in N1303K-CFTR. An improvement of channel function by GLPG1837 or VX-770 and an increase of Band C protein by VX-809 or VX-661 support a therapeutic strategy of combining CFTR potentiator and corrector for patients carrying the N1303K mutation.
Interactions between cover crops, herbicides and weeds in soybean production systems
Authors:   , Whalen Derek Michael
Published: September 2024

The use of cover crops in soybean production systems has increased in recent decades. There are many questions surrounding cover crops, specifically their benefits to crop production and how to best manage them. One management aspect to consider is how to effectively terminate cover crops in the spring before soybean planting. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of different herbicide treatments on the termination of a variety of different cover crop species in the spring. An identical field experiment was conducted in 2016 in Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin and repeated in Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi and Missouri in 2017 to evaluate the most effective herbicide treatments for spring termination of regionally-specific cover crops, including annual ryegrass Austrian winter pea, cereal rye, crimson clover, hairy vetch, purple top turnip, triticale and wheat. Cover crop species were planted from September 4 to September 24 in 2015 and from September 27 to November 2 in 2016. Glyphosate-, glufosinate-, and paraquat-based treatments were applied between April 15 and April 29 in 2016 and April 10 and April 20 in 2017. Visible control of cover crops was determined 28 days after application. Glyphosate-based herbicide treatments were more effective and provided from 71 to 97 percent control of grass cover crop species across all site years compared to paraquat-and glufosinate-based treatments, which provided 72 to 83 percent and 64 to 76 percent control, respectively. Across all site-years, 1.12 kg glyphosate ha-1 applied alone and with 0.56 kg 2 ,4-D ha-1, 0.025 kg saflufenacil ha-1 or 0.56 kg clethodim ha-1 were the only treatments to be most effective on all grass cover crop species. Annual ryegrass control ranged from 85 to 94 percent with glyphosate alone or in combination with 2, 4-D, saflufenacil and clethodim; and paraquat plus metribuzin plus 2, 4-D ha-1. Glyphosate-, paraquat- or glufosinate-based treatments were generally most effective on broadleaf cover crop species when applied with 2, 4-D or dicamba. Results from this research indicate that proper herbicide selection is crucial to the successful termination of cover crops in the spring.
Classification of brainwaves using deep learning models
Authors:   , Joshi Swapnil
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The classification of brainwaves has always been a topic of high interest in the neuroscience and medical community. Currently used classification techniques require an extraction of features from the brainwave data, which has its limitations affecting the classification performance. To alleviate this problem, this study showcases the development of three different Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), which take the spatiotemporal nature of the brainwave data into account and find the correlation between time samples along the time and frequency axes. The obtained results are compared with popular methods such as the FFT method and the Fully Connected Network model, as seen in many recent studies. In all the results, the CNN models outperform the FFT and Fully Connected Network results by a significant margin. This comparison also sheds light on certain signal characteristics affecting the model's performance.
The relation between school-age children's language ability and expository discourse production in two scaffolded tasks
Authors:   , Guilkey Anna M.
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This study explored school-age children's expository discourse production and their use of language to convey complex information. Because school-age children encounter expository discourse daily in the classroom, skilled understanding and production of expository language is critical for academic success. This study addressed the following questions: (a) How do children's language skills relate to the quality of expository discourse samples in terms of the microstructure and macrostructure of the samples? and (b) How do children's expository samples from two tasks (generation and retelling) compare, in the language produced, when scaffolding is provided to support production? Twenty-six 9-to 12-year-olds with a range of language ability participated in this study, completing a battery of standardized language assessments, as well as producing two expository language samples -- an explanation of how to play their favorite game or sport and an explanation of scientific information they viewed in a short video. In order to scaffold, or support, their production of expository language, participants were given time to take notes and plan their explanations. In addition, they were given organizational guides for each task, providing cues as to the structure of their expository samples. Results of Pearson Product Moment correlations, controlling for the effects of age, suggested underlying receptive language ability directly and significantly correlated with children's performance on a variety of outcome measures (e.g., MLTU, CD, relative clause use, lexical diversity). Results of a series of one-way ANOVAs suggested syntactic complexity did not differ between expository sample types, while measures of language productivity, verbal fluency, lexical diversity, and content differed significantly. Findings indicate that using a generation task to sample expository language skills allows children to produce expository samples of greater length and with more detailed content (measured using a rubric); however, using a retell task similar to the one used in this study may allow children to exhibit their most sophisticated vocabulary skills (measured using MATTR). While this study examined the expository language skills of children representing a wide range of typical language performance, the emphasis on scaffolding the tasks and on how language ability related to expository language output have implications for future study with children who have language impairment, as this information will help clinicians and educators support children's acquisition of the expository language skills needed to succeed academically.
New perspective on the role of conceptus estrogens in conceptus development, maternal recognition, and the establishment of pregnancy in pigs.
Authors:   , Meyer Ashley Elizabeth
Published: September 2024

The proposed signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy in pigs is estrogen, produced by the elongating conceptus. To understand the role of estrogen in porcine conceptus elongation and pregnancy establishment, a loss of function study was conducted by biallelically editing pig aromatase (CYP19A1) gene by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. CYP19A1[+/+] and CYP19A1[-/-] blastocysts were transferred into synchronized recipient gilts and the reproductive tract was collected on days 14 or 17 post-estrus. Elongated and attaching conceptuses were recovered from gilts receiving either CYP19A1[+/+] or CYP19A1[-/-] embryos on both day 14 and 17. Conceptus estrogen production was inhibited as estrogen concentrations in the uterine luminal flush (ULF) of gilts with CYP19A1[-/-] conceptuses was significantly lower (P[less than]0.01) than those with CYP19A1 [+/+] conceptuses on day 14 and day 17. Despite the loss of conceptus estrogen production, CYP19A1[-/-] conceptuses were capable of maintaining the corpora lutea (CL). However, gilts containing CYP19A1[-/-] embryos all aborted between days 27 and 31 of gestation. Attempts to rescue the pregnancy of CYP19A1[-/-] embryos with exogenous estrogen failed to maintain pregnancy. However, co-transfer of in vitro fertilized (IVF) CYP19A1[+/+] and CYP19A1[-/-] embryos successfully maintained pregnancy. Furthermore, conceptus estrogen production is not essential for pre-implantation development, conceptus elongation, and the early maintenance of CL. However, conceptus estrogen is essential for programming endometrial function for maintenance of pregnancy beyond 25 days.
A digestive phospholipase a2 in Midguts of worker honey bees, Apis mellifera : significance in lipid nutrition and health
Authors:   , Xu Yiyun
Published: September 2024

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) catalyzes hydrolysis of the fatty acid moiety from the sn-2 position of phospholipids. At least 16 groups of PLA2s are known in mammals. In insects, PLA2s occur in several tissues, where they act in a variety of biological functions, such as digestion, immune signaling, development and reproduction. However, other than the venom PLA2s, characterization of their physiological functions has not been reported in Hymenoptera, particularly in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Among many studies on honey bee nutrition and physiology, the enzymes acting in digesting dietary lipids remain understudied. This is an important lacuna because it bears directly on meeting essential dietary fatty acid requirements, which I addressed by characterizing a digestive PLA2 in midgut preparations of honey bee workers. The honey bee midgut PLA2 is sensitive to reaction conditions, including incubation time, substrate and enzyme concentrations, reaction temperature and pH. It is Ca2+- independent and susceptible to specific PLA2 inhibitors. Through a cryopreservation study of this PLA2 in honey bee midgut preparations, I confirmed that the honey bee digestive PLA2 preparations are physically stable, with high activity after storage at -80[degrees]C for at least three months. These findings open a new corridor of research into honey bee dietary lipid digestion and nutrition. I used classical molecular tools to identify genes encoding honey bee midgut PLA2s, to clone the genes from midgut tissue preparations and express one of the identified genes in competent E. coli cells. Although the enriched PLA2 from E. coli cultures was not biologically active, this work is a meaningful aspect of my training and education, on which I offer my thoughts in Chapter 4.
Helping behaviors in alcohol related emergencies among University of Missouri students
Authors:   , Forqueran Kelsey Danielle
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The purpose of this study was to explore what may influence whether students call for help in an alcohol-related emergency at the University of Missouri. Three research questions were addressed (1) To what extent do students at the University of Missouri recognize symptoms of alcohol poisoning, (2) what factors may influence a University of Missouri student's decision to call for assistance in alcohol related emergencies, and (3) how could the University of Missouri reduce barriers that prevent students from calling for assistance in alcohol related emergencies? Participants completed a web-based survey focusing on drinking behavior, recognition of symptoms of alcohol poisoning, helping behaviors, and knowledge of university policies. Results indicated that students self reported high levels of binge drinking, students generally can identify symptoms of alcohol poisoning, and students who assist in alcohol-related emergencies generally go to hospitals/clinics/emergency departments and residential assistants for help. The majority of findings in this study indicate a need for increased institutional efforts to address individual and peer-based issues. Increased education is needed so students can easily recognize what symptoms of alcohol poisoning require immediate attention. Finally, for any administrators who are considering implementing a medical amnesty policy to increase helping behavior, policies should be coupled with educational strategies.
Investigating the organizational decision making responsible for corporate social responsibility initiatives
Authors:   , Sherwin Jessica
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is evolving into an essential component of brand strategy. The way consumers interact with brands is changing, prompting modern consumers to have higher expectations for the companies they give their business to. This study will explore how organizations decide upon one or more corporate social responsibility initiative(s) to pursue. Corporate social responsibility can be defined as any action a company takes that furthers some social good beyond the interests of the firm. This research will use satisficing theory, which allows management to weigh decisions using a cost/benefit structure and the Symbiotic Sustainability Model to evaluate how corporate/nonprofit relationships create value for each respective organization. Examining CSR within this context allows for a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how firms can gain social capital while improving societal affairs. The ethics inherent in CSR decisions will also be examined. Analyzing the decision-making processes and ethical reasoning behind CSR initiatives will provide new insight on the field of CSR. This study will build upon extant literature and use semi-structured interviews with company executives to reveal a clearer picture of why firms choose to engage in one CSR strategy over another.
Digital hydraulic systems : a theoretical comparative efficiency analysis of hydraulic systems with real pump models
Authors:   , Freiberger Daniel Joseph
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Digital hydraulic systems are a highly disputed technology in the field of fluid power. A digital hydraulic system controls load flow using a fixed-displacement pump and a digital pulse-width modulation (PWM) valve instead of using a variable displacement pump, like other common control systems. The digital valve, also known as an on-off valve, intermittently changes between completely closed and wide-open position through operator input or a control system that alters the valve duty-ratio. This type of operation theoretically increases system efficiency by reducing the throttling losses experienced in traditional valves when the valve is partially opened to the load. Much work has been done to improve efficiency of the digital valve designs, but very little research has been done to compare the efficiency of these systems to conventional systems to see if the technology is worth investigating. The only comparative efficiency analysis performed included an ideal pump model, which does not account for losses in the input power to the hydraulic system. This paper will derive the governing equations of digital hydraulic system efficiency with a real pump model, then compare it to the conventional pressure relief, pressure compensating, and load sensing systems. A numerical code is also written to analyze and plot the efficiency of all systems to determine the ideal operating regimes for each system. It is revealed that the load sensing system dominates the other three systems for most operating conditions. However, in high pressure applications, the pressure relief and pressure compensating systems are favorable. The digital on-off system has the highest efficiency for low pressure, high flow operating conditions.
Symbiotic or destructive? : an analysis of the metaphors about journalism in American films during the 1990s
Authors:   , Jenkins Andrew Curtis
Published: September 2024

Whereas several studies have focused on the stereotypical representations that appear in mass media messages created by journalists, the aim of this thesis is the analysis of the representation of journalists in selected films. I examined 12 films and focused on the metaphors expressed in these films using the social cognition approach. These films include Hero (1992), The Pelican Brief (1993), I Love Trouble (1994), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Paper (1994), To Die For (1995), Up Close and Personal (1996), Mad City (1997), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Wag the Dog (1998), The Insider (1999), and True Crime (1999). The study sought to uncover how metaphors in the films described individuals in the journalism field and whether the stereotypical images suggested by the metaphors were overall constructive or destructive to the institution of journalism. The findings revealed five overarching themes of the films' metaphors: journalism as a sport, journalism as violent warfare, journalism as carnal impulse or an exercise of the senses, journalism as commodity or entertainment, and journalism as subhuman or superhuman endeavor. Many of the stereotypes evoked by the metaphors in the films portrayed journalists as exploitative and cold-hearted sensationalists. Some metaphors, though, did express a humanity, however imperfect, in journalists that often is lacking in film portrayals.
Conversations on suicide : 13 Reasons Why
Authors:   , Johnson Brooke Ellen
Published: September 2024

The television series 13 Reasons Why, released in March 2017, was followed by a wave of controversy over how it portrayed the suicide of its protagonist. Some critics thought that the show handled the suicide exceptionally well; others thought the overall premise and handling of the subject matter were irresponsible. The present study sought to examine the full spectrum of critiques of the show in order to determine whether they lined up with media guidelines for the portrayal of suicide, as well as to determine what dialectical tensions existed among the critiques. This study found that there were some areas in which journalistic critique of 13 Reasons Why did line up with media guidelines; however, there were far more instances in which journalists veered into territory that was distinct from what was mentioned within guidelines. Within this territory, there were several webs of dialectical tensions in which opposing arguments discussed similar concepts but drew differing conclusions. The primary areas of disagreement found in this study included 'accurate and relatable portrayal-versus-romanticization' of mental health issues, 'suicide as necessary-versus-suicide as irresponsible,' 'actions have consequences-versus-outsourcing blame for Hannah's suicide,' and 'suicide as preventable-versus-suicide as inevitable.' Some of these opposing poles could have been balanced via better storytelling, whereas others point to more foundational issues with the show.
Musica Universalis : the pursuit of pure abstraction
Authors:   , King Erin Kathleen
Published: September 2024

The thesis exhibition, Musica Universalis, is a multi-sensory exhibition comprised of experimental weavings on deconstructed found pianos, systematic drawings, and paper scroll music boxes. The music boxes allow the viewer to hear the voice part represented on the weaving, or the notes of a systematic drawing, in isolation; a recording of a choral composition transcribed from the first systematic drawing of circles plays from the gallery speakers. The viewer can hear the individual's "song" and simultaneously hear the collective performance. The performance of the collective music box composition varies depending on the level of viewer engagement. I create system-based abstractions drawing from my understanding of structure within music and weaving, as well as analog and digital technologies, to achieve a purer abstraction. For the purposes of this paper, I define abstraction as artwork that reshapes the natural world for expressive purposes, interpreting expressive as relating to intuition, emotions and the subconscious. Therefore, I characterize pure abstraction as work that directly resonates within the viewer's soul or subconscious, having meaning that reaches beyond what is visible. I look to Wassily Kandinsky's Compositions and Paul Klee's Rhythmisches as case studies for the pursuit of pure abstraction, in which they drew from the formal qualities and conventions of Western music aesthetics to inform their visual abstractions. My response to their projects is to present work in which the visual and aural elements are of equal importance. This thesis briefly visits the projects of Kandinsky and Klee as they influenced the development of the immersive exhibition and documents the many facets to the viewer's experience within Musica Universalis.
An examination of personalization in digital advertising
Authors:   , Ladig Emily Ann
Published: September 2024

Paid advertisements on social media have become a powerful way for marketers to reach their target audiences. This study addresses how millennials experience, interact with, and react to personalized advertisements on Facebook, as well as what motivates them to click on them. A hybrid qualitative design, involving data collection through the use of a think-aloud observation method, was paired with semi-structured interviews from 12 study participants. Findings showed that millennials do not seek out personalized advertisements on Facebook intentionally, and only interact with them when it involves a personal benefit. However, in order for this to happen, advertisements must first grab their attention through text and imagery that feature an element of mystery, and other details like pricing. This study is important because findings help fill a gap in the existing literature on the topic of digital advertising, and serve as a set of best practices for advertising professionals.
Seasonal fish community and reproductive biology of fishes in two tributaries of the lower Missouri River, USA
Authors:   , Pherigo Emily Kate
Published: September 2024

Tributaries provide important habitats for spawning, rearing and feeding of fish in connected river systems. Regulation of rivers may alter the fish communities and environmental variables triggering fish use. Habitat destruction from dam construction is one of the leading causes for the decline of aquatic species, including big-river fishes. The influence of larger dams on fishes is well-documented and low-head dams (<15 meters in height) are receiving increased attention as removal of these structures occurs because of an emphasis on restoring rivers for aquatic fauna and public safety. However, the distribution of mainstem big-river fishes in tributaries and the contribution of tributaries to large river systems (LRS; systems with a mean annual discharge of at least 350 cms) remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the seasonal patterns of fish abundance, species richness, and big-river fish presence upstream and downstream of a low-head dam (LD1) on the Osage River, a regulated tributary of the Lower Missouri River in central Missouri, as well as in comparison to the geographically and biologically similar free-flowing Gasconade River, another tributary to the Lower Missouri River. Furthermore, this study investigated the influence of river regulation in the Osage River on reproductive biology of fishes by comparing sex and reproductive readiness of Golden Redhorse and Spotted Bass in the two tributaries. ... These results will provide a baseline should modifications occur to LD1 in the Osage River, and provides evidence that big-river fishes seasonally use Missouri River tributaries and that LD1 is a semi-permeable barrier to big-river fish in the Osage River. Our findings suggest that species change in the lowermost sections of tributaries near confluences with LRS is seasonally influenced and provides habitats for a variety of life stages, including nursery habitat. Managers and researchers should incorporate tributaries of various sizes into investigations of this nature for big-river species and that this use may be limited to the lowermost reaches. The cues for reproductive readiness in the regulated Osage River and the free-flowing Gasconade River do not differ for Golden Redhorse yet river regulation (i.e., Osage River) was a substantial predictor of Spotted Bass reproductive readiness.
Analysis of the economic value associated with the adoption of beef reproductive technologies
Authors:   , Downing Emma Jane
Published: September 2024

Beef cattle herd improvement to meet growing demand for higher quality beef has been an aspiration within the cattle industry since inception. Throughout the heartland, progressive cow-calf producers invest and adopt research-proven practices striving to continually improve their herds, resulting in premium cattle and beef products. Advantages to modifying management practices and applying advanced genetics could aid modern cow-calf producers by minimizing calf loss, unifying calving windows, increasing weaning weights, raising daily feedlot gains, and improving carcass quality grades. This research evaluates aggregate data from the University of Missouri Thompson Research Center with a focus on realized values of offspring born from 2004 to 2017. By evaluating the difference in aggregate average values of offspring when compared to US averages over time, this research strives to quantify realized added value achieved through the adoption of innovative beef cattle reproductive management practices. The goal of this research is to provide producers suspect of using newer production methods an additional decision aid to measure potential added revenue.
Analysis of the parallel seismic method for foundation reuse
Authors:   , Good Levi James
Published: September 2024

The focus of this thesis is the application of the Parallel Seismic method to determine the depths of unknown foundations. The method involves exciting stress waves in the pile foundations from impacts on the superstructure and recording waves radiating from the foundation in an adjacent borehole or seismic cone penetrometer (SCPT) sounding at different depths. The primary objective of this thesis is to determine the most effective procedures for collecting and analyzing Parallel Seismic data under real world conditions. The specific topics covered in this thesis include: (1) detectability of P-wave and S-wave arrivals under different field and measurement conditions, (2) comparisons of wave recordings using a 3-component borehole sensor with readings obtained using the Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT's) SCPT sensor which lacks a vertical-oriented component, (3) comparing the accuracy of depth estimates using three data interpretation methods, and (4) using simulated wave arrival data to study the effects of battered piles and pile taper on the accuracy of Parallel Seismic measurements. Data were collected from two bridge sites in Southeast Missouri (Route WW and Route U) for four piles at each site using two boreholes and two SCPT soundings at each site. Unfortunately, the depth of penetration of the boreholes and SCPT was not sufficient at one of the sites (Route WW) so most of the observations are from data collected at the Route U site. The interpretation methods applied to the data were a simple intersection method performed by eye, the intersection method with a depth correction applied, and a curve fitting method using a model of wave arrivals.
Changes in nucleus accumbens gene expression accompany sex specific suppression of voluntary physical activity in aromatase knockout mice
Authors:   , Shay Dusti Ann
Published: September 2024

Aromatase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the conversion of testosterone to estrogen and is highly conserved across species. Post-menopause, the aromatase enzyme (locally expressed in adipose tissue, bone, breast tissue, and brain) is the primary source of estradiol in females, as well as the sole source of estradiol in males throughout the lifespan. Notably, secondary sources of estrogens (e.g. phytoestrogens, 27- hydroxycholesterol) also bind estrogen receptors alpha and beta, but with lower affinity (Starkey, Li et al. 2018, Vieira-Potter, Cross et al. 2018). Loss of estrogen contributes to metabolic dysfunction, primarily in women, resulting in obesity and insulin resistance. Pharmacologic downregulation of aromatase activity via aromatase inhibitors is commonly used in males and females for treatment of diseases associated with estrogen (e.g. short stature in pubertal boys or adjuvant hormone therapy in postmenopausal breast cancer). However, the implications of suppression of aromatase on neurologic functions, such as cognition, memory, and mood, and even motivation for physical activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) brain region via alterations in dopamine signaling, are not entirely clear.