bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Hearing Loss on Clinical Dementia and Preclinical Cognitive Impairment in Later Life
Authors: Choi Joon Yul , Lee Seunghyun , Lee Wanhyung
Published: April 2021

Background: Dementia and cognitive impairment were significantly associated with hearing loss. The impact of hearing loss on dementia and cognitive impairment is understudied, particularly for different effect on cognitive impairment according to types of hearing loss. Objective: The present study was conducted to elucidate the association between clinically diagnosed dementia and hearing loss with consideration of the type of hearing loss among an elderly population, and to explore the effects of different types of hearing loss on preclinical cognitive impairment. Methods: Data (n = 59,675) from the Korean National Health Insurance Service–Health Screening were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for cognitive impairment according to type of hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural, mixed, and noise-induced hearing losses, and presbycusis). Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire-Prescreening (KDSQ-P). Results: Cognitive impairment was significantly associated with conductive (OR: 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20–1.77), sensorineural (OR: 1.23, CI: 1.12–1.36), and noise-induced hearing loss (OR: 1.32, CI: 1.12–1.56), and presbycusis (OR: 1.53, CI: 1.25–1.87). Among participants scoring positive on the KDSQ-P (score≥4), the KDSQ-P score was significantly elevated in the mixed and noise-induced hearing loss groups. Conclusion: This study revealed a significant correlation between different types of hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Noise-induced hearing loss is especially important because it occurs earlier than other types of hearing loss and has large effects on cognitive impairment.
Monolingual Consumers’ Reactions in Cyber Market to GCCP, FCCP, and LCCP Ad Appeals in Taiwan
Authors: Fong Cher-Min , Shu Ming-Hung , Chung Chao-Cheng , Tsai Tung-Lin , Sun I-Sheng , Wang Hui-Wen , Hsieh Pei-Chun
Published: April 2021

This study takes the product ethnicity perspective to investigate how monolingual Taiwanese consumers respond to products from developed countries when the consumer culture positioning (CCP) is global versus foreign versus local. Our experiment has a 2 (high vs. low fit of product ethnicity) × 3 (global vs. foreign vs. local ad appeal) design. Two mediating mechanisms are introduced to explain how ad fluency and brand information credibility impact ad effectiveness. These findings provide insights regarding the impact of a product’s country of origin and have implications for international marketing and advertising strategies.
Redox reaction on homomorphism of fuzzy hyperlattice ordered group
Authors: Preethi D. , Vimala J.
Published: April 2021

This paper introduces the concept of homomorphism on fuzzy hyperlattice ordered group ( FHLOG ) . It studies how the binary and the fuzzy hyperoperations of a FHLOG can be transformed into the binary and the fuzzy hyperoperations of another FHLOG . The notion of fuzzy hypercongruence relation on FHLOG is also defined. The paper also establishes the redox reaction of copper, gold and americium forms three FHLOG s. Besides, homomorphism and composition function of FHLOG s using the redox reactions are developed. Therefore, the paper develops a relation among three different metal’s redox reactions in which the binary and the fuzzy hyperoperations, are preserved.
Certain types of fuzzy soft β-covering based fuzzy rough sets with application to decision-making
Authors: Nawar Ashraf S. , Atef Mohammed , Khalil Ahmed Mostafa
Published: April 2021

The aim of this paper is to introduce and study different kinds of fuzzy soft β-neighborhoods called fuzzy soft β-adhesion neighborhoods and to analyze some of their properties. Further, the concepts of soft β-adhesion neighborhoods are investigated and the related properties are studied. Then, we present new kinds of lower and upper approximations by means of different fuzzy soft β-neighborhoods. The relationships among our models (i.e., Definitions 3.9, 3.12, 3.15 and 3.18) and Zhang models [48] are also discussed. Finally, we construct an algorithm based on Definition 3.12, when k = 1 to solve the decision-making problems and illustrate its applicability through a numerical example.
Effectiveness measure for TAO model of three-way decisions with interval set
Authors: Jiang Chunmao , Guo Doudou , Sun Lijuan
Published: April 2021

The basic idea of the three-way decisions (3WD) is ‘thinking in threes.’ The TAO (trisecting-acting-outcome) model of 3WD includes three components, trisect a whole into three reasonable regions, devise a corresponding strategy on the trisection, and measure the effectiveness of the outcome. By reviewing existing studies, we found that only a few papers touch upon the third component, i.e., measure the effect. This paper’s principal aim is to present an effectiveness measure framework consisting of three parts: a specific TAO model - Change-based TAO model, interval sets, and utility functions with unique characteristics. Specifically, the change-based TAO model provides a method to measure effectiveness based on the difference before and after applying a strategy or an action. First, we use interval sets to represent these changes when a strategy or an action is applied. These changes correspond to three different intervals. Second, we use the utility measurement method to figure out three change intervals. Namely, different utility measures correspond to the different intervals, concave utility metric, direct utility metric, and convex utility metric, respectively. Third, it aggregates the toll utility through the joint of the three utilities mentioned above. The weights among these three are adjusted by a dual expected utility function that conveys the decision-makers’ preferences. We give an example and experiment highlighting the validity and practicability of the utility measure method in the change-based TAO model of three-way decisions.
Negative Effects of COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Mandates on Physical Intervention Outcomes: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Templeton John Michael , Poellabauer Christian , Schneider Sandra
Published: April 2021

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beneficial physical intervention classes for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) were cancelled. Objective: To understand effects of the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate and the inability to participate in recommended and structured physical interventions as a consequence of these mandates, specifically designed mobile assessments were used that collected both self-reporting information and objective task-based metrics of neurocognitive functions to assess symptom changes for individuals with PD. Methods: Self-reporting questionnaires focusing on overall quality of life (e.g., when individuals typically feel at their best, changes in activity levels, and symptom progression) were given to all individuals (n = 28). In addition, mobile-based neurocognitive assessments were administered to a subset of the population (n = 8) to quantitatively assess changes due to COVID-19 restrictions. Results: The highest self-reported factors in which individuals denoted feeling their best were after exercise (67.86%) and being in a comfortable and supportive environment (60.71%). Objective measures found overall duration of physical activity during the stay-at-home mandate decreased significantly (p = 0.022). With the lack of overall activity, 82.14%of individuals self-reported having at least one symptom that worsened moderately or higher. Further testing, using mobile-based assessments, showed average completion times of functional tasks increased, taking about 2.1 times longer, while accuracy metrics showed overall degradation. Conclusion: Although the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate was intended to help protect individuals at high risk from coming into contact with the virus, it also prevented individuals from receiving recommended supervised exercise interventions resulting in significant negative effects in social well-being and across motor and speech neurocognitive tasks for individuals with PD.
An assessment of ergonomic issues in the home offices of university employees sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Gerding Thomas , Syck Megan , Daniel Denise , Naylor Jennifer , Kotowski Susan E. , Gillespie Gordon L. , Freeman Andrew M. , Huston Thomas R. , Davis Kermit G.
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: As millions of workers have shifted to telework, special accommodations for workers with respect to ergonomics may be required to ensure the workforce remains healthy. METHODS: A survey about home office ergonomics and discomfort was sent to faculty, staff, and administrators by email and was completed by 843 individuals. RESULTS: Over 40%of the participants reported moderate to severe discomfort (severe low/middle back pain, moderate discomfort in eyes/neck/head, and discomfort in the upper back/shoulders). Laptops (always and often) were widely used (85%) with most using the laptop monitor (55%) of all respondents. Further, less than 45%of the seating conditions were reported as having adjustable arm rests. CONCLUSION: As teleworking in makeshift offices becomes more common, the risk of significant discomfort and potentially more serious musculoskeletal disorders may result from poor static postures. Companies may need to accommodate workers by allowing them to take home office chairs, external monitors, keyboards, and mice as laptops are insufficient, ergonomically.
Incidence of type II workplace violence in Catalan nursing homes
Authors: Vidal-Martí Cristina
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: Nursing home professionals belong to one of the most vulnerable occupational groups when it comes to type II workplace violence. Cared-for elders carry out violent actions that affect both the health of professionals and the organisation and services provided in nursing homes. Taking notice of this phenomenon and getting to know its magnitude is the first step for preventive action and intervention to take place. In Catalonia, it was the medical community that started to notice workplace violence. However, the frequency of this phenomenon had not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out with the main goal of learning about the phenomenon of type II workplace violence in nursing homes. METHODS: 433 nursing home professionals of Catalonia volunteered to take part in this study. They remained anonymous and their data was treated confidentially. RESULTS: 68.6%(IC 95%: 64.1–73.1) of the nursing home professionals admitted to having been attacked by the senior citizens residing in these nursing homes. The occupation and self-perceived stress level of the professionals were related to the consideration of aggression. Verbal abuse was the type of aggression that targeted professionals reported the most. In 61.3 %of the cases, they were attacked by both male and female patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the study reveal that nursing home professionals are assaulted and/or attacked by the residents they tend to.
Sense of Coherence and Lean-based leadership and alterations in sick leave and productivity at a steel wire manufacturing unit
Authors: Halling Bengt , Bergman Mikael , Wijk Katarina
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: Managers have an important role in the creation of workplace conditions that prevent sick leave and lead to high performance. In Lean, the assumption is that people are the source for continuous improvements. There is a need for more knowledge about what kind of leadership can help managers in a Lean context to create workplace conditions for less sick leave and higher performance. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine how productivity and rate of sick leave changed at a stainless wire manufacturing unit after implementing a new leadership approach based on Sense of Coherence theory (SOC) and Lean philosophy. METHODS: In this case study, interventions coupled with productivity, quality and sick leave evaluations through the company’s key performance indicators were performed. The follow-up was also based on narrative descriptions from the management team in the course of four meetings during the intervention. Notes were taken and analyzed regarding perceived outcomes of the intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that leadership based on SOC and Lean philosophy is positively correlated with productivity per worker, as was the amount of yearly production that met the quality specifications. The amount of sick leave decreased during the period of the intervention compared to before the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in management contribute to productivity. Combining Lean tools and Lean philosophy with the Sense of Coherence theory (SOC) as a base for leadership can influence productivity and decrease the rate of sick leave.
Repeated standing back extension exercise: Influence on muscle shear modulus change after lumbodorsal muscle fatigue
Authors: Kumamoto Tsuneo , Seko Toshiaki , Matsuda Ryo , Miura Sayo
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: In low back pain, multifidus muscle fibers reportedly exhibit increased stiffness. Low back pain was associated with lumbodorsal muscle fatigue. There is no report of using shear modulus to verify the mechanism of an immediate effect of exercise on low back pain. Here, temporary lumbodorsal muscle fatigue was created, simulating fatigue-related nonspecific low back pain. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of standing back extension exercise on fatigued lumbodorsal muscle based on the results of multifidus muscle elasticity measured using shear wave elastography. METHODS: Thirty-three healthy subjects were randomly divided into three groups. The subjects performed the Biering-Sorensen test as the fatigue-task of the lumbodorsal muscle before the standing back extension exercise. The fatigue-exercise group exercised five sets after completing the fatigue-task. The fatigue-non-exercise group remained standing for the same duration as the fatigue-exercise group without doing the exercise after the fatigue-task. The non-fatigue-exercise group exercised five sets of without performing the fatigue-task. As intra-group and inter-group factors, the shear modulus of the multifidus muscle was compared before and after the exercise. RESULTS: The shear modulus of the multifidus muscle after the standing back extension exercise was significantly lower in the fatigue-exercise group, and no significant decrease was observed in the fatigue-non-exercise and non-fatigue-exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: The standing back extension exercise improved the shear modulus of the fatigued multifidus muscle. Therefore, it was suggested that the change in the elasticity of fatigued muscle might lead to the prevention of low back pain caused by muscle fatigue.
Musculoskeletal disorders and selecting an appropriate tool for ergonomic risk assessment in the dental profession
Authors: Eyvazlou Meysam , Asghari Arya , Mokarami Hamidreza , Bagheri Hosseinabadi Majid , Derakhshan Jazari Milad , Gharibi Vahid
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are major challenges in the occupational health services industry. Dental practitioners are regularly subjected to ergonomic risks, which can cause Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in various body regions. OBJECTIVE: This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to investigate MSDs and select a proper ergonomic risk assessment method in dental practice. METHODS: This study was conducted on 70 dentists and 70 administrative staff of dental offices (comparison group) from Shahroud, Iran. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) and two observational ergonomic risk assessment methods, including Quick Exposure Check (QEC) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), were utilized. RESULTS: The results suggested that the mean score of musculoskeletal discomforts was significantly higher in dentists than in the administrative personnel. Additionally, the results of multiple regression analysis technique inferred that job tenure, working hours, and age had a significant impact on total MSDs. Regular exercise was found to significantly reduce neck discomfort complaints. It was also found that QEC was more effective in predicting musculoskeletal discomforts compared to REBA. CONCLUSION: Considering the high incidence of WMSDs in dentists, various interventional measures revolving around ergonomically redesigned workstations, enhanced physical working conditions, and ergonomic training courses are suggested.
Common and idiosyncratic movements in Latin-American Exchange Rates
Authors: Gamboa-Estrada Fredy , Romero Jose Vicente
Published: April 2021

We propose a simple theoretical and empirical approach to differentiate between common and idiosyncratic exchange rate movements in 5 Latin-American economies: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Our approach allows us to distinguish the effects on exchange rates of a regional exchange rate common factor and macroeconomic fundamentals differentials. The methodology and estimation strategy are suitable for both low and high frequency settings. We provide evidence that the regional common factor has a significant effect on the dynamics of the Latin-American exchange rates. In our estimations the relation between exchange rates and the common factor is contemporaneous and stable during the studied period.
An analysis of the 1875-1877 scarlet fever epidemic of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Authors:   , Parish Joseph MacLean
Published: April 2021

An epidemic of scarlet fever on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada between 1875 and 1877 is analyzed in the context of a larger, world-wide pandemic of scarlet fever that occurred between 1825 and 1885. Data derived from public records on national censuses, provincial vital death records and parish records suggest that the epidemic impacted the two main ethnic groups of the island, the Acadians and the Scots, in very different ways. Statistical analysis was done considering the temporal and socio-cultural context of cause of death reporting in order to examine if this initial reading is valid. A deterministic computer model was also created to analyze the effects of each factor on the overall course of the epidemic. Results suggest that although the two groups did experience the epidemic in different ways, this difference is partially attributed to the terms used to describe cause of death information. Occupation, and household type resulting from occupation, is found to be a key indicator of epidemic experience. Differences in person to person contact rate are association with the different occupations/household types. Ethnic group preferences for the occupations of fishing or farming inextricably tie the issues of ethnicity and occupation together. The number of contacts people have per unit of time was found to be one of the major factors correlated to the epidemic experience. These results emphasize the importance of socio-cultural factors in an age where drug therapies are becoming less effective. They point to a need to understand the interactions between biology and behavior when examining such complex phenomena as human epidemics.
Beautiful choral tone quality rehearsal techniques of a director
Authors:   , Jenkins Bonnie L.
Published: April 2021

What is beautiful choral tone quality? What effective rehearsal techniques might be found if a successful high school choral director could be observed and interviewed? The primary goal of this study was to discover the strategy and technique used by a successful high school choral director to achieve a beautiful choral tone quality in his ensembles. This case study revealed that the participant, Matt (pseudonym), had outlined five basic areas of technique that affect beautiful choral tone quality. These areas are posture, breath control, tone quality or resonance factors, vowels, and vocal freedom. This study also found that Matt developed a strategic plan and process in teaching these skills. The data further revealed that his philosophy and method of teaching were contributors to his success. The participant had defined his "ideal" choral tone quality and his philosophy involved not only developing vocal excellence but developing the whole person. Matt stated that tone quality is affected by both. The results of this study should help to enlighten choral directors, vocal instructors, and the music education field in general on how one can conduct successful choral rehearsals that will bring about a beautiful choral sound.
Evaluation of the Private Forestland Ownership Paracelization and its effects on the forest landscape in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks
Authors:   , Ko Dong Wook
Published: April 2021

This study investigates the impacts of the forestland ownership parcelization on species composition, age structure and spatial pattern of the forest landscape. First, a computer model was developed to create ownership patterns characterized by the actual shape and size. Model is validated and applied to simulate ownership patterns with various parcelization levels. Second, a transition matrix model is used to characterize the changes in forestland ownership parcelization. Results suggest a strong tendency towards further parcelization, characterized by parcel size classes smaller than 100 ha, and reveals the contributions from purchases by the Pioneer Forest. Third, the harvest regimes in a parcelized ownership landscape is spatially implemented for a forest landscape model --LANDIS -- to evaluate their effects on forest composition, age structure, and spatial pattern. Results suggest that changes will be dominated by the successional process, with significant but limited effects from parcelization levels and harvest intensities.
Influence of economic restructuring on rural Missouri high school dropout rates
Authors:   , Huntley Lance R.
Published: April 2021

This research has argued that large scale social forces can influence individual level decisions, such as the decision to leave high school before graduating. The influence of Globalization, via economic restructuring, as measured by the transition from a manufacturing based economy to an economy of services and information, was found to influence students' decisions to drop out. Structural equation models were used to analyze the rural trends taking place from a rural-regional state-wide level. Findings indicated that increases in symbolic analyst and in-person service employment decreased high school dropout rates and the increase in routine production employment increased the dropout rate. Changes in all three occupation categories affected student family characteristics during the 1980s. Increases in in-person service employment had the greatest influence on family structure characteristics. Findings regarding student perceptions of education that resulted in increases in school commitment contributed to decline in high school dropout rates while increases in the number of hours students spent working at a part-time job increased the high school dropout rate.
Development of an integrated approach combining artificial neural network material based on modeling with finite element analysis of forming processes
Authors:   , Kessler Brian Scott
Published: April 2021

The use of a finite element model for design and analysis of a metal forming processes is limited by the incorporated material model's ability to predict deformation behavior over a wide range of operating conditions. Conventionally generated rheological models prove deficient in several respects due to the difficulty in establishing complicated relations between many parameters. More recently, artificial neural networks (ANN) have been suggested as an effective means to overcome these difficulties. To this end, a robust ANN with the ability to determine flow stresses based on strain, strain rate, and temperature is developed and linked with finite element based simulation model. Comparisons of this novel method with conventional means are carried out to demonstrate the advantages of this approach as applied to industrial applications. The flow stress curves generated using the developed ANN method for 6061 alumimum show the typical behavior of high stacking fault energy materials, where the controlling softening mechanism is dynamic recovery (early strain hardening followed by a smooth transition to a plateau of stress). In contrast, the flow stress behavior of nickel aluminide exhibits the typical behavior of low stacking fault energy materials, where the controlling softening mechanism in hot working is dynamic recrystallization (early strain hardening to a peak stress followed by drop and oscillation of the flow stress about a steady average value). A thermo-mechanical coupled finite element method (FEM) using the commercial code ABAQUS as a platform for development is introduced to simulate hot forming processes. The FEM model is integrated with the developed ANN material based model in order to account for the effects of strain, strain rate, and temperature variations within the material during hot-forming. An industrial case study involves hot forging of an aftermarket automotive wheel made out of 6061 aluminum is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated approach. The load-displacement curves predicted by the developed virtual model are in good agreement with the experimental observations of an industrial forging process. The developed approach and knowledge gained from the present work, has a wide range of application in general, and is not limited to hot forming of the investigated materials. The new approach is applicable to all hot forming processes of different alloy systems.
The role of the AP-1 adaptor complex in trafficking between the trans-Golgi Network and endosomal system
Authors:   , Foote Christopher
Published: April 2021

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae it is generally accepted that there are two routes for trafficking of proteins from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to the vacuole. One involves direct transport from the TGN to the vacuole. The second involves transport from the TGN to the prevacuolar compartment (PVC) via GGA coated vesicles, followed by PVC to vacuole transport. We propose that there is a third route. This route entails transit from the TGN to the early endosome (EE), followed by delivery to the PVC and vacuole. In support of an alternative route, the processing kinetics of A(F[arrow]A)-ALP are not affected by mutations in the GGA proteins. This is in contrast to proteins that use the GGA pathway, as their delivery to the vacuole is significantly slowed when GGA function is ablated. Further support of an EE itinerary is the observation that A(F[arrow]A)-ALP co localizes with the lipophilic dye, FM4-64 at a time when the dye is associated with the EE. Disruption of the AP-1 vesicle coat complex leads to an accelerated processing of A(F[arrow]A)-ALP. Appending the region of A(F[arrow]A)-ALP that interacts with AP-1 to Cps1p delays its progress to the vacuole. These results are consistent with a model in which A(F[arrow]A)-ALP passes through the EE in transit to the vacuole. A(F[arrow]A)-ALP physically interacts with AP-1, and this interaction delays its delivery to the vacuole. Data presented in this thesis suggests that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae AP-1 functions as a retrieval mechanism from the EE to the TGN.
Deposition of aerosols in cylindrical tubes and in human lung airways
Authors:   , Gutti Veera Rajesh
Published: April 2021

Aerosol transport and deposition is of interest in many industrial and medical applications. This research is focused on two specific topics: deposition of aerosols in cylindrical tubes with emphasis on thermophoresis and deposition in real human lung airways. A numerical technique and a CFD code FLUENT are explored and used to estimate particle deposition efficiency due to thermophoresis in cylindrical tubes. Discrete phase modeling (DPM) employing Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm in CFD code FLUENT and user defined functions for thermophoretic force were used to predict the particle deposition efficiencies. Further, limited experiments were conducted to measure the thermophoretic deposition efficiency of carbon nanoparticles in a cylindrical tube. Real lung airway geometry for computational purposes was developed using Computed Tomography (CT) scan images of chest. Using image segmentation, volume rendering and surface processing tools in two commercially available software programs, the real lung airway surface geometry was extracted with good anatomical detail. Particle deposition was modeled using species transport and reaction modeling for molecular phase radioactive polonium-218 species in air. DPM model was also used to compute deposition of particles inhaled in the real lung airway geometry. The computational models used were verified against available experimental data for simpler single bifurcation geometries. Particle deposition efficiencies were computed using the DPM model for carbon nanoparticles of sizes 100 to 1000 nm.
The role of family communication in individual attitudes and behaviors concerning nutrition and physical activity
Authors:   , Wagner Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2021

Despite the increasing popularity of family health communication studies, little attention has been paid to nutrition- and physical activity-related health communication in the family context. This mixed-method study explores the influence of family health communication on individual member attitudes and behaviors. Both phases of the study -- grounded in Family Communication Patterns theory and Social Cognitive theory -- revealed the importance of family communication as a contributor to physical health. Specifically, the first quantitative phase of the study used structural equation modeling and an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to assess the relationships between a young adult's and corresponding family member's health attitudes and behaviors. Moderating and mediating effects of communication and non-communication related variables were also examined. Two overarching themes and corresponding subthemes developed from the second, phenomenological phase of study. It emphasized (a) the importance of nonverbal health communication and (b) health as a gendered experience.
In the permanent collection : poems
Authors:   , Wortman Stefanie
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] In the Permanent Collection is a collection of lyric poetry that turns a careful and sometimes ironic eye to high and low art -- from modern abstract paintings and casts of antique statuary to reality television and mass-produced souvenirs. These objects of vision provide points of contact between subjective acts of looking and the broader conversations the poems engage, conversations about mourning customs, political discourse, and the rhetoric of romantic love. The critical introduction, entitled "Talking Back to the Masters," provides scholarly context for the poems by exploring how Elizabeth Bishop, Anne Carson, and Kevin Young use ekphrasis to reflect on artistic processes and to critique systems of representation. Their poems are best described by a new set of terms, one that deemphasizes the contest between visual and verbal arts, which has been central to previous criticism of ekphrastic literature.
The role of reduced working memory resources in the associative deficit of older adults
Authors:   , Hara Yoko
Published: April 2021

Previous research indicates that older adults show problems with remembering associations compared to young adults, yet they remember single pieces of information about as well as young adults do (see Naveh-Benjamin, 2000). The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether reduced working memory (WM) resources affect associative memory and whether such a reduction can account for older adultsâ€™ associative deficit. Three experiments investigated whether we can simulate an associative deficit in young adults by using secondary tasks that increase their WM loads (either via increasing storage or processing demands of the secondary task) during a primary task in which they were required to learn name-face pairs and then remember the names, the faces, and the name-face associations. Results show that reducing both the storage and the processing resources of WM each produced an associative deficit in young adults. However, further increasing the demands of the secondary task for WM processing resources gradually increased the size of the associative deficit, whereas increasing the demands of the secondary task for WM storage resources did not differentially affect associative memory performance. Furthermore, younger adults with low-WM span or low-online processing showed an associative deficit under full attention conditions compared to young adults with high-WM span or high-online processing. High-WM span/processing individuals also showed an associative deficit when the processing or storage demands on WM increased. In summary, the present studies showed that one possible reason older adults have an associative deficit is a reduction in their WM resources, especially those related to WM processing.
The nation of Islam's struggle for civil rights and liberties, 1930-1971
Authors:   , Crawford Malachi D.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Beginning in the fall of 1939, Charles Hamilton Houston, professor of law at the Howard University School of Law and the legal pioneer generally credited with mentoring Thurgood Marshall and laying the groundwork that culminated in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, requested and received permission to restructure the law school's course on civil rights to focus on religious freedom and free speech. Whereas access to professionally responsible and competent legal representation had eluded the Nation of Islam (NOI) prior to this development, the emergence and retention of competently trained lawyers such as Edward W. Jacko, Jr., a former student in Houston's revamped civil rights course, dramatically expanded the civil rights of NOI members in a series of court cases that exposed the precarious and quite conflicting landscape of freedom for African Americans at the height of America's Civil Rights Movement. This study identifies the strategic initiatives launched by the Nation of Islam to defend and advance the civil rights of its members from 1930 to 1971. Moreover, the study locates the critical period during which the Nation of Islam's struggle for civil rights emerged. I contend that the Nation of Islam's efforts to defend the rights and freedoms of its members became a self-conscious and self-determined struggle for civil rights upon its acquisition of competent and professionally responsible legal counsel, such as Edward W. Jacko Jr., and its development of Muhammad Speaks from 1957 to 1965. Anything prior to the emergence of Jacko, who became the NOI's chief legal counsel, and the establishment of Muhammad Speaks were proto determinist encounters and marked by an avoidance of coalition building with African American civil rights organizations, an avoidance or uncritical assessment of legal counsel, and individual retreats to martyrdom as personal demonstrations of religious faith.
Bioreductive metabolism of small molecule nitroaromatics and N-oxides in hypoxia
Authors:   , Rajapakse Anuruddha
Published: April 2021

Hypoxia in tumors causes adverse effects to therapy and negatively impacts on patient prognosis. Identification and quantification of hypoxia is considered to have a strong impact on treatments in tumor therapy. Fluorescent-based detection to mark hypoxia may be vital to be used along with available methods such as radiochemical and immunohistochemical staining. In this work, the non-fluorescent 6-nitroquinoline (42) was used to investigate the production of a fluorescent 6-aminoquinoline (43) and other metabolites under bioreducing hypoxic conditions. In the presence of the enzymatic reducing system NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase/NADPH, 6-nitroquinoline (42) produced the fluorescent helicene (44), along with the non-florescent azo (45). An authentic sample of (44) was chemically synthesized and characterized and used to confirm the production of this molecule in the enzymatic process. Interestingly, the expected fluorophore (43) is not produced by NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase/NADPH. In another study, the enzymatic reducing system xanthine/xanthine oxidase was used to reduce (42) under hypoxia to obtain (43). In these experiments (43) was produced and the yield is increased with xanthine concentration. Metabolic identification revealed that intermediates of typical nitro reduction pathway are present along with 6-nitroquinolone (51).which is formed by xanthine oxidase mediated oxidation of (42). The absence of (44) as a metabolite with xanthine/xanthine oxidase system highlights the complexity of bio-reduction of nitroaromatics under hypoxia. In our laboratory, bio-activation of di-N-oxides such as tirapazamine (TPZ, 42) has been studied. TPZ undergoes one-electron bio-reduction to produce oxidizing radical, which causes DNA damage under hypoxia. In our laboratory, the mechanism by which TPZ mediated DNA damage has been investigated using TPZ and its analogs. Our evidence suggests that upon undergoing bio-reduction, TPZ produces hydroxyl radical as the DNA damaging radical species. Others have suggested another mechanism, which proposes the formation benzotriazine radical (38) upon dehydration process over the bioreduction step. In the current work, TPZ analog 1,2,4-benzotraizine-1,4-dioxide (55) and deuterated (60) were used to test the dehydration mechanism. Isotopic content analysis of metabolites, derived from bio-reducing metabolism of (55) and its deuterated analog (60), using HRMS show evidence against the dehydration mechanism.
A study on three aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease's Triad of Susceptibility : Hormones, Helminths and T regulatory cells, in the Helicobacter hepaticus mouse model for IBD
Authors:   , Cook Lydia Crystal
Published: April 2021

Over 1.4 million American's have been diagnosed with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The etiology of IBDs is unknown, however, it is believed that these diseases develop due to an inappropriate immune response to the microbiota driven by the complex interactions of an individual's genetics, environment and immune system. The research presented here evaluates one aspect from each of the three susceptibility categories (genetics, environment and immune system) utilizing the H. hepaticus mouse model for IBD. First, the effects of estrogen signaling on the development of IBD were evaluated in the A/J mouse; data from these experiments suggest when estrogen signaling is limited to ER-beta on a non-CD4+ cell population, disease severity is decreased. Next, the therapeutic potential of T. muris was evaluated in this microbiota driven IBD disease model. The data demonstrate that disease severity is acutely exacerbated and chronically unaltered by T. muris therapy in the A/J mouse. Lastly, the role T regulatory cells in the resistance to H. hepaticus-induced inflammation was examined through the use of neonatal thymectomies and diphtheria toxin treatments, which allowed for the depletion of natural T regulatory cells and Foxp3+ T regulatory cells in the C57BL/6 mouse. We demonstrate that neither the depletion of natural or inducible T regulatory cells at the time of H. hepaticus inoculation results in disease development.
Structural characterization of UDP-galactopyranose mutase from eukaryotic pathogens
Authors:   , Dhatwalia Richa
Published: April 2021

UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM) is a unique flavoenzyme that catalyzes the interconversion between UDP-galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) and UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf), without any net transfer of electrons. UGM is a central enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of galactofuranose (Galf). Galf forms a major component of different glycoconjugate structures, lipids and polysaccharides of disease-causing fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus and protozoan parasites such as Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major. Current treatments for diseases caused by these pathogens are limited and use compounds that are either highly toxic or expensive. Thus, new drug development strategies are required for combating these lethal diseases. The unique chemistry of UGMs and its implication in the virulence of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and protozoa and its absence in humans make it a potential drug target. Though bacterial UGMs have been somewhat characterized in detail using structural and biochemical methods, major questions about the catalytic and structural properties of eukaryotic UGMs remain unanswered. Thus, the determination of three-dimensional structures of eukaryotic UGMs might help us in elucidating the enzymatic mechanism of this class of enzymes and potential inhibitor design. The research described in this dissertation address these longstanding questions by providing the first three-dimensional structural details and biochemical characterization of eukaryotic UGMs.
Changing the landscape of professional learning : a practitioner inquiry study of technology integration within literacy
Authors:   , Ensor Tami
Published: April 2021

Practitioner inquiry provided the framework for teachers (participants) and the teacher researcher to work collaboratively to discover how teachers learn about literacy technology integration, how they apply this in their classroom instruction, and how they share their ideas about literacy and technology integration with other teachers. Data was gathered from faculty surveys, lesson plans, blog posts, videotaped collaboration, audio recordings, researcher's field journal and final reflections of the faculty. Data was analyzed using in vivo coding, looking at each data source independently and then creating larger categories that led to a descriptive view of the data. Key findings that positively impacted teacher learning were acknowledging teacher perceptions, providing time for collaboration with colleagues, application of practice, scaffolding learning, and job embedded reflection. Implications include re-envisioning the roles of educators as well as traditional methods of professional development. Collaborative Inquiry Circles were suggested as an alternative to the traditional methods of professional development.
Diversity of macroinvertebrates in tributaries of the jacks fork and current rivers, Ozark national scenic riverways, Missouri and efficacy of springfed tributaries as refugia
Authors:   , Heth Rachel L. S.
Published: April 2021

Disturbance is a dominant force shaping stream communities and recovery from disturbance requires the presence of refugia or environments where disturbance effects are lessened. In the Missouri Ozark region, groundwater-dominant streams or spring-fed tributaries are possible refugia. To determine if spring-fed tributaries serve as thermal refugia to macroinvertebrates, the movement of macroinvertebrates and the community composition were measured from spring-fed and surface-fed confluences in the Current River, Missouri during the middle of winter and 07. Macroinvertebrate communities in 07 could be placed into three categories: surface-fed tributaries, Current River main channel, and spring-fed tributaries. Spring-fed tributary macroinvertebrate communities were unique in composition which suggests these tributaries were unlikely thermal refugia for macroinvertebrates because they were not a reflection of the communities present in the entire confluence. At the smaller-scale of mesohabitats within the tributaries, communities were unique and could be categorized as belonging to the structural environment of riffles, pools, and marginal vegetation. Further work on a family of flies, Chironomidae, within these mesohabitats revealed that this family alone could convey the same community relationship patterns as those revealed using the entire macroinvertebrate community. Refugia work indicates spring-fed tributaries could be important contributors to the numbers of macroinvertebrates transported downstream to support recovery in the main channel. Work at the mesohabitat scale revealed high structural diversity in the streams with corresponding diversity in macroinvertebrate communities. Work on the Chironomidae indicated potential use of this family in habitat assessment especially in environments unsuitable to other macroinvertebrate taxa.
Late woodland cultural adaptations in the lower Missouri River valley : archery, warfare, and the rise of complexity
Authors:   , Nichols Kerry David
Published: April 2021

The introduction of the bow and arrow into prehistoric Missouri during the Late Woodland Period was a major event that possibly changed the entire Middle Woodland social dynamic and settlement pattern arrangement such that there was a major increase in social cooperation between settlements tied closely to defensive settlement strategies. Small villages faced the possibility of effective, long-range attacks that could potentially lead to the quick application of overwhelming force on unprepared villages. To deal with this potential, settlements moved to less productive upland locations with inter-visible settlement clusters that provided for mutual defense through defense in layers. As agriculture became better established, this pattern of defense again changed as people nucleated into larger sites in highly productive, lowland areas. Defense was still a significant consideration as reflected in both the selection of defensible topographic settings and the apparent creation of a borderland along the river. The larger number of people in each village provided safety in numbers and decreased the likelihood of overwhelming attacks. The influence of archery and the selection for effective defensive strategies in the face of archery-based warfare creates a more parsimonious explanation for the rapid shift to inter-visible, upland sites during the Late Woodland Period. Archery appears to be the primary cause of what was a seismic shift where settlement patterns altered radically in just a few hundred years. This research addresses the possible implications for major advances in prehistoric weapons technology that has increasing relevance for today's society.
Consultation as a vehicle for increasing novice teachers' use of evidence-based classroom management strategies
Authors:   , Oram Lindsay E.
Published: April 2021

Teachers' classroom management skills have a significant impact on students' short and long-term outcomes. Unfortunately, research has demonstrated that teachers, particularly novice teachers, often struggle to effectively manage classrooms and student behavior. Teacher consultation, which is defined as working one-on-one with a teacher in order to build a specific set of skills in order to best meet the needs of students, has emerged in the literature as method for enhancing teacher skills. This study examined the integration of a classroom management consultation model, the Classroom Check-up, into the student teaching component of a pre-service education program for four participants. Impacts on teacher and student behaviors were examined using a multiple baseline design. Results indicated positive teacher behavior change related to praise, opportunities to respond, precorrections, reprimands, and time spent teaching and decreased student disruptive behaviors. Overall, both student teacher and student behaviors were positively impacted by participation in the Classroom Check-up consultation model.