bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence-based design utilized in hospital architecture and changing the design process: a hospital case study
Authors:   , Ding Suining
Published: April 2021

As a new paradigm in healthcare design in the 21st century, evidence-based design (EBD) has played a critical role in the changing hospital architectural design process and shaping new images of hospital architecture. Evidence-based design is research informed, and its results affect not only patients' clinical outcomes but also medical facility operational efficiency and its staff retention and satisfaction. This research investigated how EBD was implemented in hospital architectural design and how traditional design process was modified to incorporate credible research evidence through a case study at Grand River Hospital in the United States. This study took a qualitative approach with grounded theory methodology. The methods used for this research were multiple sources of data collection through document reviews, observations, and interviews. Findings revealed that the investigation for EBD needs to focus on environment-behavior studies especially in the development of explanatory theory. This study also recommended a modified cyclical design process model for integrating EBD. This redefined design process model requires collaborations with all stakeholders by adding visioning sessions, multiple design charrettes, mock-ups, and the functional performance evaluation to help to implement research evidence and make design decisions to achieve the best possible outcomes.
The role of college admissions representatives in the college application process by students' income and academic achievement
Authors:   , Zhou Enyu
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] College access is one of the most studied areas in higher education, and yet college enrollment rates remain problematically stratified by socioeconomic status (SES) (Baum, Ma, and Payea, 2013). Low-income high-achieving students apply to different sets of colleges compared to high-income high-achieving students. Most low-income highachievers do not apply to selective universities. The lack of information regarding the college application process, college cost and financial aid was a reason why low-income high-achieving students fail to apply to selective colleges (Hoxby and Avery, 2013; Hoxby and Turner, 2013). This study examined the relation between contact with college admissions representatives as a source of information and college choices by high school students. In particular, it focused on how these relations vary across the spectrum of SES and academic achievement groups. The sample for this study drawn from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This study used the Hossler and Gallagher (1987) three-stage college choice model, Perna's (2006a) multi-layer college choice model, and Tierney and Venegas' (2009) cultural ecological theory for its theoretical framework. This theoretical framework provided guidance to understand the relation between college information and college application behavior of high school students. Logistic regression, fixed effects, and propensity score weighting (PSW) models were used to examine the relation between contact with college admissions representatives and college application. These models by SES and academic achievement were also used to identify differential effects of contact with college representatives across SES and academic achievement. Overall interpretation of the results suggested that there was a positive relationship between contact with college admissions representatives and college application. Aligning with the literature, this study also found that students' demographic characteristics, academic preparedness and other information sources were strongly associated with the probability of college application. However, the influence of college representatives did not vary across SES and academic achievement significantly. Results of this study provided valuable insights on the role of college admissions representatives on college application, which can lead to better insights on improving college choice strategies for high school students. The study concluded with discussions and implications for theory, practice, and future research.
Sources of financial stress and its impact on undergraduate international student experience and retention process
Authors:   , Won Sho Eun
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This phenomenological study sought to explore how financial stress shaped the experiences and retention intentions of undergraduate international students in a large, public research university in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe financial stress and retention process as a lived experience of undergraduate international students. Seven international students were purposefully selected to participate in this study. A series of three separate in-depth interviews was conducted for each participant. I explored how they came to the United States, their adjustment experience, and their reflections on what being an international student meant to them. The findings offered participant profiles crafted from their life histories and a phenomenological analysis of their financial stress experiences. The essences of the experience of being international students involved facing financial burden, lack of knowledge of university billing system, lack of job and internship opportunity due to legal restrictions, and invisible pressure from families and friends in their home country. The findings of this study highlighted the necessity of reevaluating the limits and restriction that international students deal with every day for their college life and college finance, and rethinking how U.S. higher education institutions can assist and ease financial burden for them.
Strategic masculinity : a grounded theory examination of the discourse of masculinity for college men
Authors:   , Akers Kenneth M.
Published: April 2021

Masculinity is an experience that is angst ridden and stressful for young men in a modern world. The social pressure to perform dominant forms of masculinity along with intersectional issues such as race, sexual identity, and class complicates masculine identity processes. The author employed grounded theory to analyze the discourse of 25 college-age men to ascertain how men enact, negotiate, and manage masculinity. Utilizing the dual perspectives of Precarious Masculinity and Hegemonic Masculinity, the theory of Strategic Masculinity is offered as a communication-centered frame to examine the discourses of men in service of their masculine identity. The theory revealed that men strategically manage masculinity using a variety of strategies in varying contexts. Men engage in precarious discourses, rehabilitation efforts, and the experience of intersectional issues to negotiate personal masculinity. The theory also highlights men's use of gender capital to address challenges to their masculinity. Implications of Strategic Masculinity are discussed and avenues of future development of the model and further research are explored.
Inlet metering pump analysis and experimental evaluation with application for flow control
Authors:   , Ali Hasan H.
Published: April 2021

Axial piston pumps with variable volumetric displacement are often used to control flow and pressure in hydraulic systems. The displacement control mechanism in these pumps occupies significant space and accounts for significant cost in the pump design. Fixed displacement pumps have lower cost and a more compact design but suffer from significant energy consumption disadvantage due to the need for flow and pressure control by throttling flow and bypassing unused flow to pressures below the discharge pressure. An inlet metering valve (IMV) controlled pump marks a recent development in pumping technology for hydraulic systems. In this design, an inlet metering valve restricts inlet flow reducing inlet pressure so that the specific volume of the fluid is increased as it enters a fixed displacement pump. By altering the specific volume of the working fluid, the inlet metering valve permits precise control over the pump discharge flow. This study presents a theoretical model for inlet metering pump efficiency. The work considers additional sources of energy loss unique to the inlet metering system. Experimental results associated with inlet metering pump efficiency are presented. A comparison of the theoretical model and the experimental results is also included. It is determined that the current efficiency model accurately predicts efficiencies determined using experimental data. In addition, a velocity control system is considered which utilizes the inlet metering valve controlled pump. The stability and the performance of the velocity control system were studied for the open-loop and the closed-loop with a PID, H[infinity symbol], and a two degrees of freedom controllers. The simulation showed that the velocity control system is stable and has good performance characteristics.
Eph/ephrin involvement in skeletal muscle development and regeneration
Authors:   , Arnold Laura L.
Published: April 2021

Skeletal muscle development and regeneration is one of the best-described areas of vertebrate biology, due in large part to muscle cellsâ€™ characteristic sequence of specification, determination, and differentiation. However, many questions still remain open, including the relative extent to which intrinsic lineage factors, local interactions with other myogenic cells, and systemic physiological factors affect muscle cell identity and activity. Eph/ephrin signaling can promote proliferation or differentiation, survival or death, adhesion or deadhesion, and repulsion or attraction, depending on the molecular and cellular context. In skeletal muscle tissue, the activity of Eph/ephrins in development and regeneration is not yet fully explored. This dissertation describes experiments into the roles two different Eph proteins may play in mediating muscle development, homeostasis, and regeneration. The first, EphA7, appears to act during both muscle development and muscle regeneration in the adult to promote myogenic specification and hypertrophy. The second, EphA3, is differentially expressed by activated satellite cells residing on fast vs. slow muscle fibers, potentially in response to expression of an ephrin ligand (ephrin-A3) solely on slow myofibers. The final data chapter focuses on a mouse model in which overexpression of PGC-1a, a transcriptional coactivator that promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, induces a shift from glycolytic (typical of fast myofibers) to oxidative (typical of slow myofibers) metabolism in the skeletal muscle. We note that surprisingly, in spite of this physiological adaptation, the expression of fast vs. slow myosin heavy chain isoforms is not significantly altered. The focus of this work is on molecular and cellular factors affecting skeletal muscle morphogenesis and fiber type patterning during development, homeostasis and regeneration, and highlights the potential for juxtacrine interactions to direct these processes.
A study of elevated convection and its impacts on surface weather conditions
Authors:   , Kastman Joshua
Published: April 2021

Elevated convection is a vexing phenomenon that causes forecasting problems for both numerical weather prediction systems and human forecasters alike. It is frequently associated with heavy rain and can produce flash flooding. The conducive environment for elevated convection will be explored, with case studies presented, and will be compared to surface based convection. Comparisons of surface impacts (including lightning frequency, rainfall amounts and coverage) will be shown. It was observed during the Program for Research on Elevated Convection with Intense Precipitation (PRECIP) that synoptic warm fronts stalled out when elevated convection formed in an environment rich in downdraft convective available potential energy (DCAPE). Specific examples of this will be shown. It will also be shown that when DCIN was present boundary stalling did not occur. High resolution (3 km) simulations of observed elevated convection cases will be explored and differences in the solutions in which elevated convection caused a boundary to stall, or not stall will be highlighted.
Three tears for the red, white, and blue : self-realization of racial identity as a higher education administrator
Authors:   , Kateman Michael
Published: April 2021

A better understanding of one's racial identity can help eliminate racial injustice in higher education. Critical whiteness studies posit that white identity must be revealed. Using scholarly personal narrative, this study explored how self-realization of racial identity led to a more authentic acknowledgment of racial injustice, support for its elimination, and empathetic understanding of the injustices experienced by marginalized people. The personal narrative is that of a White, male higher education administrator, constructed around three data units, including student and professional experiences at the University of Missouri System. This study was prompted by two compelling questions posed by a professor: How can you love your country and be patriotic when it allowed by law chattel slavery? Would you trade places with a Black man? This study explores how racial identity can provide insight and inform strategies for higher education leaders who are seeking to eliminate racial injustice. Based on Helms's (1993) White racial identity development model, the research design uses a growth continuum informed by Conquergood's (1985) moral map to critically examine how a personal journey within the Black-White racial context led to greater, empathetic understanding of the racial injustices experienced by Black friends, classmates, colleagues, and others.
Brand believers : reconciling journalistic and organizational identity at a city magazine
Authors:   , Jenkins Joy M.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation uses an ethnographic case study to examine the perspectives and representational practices of local journalists through a case study of an award-winning city magazine, D Magazine in Dallas, Texas. The study assessed how staff members discursively constructed their journalistic identity within a geographically focused media organization. The study also considered the relationship between journalistic identity and organizational identity by addressing how the staff members described their surrounding community and their organization's function within it as well as how those understandings shaped D and its members. Lastly, the study used field theory to address how external and internal influences on newswork informed staff members' ideologies, routines, and perceptions of D's local function. The findings suggest that staff members operated within a networked hierarchy through which they collaborated both within individual publications and across departments while also fulfilling corporate needs for entrepreneurship and innovation. Within this environment, staff members balanced journalistic- and audience-oriented editorial emphases through reinforcing a city-magazine mentality that dictated and legitimized topic selection and content approaches. Lastly, the study recognized how D attracted and engaged various forms of capital while also shifting its focus to amassing civic capital as a means of manifesting its local agenda in tangible ways.
Design and gas sorption study of c-alkylresorcin[n]arene-based cocrystals
Authors:   , Jiang Shan
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Supramolecular chemistry is the study of how to form complexes through molecular self-assembly and intermolecular bonding. Our research group has been doing a lot supramolecular research based on macrocycles such as calixarenes, pyrogallolarenes and resorcinarens. This research is interested in formation of novel C-alkyresorcin[n]arene( n=4,6) based cocrystals. The basic plan is to design and synthesize cocrystals, then analyze the crystal structure via single crystal X-ray diffraction technique, and determine if the novel cocrystal has the ability to absorb gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Chapter two is about the cocrystallization of six different C-alkylresorcin[4]arene according the chain length and guest molecule 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol( PAN) in four solvent systems. Five successfully synthesized cocrystals' structure and synthesis are discussed. Chapter three talks how to use cocrystallization as a separation method to separate C-ethylresocin[6]arene from C-ethylresorcin[4]arene. Three noval C-ethylresorcin[6]arene based cocrystals from three different solvents are discussed. Chapter four investigates the cocrystallization between C-ethylresorcin[n]arene (n=4, 6) with 4, 4'-bipyridine. It discusses how solvent and component concentration affect such cocrystallization. Chapter five uses cocrystal formed from C-ethylresorcin[6]arene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane in acetone as the gas sorption candidate to test its ability to absorb gases after solvent removal. The conditions of removing solvents and gas sorption results are discussed.
I'm here, I'm listening : short stories
Authors:   , Julian Jennifer
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] I'm Here, I'm Listening is a creative dissertation that makes the case for non-realist speculation as a fundamental tool for creative writers. The collection's twelve short stories push against the boundaries of realism, borrowing from genre conventions found in historic fiction, fabulism, and sci-fi to investigate the uncanny intersection of ecology, technology, and the human experience. The critical introduction, "New Worlds, Green Futures," argues for the political potential in science fiction and speculative writing. It close reads two novels -- Margaret Atwood's Surfacing (1972) and Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being (2013) -- and argues that the cathartic instances of time travel in these novels serve to break down the societal limitations of gender, time, environment, and species. The creative component of the dissertation depicts variations on womanhood and loss. The stories' many female protagonists contend with missing parents, siblings, and partners, absences both physical and emotional. Non-realist and speculative genres highlight the estranging experience of mourning. Characters must navigate strange and perilous dystopias, and many face external conflicts typical of a Cold War era sci-fi film--mutant spiders, doorways to other dimensions, sentient plant people, and cyber-ghosts. At the same time, the collection hones in on these women's interior lives, exploring, not only what makes their world strange and surreal, but what sense of beauty can be found and what connections can be forged in the wake of their own personal apocalypses.
Chemical and biochemical properties of abasic site adducts and 6-thioguanine DNA cross-links in DNA
Authors:   , Lewis Calvin D.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] DNA is a macromolecular complex, composed of the nucleotides adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine interconnected by a phosphate backbone, that contains the genetic code for living organisms and viruses. Spontaneous and enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds that hold the coding nucleobases to the 2-deoxyribose-phosphate backbone of DNA results in the production of abasic (Ap) sites. These lesions are abundant in cellular DNA, and cellular Ap-containing DNA is damaging and may lead to cellular destruction if left unrepaired. Thus, efficient cellular DNA repair mechanisms that repair Ap sites have evolved in DNA containing organisms. The studies in this report examine the interaction between small molecules or naturally occurring DNA residues with Ap sites in duplex DNA. Experiments provide evidence that hydralazine binds to and forms a stable DNA lesion in single- and double-stranded DNA. Also, the hydralazine-DNA lesion is found to be a poor substrate for mammalian base excision repair enzymes such as Ap endonuclease and 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase. In addition, these studies provide preliminary evidence that hydralazine may potentiate the cytotoxicity of temozolomide in U87 cells. The investigation of the formation of cross-links between canonical DNA residues deoxyadenosine (dA) and deoxyguanosine (dG) with Ap sites is also explored. These experiments suggest that sequence effects contribute majorly to the cross-link yield in both dA- and dG-Ap site cross-links, especially when comparing central versus terminal cross-link locations. Here, this manuscript provides novel studies involving the interaction between DNA analog 6-thioguanine and opposing DNA bases in duplex oligonucleotide DNA.
A qualitative study exploring nurses' communication about patient safety
Authors:   , Anbari Allison Brandt
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that an increased number of bachelor's prepared nurses at the bedside improves patient safety and outcomes. However, these studies do not stratify their sample into four-year BSNs and ADN to BSN graduates. There must be underlying reasons why the BSN degree as an entirety (BSN, accelerated BSN, and ADN to BSN completion) improves patient care and outcomes, but a gap in the literature remains. To begin to address this gap, a qualitative study was conducted to investigate potential differences in patient safety meaning among differently educated nurses, specifically BSNs and ADN to BSNs graduates and to better understand how/if the advanced BSN education for ADNs enhanced their understanding of patient safety. Guided by the theory of Language Convergence/Meaning Divergence, interview data from 8 BSN and 8 ADN to BSN graduates were analyzed. Findings indicate there are two meaning levels, including understanding the meaning of patient safety at the local level as well as at the systemic level. The local level was where the meaning of patient safety is focused at the patient's bedside is regulated by the nurse. The systemic level encompasses the local level, but also includes the notion that health system factors such as policies and staffing are paramount to keeping patients safe. More frequently, ADN to BSN graduates' meaning of patient safety was at the local level, while BSNs' meaning centered at the systemic level. In addition, ADN to BSN graduates were asked to discuss components of their degree programs that they perceived to influence their ability to keep patients safe. The graduates pursued their degrees for career advancement purposes, and did not correlate the advanced degree with their ability to keep patients safe. Additional research is needed to further explore patient safety meaning differences among differently educated nurses and the potential impact those differences might have on patient care and outcomes.
Trouble in Zion : the radicalization of Mormon theology, 1831-1839
Authors:   , Bell Angela (Angela Dawn)
Published: April 2021

The Missouri Mormon War in the 1830s created hard feelings and distrust between Mormons and their Missouri neighbors for decades following the armed conflict. Mormons firmly believed they were targets of religious oppression, while Missourians claimed members of the religious group were foreigners who professed a fake religion. The connection of republican values and religious identity has often painted Missourians as non-religious, but religious leaders worked alongside political leaders to oust the Saints from the state. As a result, Mormon theology underwent a radicalization process that resulted in a significant divergence between the Mormon Church and other mainstream Protestant groups by the early 1840s. By the time the Saints built a new city in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Mormon Church was religiously unique and set apart from other denominations in antebellum America.
Coordination chemistry of actinides and fission products (lanthanides and molybdenum) with neutral or acidic phosphine oxide ligands
Authors:   , Breshears Andrew Thomas
Published: April 2021

Reprocessing in the nuclear fuel cycle is becoming essential considering the increasing demands for energy world-wide and the role nuclear energy will have in the future. Reprocessing not only aids in prolonging the supply of fissionable isotopes, but also strives to reduce the volume and mass of radioactive waste. However, there are various issues that must be addressed to make reprocessing viable. These issues are nuclear forensics/safeguards, optimization of reprocessing fuel cycles, and economic incentive to reprocess. This thesis aims to address these issues in the broader scope. Chapter 1 evaluated a phosphine oxide ligand for use as a safeguards signature in UREX or UREX variant. This chapter took advantage of the fluorescence properties of polyaromatic hydrocarbons as an in-situ marker. Chapter 2 investigated spectroscopic phenomenon that water creates with lanthanides bound to acidic organophosphorus ligands. The lanthanide coordination chemistry was probed using XAFS, fluorescence spectroscopy, DFT and UVVis spectroscopy. The results showed that for larger lanthanides water could coordinate inner sphere and change the absorption spectroscopy. Chapter 3 and 4 looked at the molybdenum chemistry with acidic organophosphorus ligands. Chapter 3 focused on the process efficiency of extracting and stripping molybdenum, while chapter 4 focused on the coordination chemistry of the process. Finally, appendix A did not focus on the chemistry side of reprocessing, but instead looked at the economic incentives of reprocessing if both actinides and non-radioactive fission products were separated and sold.
Molecular characterization of a congenital overgrowth syndrome induced by assisted reproduction
Authors:   , Chen Zhiyuan
Published: April 2021

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a congenital overgrowth condition with increased likelihood to develop childhood tumors. Children conceived with the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have an increased frequency to have BWS compared to naturally conceived individuals. In ruminants, the use of ART can induce a similar overgrowth condition that phenotypically recapitulates BWS, which is referred to as large offspring syndrome (LOS). It is believed that these two overgrowth conditions are the result of misregulation of a set of genes that are expressed only from the maternally- or paternally-inherited chromosomes. These genes are known as imprinted genes. In this dissertation, we demonstrate that multiple imprinted genes are misregulated in LOS, as in a subset of BWS. Further, we show that global misregulation of non-imprinted genes in addition to loss-of-imprinting characterizes LOS. Importantly, most of the genes with aberrant expression are not associated with differential DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification that can regulate gene expression. Our results lay the foundation to predict the occurrence of LOS and help understand the molecular mechanisms of these congenital overgrowth conditions.
Deep ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy as a tool for biomolecule analysis
Authors:   , Eagleburger Michael K.
Published: April 2021

Cholesterol is a major component of membranes, reducing their fluidity at higher concentrations. The UV Raman vibrational mode of the carbon-carbon double bond in cholesterol occurs at 1675 cm-1 is strongly resonance enhanced in deep ultraviolet resonance Raman (dUVRR) spectra of natural and model membranes at an excitation wavelength of 197 nm. DUVRR is a vibrational spectroscopic technique that is used to gather information on protein secondary structure and in this work is extended to study systems in the presence of the membrane component cholesterol and the cholesterol analog 5[alpha]-cholestan-3[beta]-o, which lacks the carbon-carbon double bond. DUVRR studies of melittin indicated that little loss of helical structure occurred with increasing temperature as was suggested by circular dichroism (CD), another structurally sensitive spectroscopic technique. A cholesterol analog was introduced to decrease the fluidity of membrane in a similar manner to cholesterol, while minimizing spectroscopic interference from the resonant enhanced carbon-carbon double bond vibration. With the introduction of the cholesterol analog a loss in helical structure of the melittin was seen in both the dUVRR and CD. Lipoproteins transport cholesterol through the blood stream. Studies have shown that an individual's lipoprotein levels are correlated with their risk of cardiovascular disease. The strongly resonantly enhanced dUVRR feature of the carbon-carbon double bond was used to quantify cholesterol in lipoprotein particles isolated from whole blood. Like cholesterol, unsaturated lipids give rise to a strongly enhanced vibrational mode in dUVRR spectra, which is slightly downshifted from that of cholesterol. The vibrational mode of unsaturated lipids occurs in the region of 1655-1661 cm-1, depending on the type of lipid. The feature arising from the unsaturated lipids was found to be sufficiently resolved from cholesterol's feature to allow quantitation of cholesterol in model membranes and lipoproteins. Isolation and characterization of lipoproteins is an emerging field as studies show that cardiovascular disease risk is a complex function of not just cholesterol and lipoprotein levels but also their size distribution. Spectroscopic methods are readily coupled with chromatographic techniques. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was employed to separate lipoproteins based on their size from a series of blood serum samples. Each volume fraction was spectroscopically characterized via dUVRR spectroscopy producing a two-way data matrix for each sample, which could then be analyzed using higher order multivariate methods. Parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) were employed to resolve the underlying spectroscopic and chromatographic profiles. The resolved profiles were attributed to lipid/cholesterol, protein and buffer components.
Genetic and molecular analysis of soybean cyst nematode virulence
Authors:   , Gardner Michael N.
Published: April 2021

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) Heterodera glycines is the most economically important pathogen of soybean, capable of causing large scale yield loss on a global scale. Current management practices utilize host resistance, but commercial resistance is limited to three main sources, the soybean plant introductions (PI) 54802 (Peking), 88788, and 437654. More than 95% of soybean grown in the north central United States have resistance derived from PI 88788 and repeated use of this resistance has led to the development of highly virulent nematode populations capable of infecting these resistant plants and causing yield losses. In order to identify the mode of inheritance for virulence on the three primary sources of resistance to SCN a controlled crossing study was performed, mating a highly virulent nematode (TN20) with an avirulent nematode (PA3). By monitoring the offspring of this cross it was found that depending on the source of host resistance, virulence is inherited in a dominant or a recessive manner except for virulence on PI 437654, which is likely a multigenic trait dependent on multiple recessive genes. A de novo transcriptome assembly was then generated for SCN and mined for novel stylet-secreted effectors, identifying a new pool of candidates that may play a role in virulence. Finally, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed across multiple SCN populations to identify conserved expression patterns and genes associated with virulence. Results from these studies will be used to improve current management practices for SCN and provide new potential targets for improving SCN resistance.
The effect of estrogen deficiency on learning and memory in two novel rat models of Alzheimer's disease
Authors:   , Klakotskaia Diana
Published: April 2021

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results in synaptic and neuronal loss in regions of the brain responsible for memory and cognition. To date, transgenic animal models have played a crucial role in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease. In the present studies, behavioral performance was assessed in two strains of transgenic rats that overexpress human beta amyloid precursor protein. After behavioral deficits were established, females were used to assess the effect of estrogen deficiency on these deficits. Previous research suggests an increased vulnerability for females to Alzheimer disease-like pathology; while the underlying causes for this are unclear, it has been suggested that estrogens have numerous neuroprotective effects and that the loss of estrogens during aging and menopause may accelerate disease-like pathology. Both types of transgenic rats showed behavioral deficits compared to age-matched non-transgenic control rats and estrogen deficiency exacerbated behavioral symptoms reflective of Alzheimer's disease.
When the evening comes : a novel, and And it begins like this : essays
Authors:   , McQueen LaTanya
Published: April 2021

When the Evening Comes explores African American experience in the rural North Carolina south. The book centers around the interracial relationship of two characters--Ben Groves and Mary Holden--after they find the body of a man left in an abandoned tobacco barn where they used to meet. They disagree over the decision to notify the authorities, a decision that leads to their breakup as Mary goes off to college and Ben is left behind to take care of his dying mother. After her death Ben learns that his birth father, a man he's never known, is black. Ben, who has always known himself to be white, is forced to reexamine his own identity as a biracial (but who can pass for white) man. This new understanding of his identity is a catalyst for him--he goes looking for Mary at her college where he navigates between roles as both a black and white-passing man, and becomes involved in the racial unrest on the campus. When the Evening Comes not only reconfigures the passing trope in a contemporary landscape, but revisits long-lasting questions pertaining to race that are embedded in our history. And It Begins Like This, weaves together personal anecdote, history, genealogy records, passages from the Bible, literary theory and criticism, and recollections to examine the generational effects of slavery as they relate to an understanding of black female identity.
Informatics strategies for risk stratification in population health management
Authors:   , Sheets Lincoln
Published: April 2021

Risk analysis and population health management can improve health outcomes, but improved risk stratification is needed to manage healthcare costs. Analysis of 157 publications on translational implementations of "risk stratification in population health management of chronic disease" showed a consensus that population health management and risk stratification can improve outcomes, but found uncertainty over best methods for risk prediction and controversy over the cost savings. The consensus of another 85 publications on the methodologies of "data mining for predictive healthcare analytics" was that clinically interpretable machine learning techniques are more appropriate than "black box" techniques for structured big data sources in healthcare, and the "area under the curve" of a prediction model's sensitivity versus one-minus-specificity is a standard and reliable way to measure the model's discrimination. This study used clinically interpretable machine-learning algorithms, combined with simple but powerful data analytic techniques such as cost analysis and data visualization, to evaluate and improve risk stratification for a managed patient population. This study retrospectively observed 10,000 mid-Missouri Medicare and Medicaid patients between 2012 and 2014. Cost and utilization analyses, statistical clustering, contrast mining, and logistic regression were used to identify patients within a managed population at risk for higher healthcare costs, demonstrate longitudinal changes in risk stratification, and characterize detailed differences between high-risk and low-risk patients. The two highest risk stratification tiers comprised only 21% of patients but accounted for 43% of prospective charges. Patients in the most expensive sub-cluster of the most expensive risk tier were nearly twice as costly as high-risk patients on average. Combining contrast mining with logistic regression predicted the most expensive 5% of patients with 84% accuracy, as measured by area under the curve. All the strategies used in this study, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, produced useful insights. By predicting the small number of patients who will incur the majority of healthcare expenses in terms that are clinically interpretable, these methods can support population health managers in focusing preventive and longitudinal care more effectively. These models, and similar models developed by integrating diverse informatics strategies, could improve health outcomes, delivery, and costs.
Soil wetting agents influences on soil hydrophobicity : the effects and mechanisms
Authors:   , Song Enzhan
Published: April 2021

Soil water repellency (SWR), which causes uneven water distribution in top soil, is a common problem for sandy soils, especially on sand-based growing media such as USGA (United States Golf Association) greens. The SWR is caused by wax-like organic substances coating on the surface of sand particles which repel water. Wetting agent, which are surface active agents or surfactants, have bi-affinity structure with water-loving (hydrophilic) and water-repellent (hydrophobic) groups on each end of the structure, is the primary tool for treatment of SWR. The hydrophobic end will attach wetting agent compounds with SWR coatings at the sand surface, thus facing the water-loving side towards outside and interact with surrounding water molecules. Wetting agents are developed with mainly two purposes: enhancement of water infiltration and improving water retention. More recently designed products also aim at potentially remove SWR causing organic coatings from the soil profile thus provide longer and more efficient wetting. However, previous studies conducted in turf area on wetting agents related topics often only looked at the treatment effects on turfgrass responses and overall turf performance. The objective of this dissertation study is to comprehensively investigate the direct wetting agents influences on soil hydrology (soil water movement), soil chemistry (hydrophobic organic coating removal), and soil microbiology (soil microbial community), with goal of explaining the working mechanisms of different wetting agents. Except pHAcid, most tested wetting agents mitigated SWR with either enhanced infiltration rate or reduced soil hydrophobicity. While the compounds of OARS strongly sorped into the SWR sand system and increased SWR, Matador successfully removed significant amount of non-dissolved organic materials from the SWR sand and transformed the sand to spontaneous wetting status. The soil microbial community was significantly influenced by the weather conditions, while wetting agents that enhanced infiltration (e.g. Hydro-Wet) potentially reduced soil water holding capacity and led to decreased soil microbial abundancy.
Paraxial application of auxiliary devices with waveguide mediated laser irradiation for applications in medical biophotonics
Authors:   , Whiteside Paul James Douglas
Published: April 2021

Laser-based medical applications offer minimally-invasive alternatives to traditional procedures; however, the simplistic method of open-air laser transmission poses ocular hazards and negative side effects, along with a fundamentally limited efficacy for patients of darker complexion due to strong optical absorption in the epidermis. Additionally, the traditional irradiation method also inhibits the incorporation of additional technologies that might otherwise enhance therapeutic effects or provide diagnostic benefits, as doing so would otherwise occlude the laser beam path. The research presented herein addresses each of these considerations individually, first by transmitting laser light into tissue through direct contact with a selective-release waveguide, and thereafter incorporating auxiliary equipment on its rear face. Metal clad planar optical waveguides are demonstrated for the transmission of laser light into samples of porcine skin through direct transmission, governed by scaling evanescent leaking through a designated active area by controlling thin film thickness. In one manifestation, an ultrasonic pulser was incorporated to modulate tissue optical properties and thereby improve transmission of light through epidermal and dermal tissues by increasing forward anisotropy; whereas in another, a high frequency ultrasonic transducer was incorporated to detect photoacoustically generated pressure waves to determine depth profiles of chromophores in skin as a foundation for clinical backward-mode photoacoustic tomography.
Differences in processing of interactive infographics on different screen sizes and interface types
Authors:   , Myers Rachel Lara
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This study investigated how the use of interactive media, specifically infographics, on touch screen devices of varying size affects the user's cognition. Such research fills a gap in research on both interactive graphics and touch screen interfaces. Two experiments were executed. In the first, a 3 (screen size) by 2 (interactivity), and the second, a 2 (interface type) by 2 (interactivity) experimental design with screen size and interface type tested between subjects and interactivity tested within subjects. Guided by Lang's (2000, 2006) Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing, cognition was measured based on the participant's encoding and storage of the information presented in the graphic. Multiple choice and open-ended questions related to information presented in the information graphic were used to measure encoding and storage. Psychophysiological measures of heart rate and skin conductance were recorded to measure participant's levels of attention and arousal throughout exposure to the infographics. Additionally, self-report questions were used to determine the participant's perception of the graphic, its content, and the site hosting the graphic, as well as how "interactive" they judged the graphic was. The results of these studies provide valuable insight into how individuals react to interactive media displayed on mobile devices. With the drastic increase in use of touch-based tablets and phones seen since the introduction of these products, the results from this project are a valuable resource in considering how to go about designing media that incorporate capabilities inherent in the touch screen interfaces of these devices.
Genetic linkage of multiple modifications in the pig
Authors:   , Beaton Benjamin Paul
Published: April 2021

Genetic engineering facilitates heritable modification of target genomes. Modifications can be site-specific or random. Though inefficient, homologous recombination allows for precise genome modification. Random integration can be very efficient, but lacks the opportunity to control the orientation and location of the introduced DNA. Thus, an efficient method for site-specific integration into a predetermined location would have utility. The ability to precisely modify the genome has and will continue to have profound effects in the fields of agriculture and human medicine. The current protocols used are effective, but additional enhancements in the efficiencies are desirable. In particular, any added efficiency to modify the genomes in livestock species will have a profound impact. This is due in large part to the expenses related to husbandry of large animals in comparison to that of small animals. The aim of this dissertation was to develop an efficient system(s) to precisely modify the pig genome and to develop a system(s) that would link multiple modifications, both a gene knockout and additional transgenes. There were three main topics that were evaluated: 1) Phic31 recombinase-mediated gene stacking in pigs, 2) the effect of donor DNA length in nuclease-mediated gene targeting, and 3) CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene stacking and gene targeting.
Electronic health record system implementation processes at critical access hospitals
Authors:   , Craven Catherine Kershaw
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The US government allocated $30 billion to implement electronic health records (EHRs) in hospitals and provider practices through policy addressing Meaningful Use (MU). Most small, rural hospitals, particularly those designated as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), comprising nearly a quarter of US hospitals, had not implemented EHRs before. Little is known about implementation in this setting. Socio-technical factors differ between larger hospitals and CAHs, which continue to lag behind other hospitals in EHR adoption. Qualitative methods employing Glaserian Grounded Theory were used to develop question protocols and conduct 69 interviews and eight focus groups onsite at four CAHs in Arkansas (1), Kansas (2), and Tennessee (1) where staff were undertaking EHR implementation. In addition, 41 phone interviews were conducted with a spectrum of implementation experts, including newly-minted peer-experts from 10 additional CAHs, who had completed EHR implementations. Twenty-eight themes emerged from coding and analysis. Key barriers and facilitators for EHR implementation at CAHs were identified, and a prospective implementation framework for hospitals for these and similar, small rural hospitals was developed, with additional recommendations for ehealth policy makers and other stakeholders.
Development of a flow-based predictive model for the coalescence of fused deposition modeling filaments
Authors:   , Graybill Brian
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] As rapid prototyping processes continue to be developed, there is increasing use of such processes for the production of end-use parts. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a particularly favorable method for fabricating end-use parts because of the wide selection of materials available for the process such as Ultem 9085, prized by the aerospace industry for its high strength-to-weight ratio. To confidently employ FDM parts in service requires a thorough understanding of their behavior under expected loading conditions and the ability to predict their success for failure in a particular application. The strength of an FDM part is derived from the amount of bonding that occurs between the polymer filaments as they are deposited. Thus, an accurate prediction of this bond length should lead naturally to an accurate prediction of part strength. Models simulating the heat transfer and coalescence experienced by a pair of adjacent filaments are developed and presented. The models are executed across a range of build parameters to help determine flexibility, and provide a value for the predicted bond length. To validate the models, FDM parts are built from Ultem 9085, cross sectioned, and imaged. The images allow measurements of actual bond lengths to be obtained. The measured bond lengths are compared to the predicted bond lengths. Only a select number of bond lengths measurements are obtained because of variations in microstructure corresponding to various build parameters. A predictive accuracy of 95 % is desired, but the model is unable to achieve it due to estimates of critical data that is unavailable and the variability inherent in the FDM process. However, the simulations provide a significant foundation for future modeling efforts aimed at providing a model capable of predicting bond lengths, and therefore strengths, of FDM parts.