bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Damage Detection and Damage Localization in Bridges with Low-Density Instrumentations Using the Wave-Method: Application to a Shake-Table Tested Bridge
Authors:   California State University, Long Beach, Rahmani Mehran , Ji Xintong ,   California State University, Long Beach, Kiet Sovann Reach ,   California State University, Long Beach
Published: September 2022

This study presents a major development to the wave method, a methodology used for structural identification and monitoring. The research team tested the method for use in structural damage detection and damage localization in bridges, the latter being a challenging task. The main goal was to assess capability of the improved method by applying it to a shake-table-tested prototype bridge with sparse instrumentation. The bridge was a 4-span reinforced concrete structure comprising two columns at each bent (6 columns total) and a flat slab. It was tested to failure using seven biaxial excitations at its base. Availability of a robust and verified method, which can work with sparse recording stations, can be valuable for detecting damage in bridges soon after an earthquake. The proposed method in this study includes estimating the shear (cS) and the longitudinal (cL) wave velocities by fitting an equivalent uniform Timoshenko beam model in impulse response functions of the recorded acceleration response. The identification algorithm is enhanced by adding the model’s damping ratio to the unknown parameters, as well as performing the identification for a range of initial values to avoid early convergence to a local minimum. Finally, the research team detect damage in the bridge columns by monitoring trends in the identified shear wave velocities from one damaging event to another. A comprehensive comparison between the reductions in shear wave velocities and the actual observed damages in the bridge columns is presented. The results revealed that the reduction of cS is generally consistent with the observed distribution and severity of damage during each biaxial motion. At bents 1 and 3, cS is consistently reduced with the progression of damage. The trends correctly detected the onset of damage at bent 1 during biaxial 3, and damage in bent 3 during biaxial 4. The most significant reduction was caused by the last two biaxial motions in bents 1 and 3, also consistent with the surveyed damage. In bent 2 (middle bent), the reduction trend in cS was relatively minor, correctly showing minor damage at this bent. Based on these findings, the team concluded that the enhanced wave method presented in this study was capable of detecting damage in the bridge and identifying the location of the most severe damage. The proposed methodology is a fast and inexpensive tool for real-time or near real-time damage detection and localization in similar bridges, especially those with sparsely deployed accelerometers.
IDENTITAS MASYARAKAT ISLAM NUSANTARA
Authors: Amin Muhammad , Syukur Abdul , Pranata Novian
Published: September 2022

Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mengenal identitas masyarakat Islam Nusantara, Islam Wasathiyah dan Islam Berkemajuan melalui pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif. Data yang digunakan adalah buku, artikel jurnal dan media massa untuk menganalisis konsep Islam Wasathiyah dan Islam Berkemajuan.

Indonesia sebagai negara dengan populasi beragam Islam terbesar di dunia terkenal dengan Islam yang mampu menyatu dengan keragaman ras, agama dan budaya. Salah satu yang mempengaruhi adalah keberadaan organisasi Islam terbesar di Indonesia NU dan Muhammadiyah yang selalu berusaha menjunjung Islam Wasathiyah dan Islam Berkemajuan. Kalangan Islam secara umum menyepakati bahwa Islam Wasathiyah dan Islam Berkemajuan mampu membebaskan Nusantara dari kecenderungan radikalisme dan konflik keagamaan. Hasil tulisan ini menggambarkan kesadaran identitas Islam Nusantara mampu memberikan arah damai Islam yang dapat menyatu dengan perbedaan. Rekomendasinya adalah agar Islam asathiyah dan Islam Berkemajuan memberikan arah kebhinekaan yang didukung oleh organisasi Islam NU dan Muhammadiyah.
Holes in the atmosphere of the universe: An empirical qualitative study on mental models of students regarding black holes
Authors: Ubben Malte S. , Hartmann Johanna , Pusch Alexander
Published: September 2022

Black holes are both interesting to many students and are part of several school and university curricula. However, it has not yet been documented in detail what kind of mental models of black holes students have. As such, this study qualitatively reports on the mental models of 53 university students, most of them with a non-physics major. The gestalts of the mental models found were mostly disc shaped holes or black spheres, though some funnels or ellipsoids were also described by the students. As for the functionality, students associated attractive functions with a black hole, though more elaborate descriptions such as time dilation or gravitational lensing and Hawking radiation were also named. All university students described a kind of black hole creation, though not all knew about their change in time and only described growth or could not give founded reasons for the change. Several participants showed potential problems by seeing their mental model as a direct replica of reality and assumed that black holes were literally holes. Conceptual problems regarding things “behind” the holes were raised. The results show that many rudimentary properties of black holes are known to university students without explicit education in that field, and a surprising amount of physics quantities were associated with them, although things like density or mass were described inadequately in several cases. Though mental models of black holes were not documented this extensively before, parallels in thinking with mental models in other areas of physics could be observed, making the findings consistent with literature.
DO EXOGENOUS APPLICATION OF THIAMINE MITIGATES LOW SOIL BASE SATURATION EFFECTS ON BELL PEPPER PLANTS?
Authors: Vendruscolo Eduardo Pradi , Dantas Alves Vitória , Rodrigues Sant'Ana Gabriela , Pacheco de Almeida Prado Bortolheiro Fernanda , Battistuzzi Martins Murilo , De Castro Seron Cássio , De Souza Maria Ingrid , Dantas Thaise
Published: September 2022

The intensive use of land to produce vegetables results in high soil degradation and cultivated area. The use of techniques and resources that make production possible under unfavorable conditions can be decisive for agriculture. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the isolated and joint effects of liming and thiamine application on the development of bell pepper plants. The treatments consisted of three different soil base saturation (36, 60, and 80%), combined with foliar application of thiamine (with and without) at a concentration of 100 mg L-1. It was found that thiamine mitigates the effects of low base saturation on the physiological traits of bell pepper plants. The increments related to the water use efficiency and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency allowed greater development of plants treated with thiamine. In addition, the application of thiamine is advantageous in cases where planting is carried out under conditions of low base saturation, followed by an adequate supply of nutrients or systems in which there is a partial or total correction of the soil chemical characteristics, promoting the development of plants and increased physiological activity.
Program evaluation dashboard design and development for Missouri telehealth network show-me echo program
Authors:   , Arinze Paula
Published: September 2022

Background: The Show-Me ECHO Program is a state funded telehealth project, established in 2014, that connects interdisciplinary teams of experts with rural and isolated primary care providers (PCPs) and other professionals using videoconferencing and interactive case-based learning in an effort to develop advanced skills, best practices and ultimately improve patient care access, quality, and efficiency. Since inception, the Show-Me ECHO program has experienced rapid growth and expansion to over 40 ECHO topics, impacting all 114 Missouri Counties and over 2,300 health/community organizations. The exponential growth experienced by the ECHO model highlights a crucial need for adept program evaluation, reporting tools and resources which will facilitate the process of systematically examining the implementation, quality, impact, and value of the program. Objective: The objective of this project is to design and build data dashboards that support a macro-evaluation and management of Missouri Telehealth Network's Show-Me ECHO program and contributes to program improvement activities. Methods: A stakeholder identification and needs analysis was completed to ensure comprehensive measurement of program performance metrics. Show-Me ECHO program administrative data, clinic information, attendance records for participants and facilitators, case presentation metrics, didactic presentations, and more were extracted from MTN data repositories for the 2014-2021 period and analyzed for dashboard development. Data cleaning and preprocessing was conducted in a combination of Excel, Python and Tableau. The dashboards and other data visualization metrics were created in Tableau. Results: Data extraction generated a total of 70,910 observations across three reports ('Clinic Data', 'Didactic Presentation Data' and 'Patient Presentation Data'). Three preliminary dashboards -- "Show-Me ECHO Project Reach and Attendance" "Show-Me ECHO Project Overview" and "ECHO Clinic Performance Report" were established to provide Missouri Telehealth Network (MTN) teams and stakeholders detailed insight into growth and performance of the Show-Me ECHO project and support development and management of action plans. Conclusions: The constructed MTN Dashboards support organization efforts to establish a single unified approach to monitor program progress, identify and prioritize efforts and resource allocation, identify specific Missouri counties that may benefit from interventions and ECHO clinic expansions, and provide appropriate performance metrics that can be shared with both decision makers and relevant stakeholders. Future considerations for dashboard expansion include incorporating PCP self-efficacy and knowledge surveys and Claims data analysis to enable further tracking of Provider and Patient outcomes. A feasibility assessment of the implementation of dashboards at other superhubs for benchmarking and program outcome comparison studies should also be considered.
Imagining the future of classics pedagogy: an introductory-level, undergraduate course on Medea, intersectionality, and Beloved
Authors:   , Farahay Bridget
Published: September 2022

Over the past two years the field of Classics, alongside many other disciplines, has undergone a much more public and mainstream reckoning with its complicity in institutionalized racism and other discriminatory, even oppressive practices. While many folks in Classics have already been doing the work to make the field a more equitable space, this recent reckoning asks us to think critically about how we can work to dismantle oppression in our field and society at large--some even wonder if Classics can both exist viably in its current iteration and in a potential anti-oppression capacity. Thus, this project was an exercise of imagination: perhaps the best way to envision a Classics invested in anti-racism and anti-oppression was to envision a whole new Classics entirely. I sought to imagine and craft an introductory-level Classics course, where one's education in the ancient Mediterranean would be grounded in anti-racist, liberatory practices and frameworks. Medea is the focal point of the course due to her positionality as a foreigner, woman, sorceress, mother, etc. I argue that Medea's many iterations offer the classroom a unique way to examine intersectionality both in ancient Greco-Roman literature and our classroom's contemporary moment. Intersectionality is just one of the tools students will use to examine identity, power, oppression, and privilege and empower themselves against systems of oppression. Indeed the framework of this course is rooted in transformative justice and abolition, alongside critical pedagogy and Black and Brown feminist theory to work towards cultivating an equitable, inclusive environment that both addresses and repairs harm as well as commits to gratitude, microaffirmations, and other liberatory practices. Indeed, I found my gravitation around transformative justice tactics to be particularly radical in shaping how I envisioned my classroom community to operate--seeking to reimagine and transform the ways both the instructor and the students interact with one another to honor each other's humanity.
Queering CoMo: an exploratory case study of queer geographies in Columbia, Missouri between 1991-2021
Authors:   , Kammeyer Sarah Elizabeth
Published: September 2022

In an effort to continue bringing light to underrepresented queer histories and experiences, this exploratory project investigates and maps the queer geographies of Columbia, Missouri from 1991 through 2021. I argue that Columbia is an ideal site for research into queer geographies of small cities as it falls outside of the geographic parameters of similar studies. Building on a foundation of queer theory and queer geographic work engaging with lived queer experiences, this study uses semi-structured interviews and secondary archival and media research to identify spaces and places that have played significant roles for queer people in Columbia as well as individual experiences associated with said spaces and places. Themes collected through participant interviews show that the fluid and contradictory nature of queer experience is indeed present in Columbia's specific queer history and culture, with various queer identity groups experiencing place and space differently. Locations and associated times identified through these interviews were used to create digital maps that reveal geographic patterns and shifts over time. These maps show that the number of queer-intended spaces and places in Columbia has been decreasing since 1991, yet those spaces that do exist have moved increasingly closer to the central, high-visibility downtown area. I argue that these trends are due to both an increase in societal acceptance of queer people over time as well as the characteristics of Columbia as a unique place.
A mixed method approach to exploring landowner interest in woody plantings to integrate conservation and production on Missouri farms
Authors:   , Kronenberg Raelin
Published: September 2022

Agroforestry plantings can provide multiple benefits such as reduced soil erosion, decreased nutrient runoff, increased biodiversity, and greater farm income stability. This array of benefits makes them a promising ecologically based model for agricultural production that simultaneously achieves conservation goals. Despite the benefits conservation programs can provide, many landowners are hesitant to enroll and take land out of agricultural production. This study explores the potential to use food producing tree and shrub species, and/or incorporating cultural benefits like recreation and improved visual quality of the landscape, to increase the likelihood landowners in Missouri would commit to a conservation program. Conservation professionals across the state were interviewed to gather in-depth knowledge on the types of conservation planting designs that include trees and shrubs, conservation agency knowledge and promotion of agroforestry practices, and the relationships between landowners and conservation agencies. The interviews provided direction for a statewide survey to collect landowner perspectives and preferences for different planting plans for their farm and captured their interest in participating in conservation programs to assist in the planting of trees and shrubs on their land. Together, this information helps highlight the opportunities for incorporating agroforestry plantings in conservation programs.
Estimation of crop residue cover in high-resolution RGB images using features from a pre-trained convolutional neural network
Authors:   , Lagaunne Timotius Andrean Patrick
Published: September 2022

Plant residue on the soil surface increases the sustainability food and fiber production in agricultural systems. Automated assessments of residue cover based on imagery has the potential to reduce labor and human bias associated with in-field measurements. Our objective was to evaluate the capacity of a transfer learning strategy to improve estimates of residue cover derived from high-resolution RGB images. The imagery for the project was collected from 88 locations in 40 row crop fields in five Missouri counties between mid-April and early July in 2018 and 2019. At each field location, 50 contiguous 0.3 m x 0.2 m region of interest (ROI) images (ground sampling distance of 0.014 cm pixel-1) were extracted from imagery resulting in a dataset of 4,400 ROI images; 3,000 used for cross validation and training (data collected in 2018) and 1,400 used for testing (data collected in 2019). The percent residue for each ROI image (ground truth) was determined by a bullseye grid method (n = 100). Features were extracted from ROI images using the VGGNet16 model, a convolutional neural network model. To reduce feature numbers, we averaged the features based on each kernel resulting 1,472 feature dataset per ROI. After the extraction, we compared three feature selection strategies: recursive feature elimination support vector machine classification (RFE-SVM), sequential forward feature selection classification (SFFS-SVM) and forward regression feature selection (FRFS). Best locations outcomes were obtained with RFE-SVM (r2 = 0.93, MAE = 4.9, with three outliers) and FRFS (r2 = 0.94, MAE = 5.2, with two outliers). The three models had no apparent pattern of correlation among selected features and limited overlap in outliers suggesting unique characteristics among the three selected feature sets. These results were superior to previous research based the same data set using 70 manually extracted known features. This suggested that transfer learning through features extracted from VGGNet16 pre-trained on ImageNet was a successful strategy for estimating residue cover. This research also confirmed the utility of high-resolution RGB imagery to quantify residue cover in agricultural systems.
Preservation and bias in the Cambrian fossil record
Authors:   , Leibach Wade William
Published: September 2022

Paleontology views deep time ecosystems through a taphonomic lens, biased and restricted by the controls enacted on each fossil deposit by various environmental factors, and including chemical and biological variables. Human-induced bias has recently been acknowledged as an additional layer of complexity, contributing further inconsistencies of our understanding of metazoan diversity in deep time. The Cambrian Haiyan Lagerstatte of Yunnan, China, examined in Chapter 2, preserves an exceptionally diverse biota, with many of its soft-bodied and biomineralized organisms being preserved via pervasive pyritization with associated carbon films. The exceptional pyritization of many soft-bodied organisms--which otherwise may not have been preserved--shows that this ecosystem is an exceptional repository of Cambrian biodiversity, but there remains uncertainty in the regional application of this mode of preservation. On the other hand, the biotas of the Marjum, Wheeler, Weeks formations and Spence Shale Lagerstatte of the western U.S. show significant discrepancies in the diversity of each deposit when the published taxonomic record of these Lagerstatten is compared to the taxonomic record of those formations deposited in publicly available collections. As detailed in Chapter 1, this shows that, while the diversity of deep time ecosystems may be conserved and well-represented in some cases, the published representation of those ecosystems is inherently flawed.
Analyzing access: an analysis of food desert coverage during COVID-19
Authors:   , Magee Fairrionna
Published: September 2022

This study explored the ways in which food desert coverage was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the research was to analyze reporting patterns such as themes, use of race, and sourcing practices to understand the journalistic nature of food desert reporting. The analysis found emerging themes that were present in the reporting and journalistic devices that were used to develop the themes. There was a total of 85 articles analyzed from various publications around the United States. This thesis aimed to identify the ways in which food deserts in the United States are covered being that millions of Americans live in these designated areas. The results show that themes centered on financial context, agriculture, community, and vulnerability were present throughout the analysis.
Die Judenbuche: an epically inspired anti-epic?
Authors:   , Morgan Rachel
Published: September 2022

Annette von Droste-Hulshoff's 1842 Novella, Die Judenbuche is considered one of the richest pieces of German literature. An author between Romanticism and Realism, Droste-Hulshoff combines vivid aspects of the Romantic tradition as well as captures a Realist depiction of life in a small, repressive German village in Westphalia. Because of the many different themes within the novella, as well as the combination of Romantic and Realist elements placing the text within a single genre has been quite difficult. While she herself described Die Judenbuche as a criminal novel, many scholars have contested this assertion, claiming it belongs to Biedermeier or various other genres. Droste-Hulshoff also includes references and allusions to both The Odyssey and the Four Biblical Gospels which come together to form a rich and layered narrative with much to analyze and unpack This thesis will analyze the text through the lens of genre, arguing that Droste-Hulshoff's text can be read as an anti-epic which subverts, and challenges, the epic elements set forth by Homer's The Odyssey as well as the Four Biblical Gospels. By examining the various characters, symbols, and motifs, which overlap with both The Odyssey and The Gospels, I will argue Droste-Hulshoff's novella is not only a mere criminal story, but also an epically inspired anti-epic situated within the heart of Westphalia in depths of the Westphalian forest.
Assessing the impact of the 1918/1919 influenza pandemic in Missouri counties heavily involved in lead-zinc mining
Authors:   , Ramirez Hailey
Published: September 2022

Occupational concentrations within regions have the capability to influence infectious disease transmission as they shape the way humans interact within a community. The 1918 influenza pandemic is widely discussed as the "World's Most Deadly Pandemic" (Feehan and Apostolopoulos, 2021), but little is known about how rural communities were impacted by the pandemic. Through historical data collection and analysis, this project assesses the impact of the occupational risk of mining on influenza transmission and severity during the pandemic within three rural mining districts in the state of Missouri, USA: the Tri-State District, Central District, and Old Lead Belt. Missouri mines supplied much of the lead produced during this time, with many Missourians working in closed workspaces in close proximity to each other within the mining operations. Although each district had similar high prevalences of the same occupation, they varied substantially in socioeconomic and demographic characteristics such as population density and access to healthcare. This study suggests that factors such as these allowed for variation in disease burden between mining districts to develop. The Tri-State District experienced the largest disease burden of all mining districts, followed by the Old Lead Belt. The Central District experienced the least and was the only mining district to have lower standardized mortality outcomes on average compared to the state of Missouri. These results indicate that the presence of mining may have increased disease prevalence in certain areas, in conjunction with additional demographic factors that influence disease spread. The results and methodologies from this study have the potential to be applied to other real-world situations, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and provide insight for public health officials to make informed decisions that have the potential to improve population-level health outcomes.
Accumulation: embroidery palimpsests
Authors:   , Sanza Tavia
Published: September 2022

My work explores concepts related to temporal degradation and the impulse to preserve. Through the gradual accretion of fibrous material over extended periods of time, I produce stratified composite structures which serve as metaphors for material cultural advancement and highlight the role of decoration in examining the past, particularly its ability to mark an epoch. The various methodologies employed to examine my embroidered structures focus on isolating their components and contrasting the documentation of the object with the object itself. Finally, I employ a diachronic perspective that uses the accumulation of indexical marks to represent the passage of time. My work highlights the symbiotic relationship between physical object, data, and analytical structures, as well as the futile, but captivating, drive for historical truth in the face of inexorable decay.
Natural language models for protein predictions using anti-CRISPR as a case
Authors:   , Wang WeiWei
Published: September 2022

Acr proteins (Acrs) can inactivate the bacterial host's CRISPR-Cas defense system and promote bacteriophage infection. The discovery of Acr proteins creates a promising system to precisely control the CRISPR-Cas machinery for the development of CRISPRCas based biotechnological tools, i.e., gene editing. These proteins are widespread amongst bacteriophages and past studies have identified several Acrs, but a challenge still exists to comprehensively identify Acrs accurately and efficiently from genome and metagenome sequence data. Here, we have developed two deep-learning-based predictors to accurately identify Acrs from protein datasets derived from genome and metagenome sequencing projects. One is an attention-based supervised learning model with an ensemble framework. The other is a self-supervised learning model, which uses Variance, Invariance and Covariance regularization terms in the loss function to explicitly achieve outstanding feature extraction goals using discriminative learning. The input to both models is fullycollected and well-designed protein sequences. Extensive cross-validation and independent tests show that both of them achieve more accurate performance compared with homologybased baseline predictors and the existing toolkit.
Idealization of intimate partner violence in romantic relationships: examining the role of television's influence on endorsement of controlling behaviors
Authors:   , Adams Kelly L.
Published: September 2022

Media messages of romantic relationships are prevalent, and these messages can influence how individuals behave in their romantic relationships, as well as influencing scripts and schemas about specific relationship behaviors. Young adults are particularly susceptible to media messages, especially when they are actively seeking messages to learn information about romantic relationships (Bachen and Illouz, 1996). Intimate partner violence (IPV) behaviors are ones that young adults are exposed to in media, even in popular television shows and films. IPV occurs in roughly 20-33 percent of college student dating relationships (e.g., Smith et al, 2005) and is a major public health concern (O'Leary et al., 2008; Zurbriggen, 2009). In the current study, participants were exposed to one of five conditions in a 2 x 2 experiment with a control condition, where relationship behavior (e.g., autonomy-promoting or controlling IPV) and framing of the behavior (e.g., idealized or condemned) were manipulated in clips from popular television programs. Participants then reported on their identification with one of the main characters, self-efficacy of performing both relationship behaviors, third person perceptions, and finally endorsement of both relationship behaviors, in addition to demographic items. The results demonstrated that young adults who viewed the controlling IPV behaviors, especially when those behaviors were condemned by the main female character, were more likely to endorse autonomy-promoting behaviors in relationships. Results also demonstrated that the more individuals consumed media, the more they believed others were more affected by media messages (e.g., third person perception) and this led to greater endorsement of autonomy-promoting behaviors. The main findings and implications are discussed, as well as future directions for both scholars and practitioners.
Teacher perceptions of ADHD causality implication for educational leaders
Authors:   , Bartels Corbyn
Published: September 2022

Students who exhibit behaviors commonly associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at risk for academic struggles and impaired relationships, often needing targeted interventions to be successful. While research supports the need for using interventions to improve classroom performance for students impacted by ADHD, it does not show if there is a relationship between the interventions a teacher uses or believes are effective and a teacher's perception of ADHD causality. Therefore, this study examined if there was a relationship. The data showed when a teacher feels something in the student's body is causing symptoms of ADHD, they are more willing to provide school-based supports. The data also showed when a teacher feels the child has more of a choice in their behaviors, the teacher is less likely to provide school-based supports. The data also showed that as the teacher's perception of a biological cause increased, they assumed more responsibility in providing interventions for the student. In addition, as the teacher's perception of an environmental cause increased, they placed increased responsibility on the child's family for interventions. Administrators can best support students impacted by ADHD by being proactive in advocating for stronger family and community partnerships and ensuring school-based interventions are being used with fidelity.
Reddit news fandoms as digital news literacies: structuring the evaluation of information sources in a challenging information ecosystem
Authors:   , Bent Elizabeth O.
Published: September 2022

Journalism is in crisis. There is consensus that this crisis is driven by four principal factors -- the overcrowded media sphere, the failing funding model of news, declining trust in media, and growing partisanship among news audiences -- yet there is little agreement about how to correct the course, but journalism's relationship to its audience is at the heart of the solution (Nelson, 2021). Digital environments, such as social media site Reddit, offer a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between journalism and its audience as these environments also complicate that relationship. Reddit offers a visible look at the discursive labor of journalists and their audience as they apply their news literacies to work for journalism as critics, boundary makers, and fans. This discourse analysis explores the meaning making work of journalists and news audiences engaging in Ask Me Anything (A.M.A.) discussions on Reddit's World News board. Findings indicate that the hyperliterate news fans on World News generate surprisingly traditional boundaries around journalism that rely heavily on normative expectations of journalism. This study complicates notions of how cultural capital is gained and expressed online and furthers knowledge and understanding of news fandoms and news literacies in action.
El negro en Colombia: posici�n social y relaci�n con su ambiente socioecon�mico en las novelas Chambac� corral de negro y Socav�n
Authors:   , Cabarcas Camargo Michelle
Published: September 2022

The following doctoral thesis explores the historical and literary context in the novels Chambac�, Black Slum, Manuel Zapata Olivella and Socav�n, Helcias Martan Gongora. The document is presented as an analysis of the novels based on historical events in Colombian History. The close up to the novels must be understood starting in the literary Boom in Latin America until the postmodern literature. That will give the reader the appropriate tools to interpret the different folklorik representations such as poems, songs and legends found in the two novels that are studied in the text. It is relevant to denote that both novels point to the reconstruction of the diaspora in the History and daily life of Afro-colombian societies.
Development of antimicrobial composite materials for food packaging applications
Authors:   , Choo Kai Wen
Published: September 2022

Due to increasing environmental concerns regarding plastic waste, the development of composite film materials from biodegradable polymers and natural food additives is gaining more attention. Over the last few decades, the safety of synthetic additives that are commonly added as food additives has also been questioned because of their potential toxicity, carcinogenicity and teratogenicity effects. Natural antimicrobial agent could be a promising and versatile component in food packaging materials to improve their physiochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and hence, improve food quality and shelf life. In this study, novel chitosan/acetylated starch and polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan composite films were developed via a solution casting technique. In addition, a novel Escherichia phage, CAM-21, was isolated from a slurry lagoon at a local dairy farm before incorporating into soy protein isolate-based films. The results indicate that the chitosan/acetylated starch films incorporated with cinnamon and clove essential oils displayed enhanced light, water vapor, and oxygen barrier characteristics, as well as excellent antibacterial activity against spoilage bacteria and the pathogen, Escherichia coli O157:H7, on beef. Polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan films incorporated with aminosilane-modified bacterial nanocellulose and 4-hexylresorcinol exhibited improved mechanical, water vapor barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties against spoilage bacteria on vacuum packaged refrigerated raw beef. Also, CAM-21 has a broad host spectrum against various serotypes of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The growth of E. coli O157:H7 was effectively controlled in phage-treated milk, ground beef and baby spinach. Soy protein isolate films incorporated with CAM-21 showed excellent antimicrobial activity against E. coli O157:H7 in broth and refrigerated beef products. This project demonstrates the potential application of natural antimicrobial agents to produce novel composite films for antimicrobial food packaging.
Flexible law: the impact of legislative resources on policy adoption
Authors:   , Dorssom Elizabeth I.
Published: September 2022

Legislators require knowledge to pass legislation. However, it is not always easy for legislators to become fully informed about bills on the docket. The complexity of modern government, the size of the legislative agenda, and the demands of running for re-election make it impossible for legislators to become experts on each issue on which the government makes policy. As a result, they take cues and guidance from lobbyists (Hall and Deardorff 2006), committees (Krehbiel 1991), constituents (Jones and Baumgartner 2005), and each other (Kingdon 1989) to make decisions on bills as if they were fully informed. Despite these resources, legislators are not always well-informed about every bill under consideration in their legislature. Therefore, legislatures sometimes add sunset provisions to bills to allow for a test period. Prior research has not thoroughly examined how the lack of legislative resources impacts public policy adoption -- specifically, under what circumstances do legislators decide to attach sunset provisions to legislation? Using original datasets, this study finds that sunset provisions are used during times of legislative uncertainty, such as when legislatures are not fully institutionalized.
Factors impacting the longevity of principals in rural Missouri: perceptions of secondary principals
Authors:   , Kreifels Allison
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore factors that contribute to the retention of secondary school principals in rural settings in Missouri. The overarching research question this study sought to answer is: What factors increase longevity in secondary school principals in rural settings? The three conceptual underpinnings--rural education, the role of the principal, and principal retention--define important factors and converge to identify the gap existing in current literature. Using a survey, focus group, and interviews from rural school principals, this study found that the longevity of rural school principals is attributed to their skills in building relationships with students, parents, teachers, and community members, as well as multitasking. The study also confirmed the challenges faced by rural school principals discussed in previous literature. Considering this finding, principal preparation programs and professional organizations could better prepare principal candidates for rural schools.
Gold star motherhood: spectacle, emotion, and identity construction
Authors:   , Presson Brittany
Published: September 2022

This dissertation analyzes experiences of gold star mothers, spectacles of grief, grief politics, organizational embeddedness, and the use of discourses in sense making and social identity mapping of valor revolving around military service member loss. Gold star mothers are those who have lost a child that was serving in the United States military or died as a direct result from active duty in the military. This research takes a mixed method ethnographic approach through in-depth life history interviews, participant observation at four national conventions of gold star mothers over the course of six years, participant observation at local gold star fundraisers, an anonymous survey, and content analysis of the Gold Star Mothers Organization's website and media outlets. In this work, you will learn how the GSMO navigates multiple political landscapes while attending to both the business side of the corporation and the emotional side of being a service organization comprised of bereaved mothers.
In-situ detection of atrazine and its metabolites contamination in natural waters
Authors:   , Salahshoor Zahra
Published: September 2022

Water and soil contamination caused by extensive atrazine (ATZ) application in agriculture, could be a potential risk to the environment and human health. Common analytical methods are expensive and complex. A sensor for low-cost and simple detection of ATZ and its metabolites, deethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA), in aqueous solutions was developed by combining colloidal crystal with molecular imprinting technique. The sensor is formed by 3D interconnected macroporous structure with numerous nanocavities derived from ATZ and its metabolites imprinting in a thin polymeric film. The MIPs were fabricated with acrylic acid monomers crosslinked by ethylene glycol dimethacrylate with 4:1 molar ratio, polymerized under UV radiation initiated by azobisisobutyronitrile. The films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The MIPs were incubated in solutions of each target at variable concentrations. Target molecules were specifically absorbed in nanocavities and caused swelling in the polymer film resulting in changes of Bragg diffraction peak wavelength. Kinetic tests showed that rebinding equilibrium was reached within 20 minutes. The sensor had a dynamic range of 0.1 to 10 ppb for quantifying target analytes in aqueous solutions with limit of detection of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 ppb, and limit of quantification of 0.33, 0.66, and 1 ppb for ATZ, DEA, and DIA, respectively. Cross-reactivity tests were conducted in 1 and 5 ppb solutions combining all three targets and showed absence of positive interferences effects and low probability of false positives given by individual sensors. Ionic strength effect on MIPs investigation showed up to 26 percent decrease and 23 percent increase in MIP response for NaCl and CaCl2, respectively. Presence of NOM caused 28 percent and 35 percent increase in wavelength shift for NIPs and MIPs, respectively. Rinsing NIPs before measuring the reflectance spectra resulted in less increase in wavelength shift. Natural waters samples were collected after rain events and were characterized for physicochemical properties and the content of ATZ, DEA, and DIA to be eventually used for MIPs application in them. MIPs were examined in natural waters spiked with target molecules, showing good agreement with real concentrations of targets. The resulting molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) yields rapid and efficient detection of target molecules in aqueous solutions close to environmentally relevant concentrations.
The role of faculty in the implementation of an unfunded statewide curricular mandate
Authors:   , Strahan Lyndsey
Published: September 2022

This case study used qualitative research methods to examine the role faculty play in the application of a general education policy mandate in the state of Missouri. Senate bill 997 required that general education be transferable between all public colleges and universities in the state. To aid in this endeavor, a committee made of faculty representatives from those colleges and universities were to consult on that curriculum and review courses to be included in a shared set of general education courses. For this research, ten members of this committee responded to surveys, eight of those ten members were interviewed, and primary documents were analyzed to search for patterns in structure and power manifestation. This data was analyzed using Freire's (1970/2000) banking concept and Bolman and Deal's (2013) structural frame. The results were that faculty expertise was central to committee selection, but preparation for this work was not a priority. Additionally, selection processes for this committee were inconsistent. The curricular work for this committee was intense and came with little reward or structural support. Faculty expected the work to be more advisory instead of policy creation. And, there were many narratives of power. These findings indicate further investigation into the structure of faculty roles in policy work, especially in regard to curriculum, are needed.
Utilization and limitations of soil health metrics in Missouri corn production decisions
Authors:   , Svedin Jeffrey David
Published: September 2022

Soil health benefits are widely acknowledged but empirically-vetted connections to agronomic outcomes remain absent. Therefore, recommendations for on-farm soil health assessments and interpretation remain ambiguous. Empirical connections to two major outcomes remain absent, specifically row crop productivity and fertilizer recommendations. This dissertation investigates potential benefits from incorporating soil health indicators with established phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer recommendations, evaluates links between soil health indicators and corn grain productivity, and identifies optimal sampling depths and regional sensitivity to common conservation practices for seven unique soil health indicators. All results and conclusions derive from a dataset collected over three seasons (2018-2020) including 446 sample locations collected from 101 Mid-Missouri commercial row crop systems. Current P and K fertilizer recommendations accurately identified where fertilizer improved yield with 42 and 34 percent accuracy, respectively. No significant or measurable benefit occurred from incorporating soil health indicators with established P and K soil nutrient analysis when identifying nutrient deficiencies. Investigations into general productivity discovered an empirical relationship between potassium permanganate oxidizable carbon (or POXC) and grain yield. This relationship identified a POXC value of [greater than] 415 mg kg soil-1 where corn productivity was optimized. Further, POXC outperformed all other established soil analyses in predicting corn grain yield. Finally, regional sensitivity analysis of soil biological indicators of soil health identified important environmental and soil properties to consider when interpreting soil health assessments in Mid-Missouri. Recommendations were unique for each soil health assessment, with specific conservation practices and optimal sampling depth. In total, these results provide the needed groundwork connecting soil health with agronomic outcomes to support on-farm soil health interpretations.
Transition to Kindergarten: exploring concepts of worry, transition activities, and parent efficacy
Authors:   , Turley Danielle
Published: September 2022

Kindergarten entry is a significant -- and fairly common -- transition experienced by young children and their families. Put simply, it is often a drastic new experience for young children including new behavioral, social, and emotional demands and it remains difficult for many children (Cowan and Heming, 2005; Jiang, Justice, Purtell, Lin, and Logan, 2021; Latham, 2018). This adjustment is important because how well children adjust to their new academic context has implications for short- and long-term academic and social successes (e.g., Ahtola et al., 2011; Berger et al., 2017; Williams et al., 2020). While adults often act on behalf of young children to design and engage in transition supports during this time, with intentions to ease the transition, what remains largely unexamined is how children perceive their experience and how that may work in conjunction with adults' efforts. This study seeks to further explore children's worries, how worries are associated with outcomes, and how parent efficacy is associated with Kindergarten outcomes. This study utilized electronic surveys with a sample of 85 Missouri parents of current and previous-year Kindergartners.