bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mesh-free modeling of spatially inhomogeneous aerosols in arbitrary geometries
Authors:   , Boraas Matthew
Published: April 2021

Many issues affect the nuclear source term, one of which is the existence of aerosols. These aerosols are usually simulated with the assumption that they are spatially homogeneous. Making this assumption reduces complexity when compared to spatially inhomogeneous aerosol models. This dissertation investigates using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for spatially inhomogeneous aerosol modeling. To do so, a mesh-free DSMC alternative was used that takes advantage of Euclidian distance in its clustering algorithm. Deposition, coagulation, and condensation cases were addressed for aerosols inside several fundamental and complex geometries. The first model for each geometry was deposition only, and was run for 100 simulated seconds. Results were compared to previous literature and other techniques, and were found to match closely. Coagulation was then incorporated into the model, and the program was run for 20 simulated seconds. As the model progressed in time, the average mass of the suspended aerosol particles grew. This indicated the presence of coagulation. Lastly, an isothermal Mason condensation model was added to the code. Again, the program was run for 20 simulated seconds. Particle mass increased dramatically, demonstrating condensation effects.
Contentious politics and social media : a study of the networked publics in the Ayotzinapa twitter protests #PaseDeLista1al43
Authors:   , Galarza Molina Rocio Araceli
Published: April 2021

This study analyzed the networked public that was emergent on Twitter based on analysis of the use of the hashtag #PaseDelista1al43 to protest the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico in 2014. As social media have expanded, practitioners of contentious politics have utilized these media for manifesting their claims and organizing. These #PaseDeLista1al43 Twitter protests are explored as a form of performing contentious politics. To address this phenomenon, this project took a mixed methods approach, combining social network analysis and thematic and content analysis of Twitter data and interviews. A total of 3,616 tweets from five different moments in the first two years of the #PaseDeLista1al43 Twitter protests were collected to examine their content, who their authors are, as well as the relationship between the people in the networked public. Additionally, interviews (N = 14) with participants of the #PaseDeLista1al43 Twitter protests were conducted to delve into protesters' perspectives on the demonstration. Results help elucidate how Twitter can be used to practice contentious politics and thus constitutes another resource in the repertoire for performing contentious politics. Additionally, this study aligns with other research that has identified Twitter as a place for the formation and expression of counterpublics that seek to challenge hegemonic narratives. Moreover, the analyses in this study strengthen our understanding of processes of networked gatekeeping and networked framing that occur within a networked public on Twitter. Unlike traditional processes of gatekeeping and framing, networked processes are supported by a symbiotic relationship between elite and non-elite Twitter users. Moreover, frames prevalent in the protest not only concerned facts about the case but also denoted efforts of the protesters to position themselves in the story of the Ayotzinapa case.
The influence of gender on the careers of women theatre faculty in higher education : a qualitative investigation
Authors:   , Bauer Rachel Elizabeth
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Researchers have long documented issues with gender equity in higher education, especially in STEM fields, but less attention has been directed to gender equity in fields that fall under humanities and fine arts--including theatre, where women have already achieved greater equity in terms of their presence in the field. Assuming gender parity based on numbers, however, is problematic, leaving out the opportunity for understanding how overarching institutional structures impact the experience of individual women. Employing narrative inquiry, this study explored the experiences of fifteen, Ph.D. holding tenure track or tenured women theatre faculty at research institutions through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. This study found there is a subtlety and pervasiveness to sexism and gender bias that can function differently in departments of theatre and based on one's status/rank. The participants felt that the respect given to their man counterparts was not equally given to them. These women theatre faculty felt the need to change appearance and personality to be the part of professor, as professor is not traditionally â€œwoman.â€ Additionally, women are doing the carework at home and work, and the unpaid burden of service and emotional labor that is put on women theatre faculty affects their productivity. The findings identified that women theatre faculty need support systems in both colleague relationships and in their personal lives, and work/life balance and professional environment are key factors in working in the profession. The findings show that through resiliency, women theatre faculty find their own ways to succeed in a system that works for them. It also shows that women are aware of how their needs are different from the normative expectations of the academic work environment.
What single midlife women think about and do to protect their sexual health
Authors:   , Hart Kimberly C.
Published: April 2021

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a significant public health problem among U.S. women. Single midlife women aged 40-59 are at particular risk for STI. Little is known about the factors that contribute to low sexual health protection and condom non-use in this population. The majority of research on STI prevention has focused on populations of younger women. This cross sectional study, guided by the theory of planned behavior examined relationships between STI perceived risk, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, condom use intention and sexual health behaviors. Data were collected with a convenience sample of single midlife women at risk for STI who participated via a web-based survey. Of the 611 women who entered the survey website, eligible participants (n=285) were predominantly 40-49 years of age (65.6%), Caucasian (94.7%), college graduates, (62.1%) and employed (85.3%). Approximately one-third (31.6%, n=90) indicated a previous STI diagnosis. Half (49.5%) of the women reported they had used a condom use with the last new sexual partner. For the entire sample, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control each significantly correlated with intention to use condoms with a new sexual partner. Logistic regression analysis showed that using a condom with a new sexual partner significantly increased as attitude (p=.002) and intention (p=.001) increased. Higher level of education correlated with decreased subject norms and intention towards condom use. There was a significant decrease in condom use of women with a college degree. A positive correlation was found between STI and number of new sexual partners. However, having more new sexual partners was significantly correlated with decreased condom use. Findings indicated this sample of single midlife women had positive attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention toward condom use. Yet, a condom was used only half of the time with new sexual partners. Findings from this study can inform interventions and programs that aim to enhance sexual health outcomes and reduce STI acquisition among midlife women.
X-Ray scattering at the periphery : forbidden bragg reflections and silicon nanowire arrays
Authors:   , Kremenak Jesse Wade
Published: April 2021

In this work, we developed two separate unconventional X-ray scattering techniques that enable us to extract novel information from distinct systems at disparate length scales. We examine the formation of Si nanowire (SiNW) arrays during Ag metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE). The exceptionally rough surface of these nanowire arrays result in very low optical reflectivity, which also makes it extremely challenging to measure the X-ray specular reflection can be measured and utilized to obtain unique structural information about the composition profile of both Ag and Si during the formation of the SiNWs. Secondly, we have discovered a novel interference effect between the crystal surface and the bulk forbidden Bragg reflection that allows - for the first time - both the amplitude and phase of the forbidden reflection to be resolved. The newly attained amplitude and phase information permits one to extract the structure of the non-spherical electron density distribution from diamond crystal structures. We employed X-ray specular reflectivity, a technique conventionally used to study interfaces and surfaces, to examine the non-spherical electron density distribution of bulk Si. We have discovered and demonstrated that the structure of the covalent bond can be ascertained from the weak scattering between the Bragg reflections along the crystal truncation rod. This discovery significantly expands the experimental capability of examining the structure of electron densities, and especially the valence electrons in crystals. Using these novel and unconventional X-ray scattering techniques, we were able to extract valuable information about each system from exceptionally faint signals.
Mechanisms of immunity and inflammation in Brucella-induced arthritis
Authors:   , Lacey Carolyn Ann
Published: April 2021

"Treatment of unresolved sterile arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis involves eliminating or dampening host inflammatory responses. While inflammation may inflict severe articular pathology to the host during infectious arthritis, inflammation may also be vital for pathogen restriction. This creates a paradox when identifying appropriate treatments for brucellar arthritis as administration of anti-inflammatories may increase bacterial replication in the host. Thus, it is vital to characterize what inflammatory responses are helpful and harmful to the host. Thus, the focus of this research was to understand the inflammatory mediators inducing inflammation and arthritis, and to determine what inflammatory responses are needed in order to clear Brucella during brucellosis. We describe experimental Brucella-induced arthritis as an effective tool in understanding both adaptive and innate inflammatory responses to Brucella as swelling correlates with inflammation and can be monitored in longitudinal studies."--Purpose and experiement approach
Pointing to inclinations : Albertus Magnus' physiognomy as a scientific and theological nexus
Authors:   , McRae Heather Thornton
Published: April 2021

This dissertation explores the physiognomy of Albertus Magnus, which is contained within his commentary on De animalibus, the three works on animals by Aristotle. This physiognomy provides an opportunity to demonstrate the medieval intellectual world view that the body and soul were connected, both theologically and medically. Albertus Magnus and his physiognomy also exemplify the reintroduction of physiognomy into Latin Christendom in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries through deep textual connections in physiognomy, medicine, and theories of the soul to the classical Mediterranean through the intermediary of the Islamic world. Physiognomies like that of Albertus Magnus also contribute to ideas of what constitutes a medieval scientia by building upon past scholarship on astrology, hagiography, and other aspects of the premodern world that have largely been rejected until recent decades.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy in the canine model
Authors:   , Kodippili Kasun
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating muscle wasting disease caused by loss of function mutations in the dystrophin gene, resulting in the absence of dystrophin, a structural protein in muscle. DMD is the most common form of inherited muscle disease in childhood, with an incidence of 1 in 5000 live male births worldwide. The dystrophin-null mdx mouse has been the most widely used animal model for DMD research over the last 30 years. Dystrophin-deficient DMD dogs have also gained prominence as a highly relevant preclinical animal model due to their high phenotypic homology to human DMD patients. Preclinical treatment studies in these dogs are expected to better inform and guide clinical trials in human patients. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the disease pathogenesis and gene therapy in the canine model. The goals of my dissertation work were to establish reagents and methodologies to study preclinical treatment in the canine model, and subsequently characterize the disease pathogenesis and gene therapy in DMD dogs. To this end, I first characterized 65 epitope-specific human dystrophin monoclonal antibodies for their reactivity in canine skeletal and cardiac muscle by both immunofluorescence (IF) staining and western blot. I found species-specific, tissue-specific and assay-specific patterns of reactivity in these antibodies. Importantly, out of the 65 antibodies that I characterized, I recognized 15 antibodies that worked well for canine tissue on both IF staining and western blot, which are recommended for DMD research in the canine model. ... Dystrophin-independent gene therapy for DMD takes advantage of disease-modifying genes that are either structural and/or functional homologues of dystrophin, or alternative targets that are involved in disease pathogenesis. One such alternative target gene is the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a), a pump that transports calcium ions from the cytoplasm into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. I show that SERCA2a expression and activity are impaired, and that calcium homeostasis is dysregulated in DMD dog skeletal muscle. Furthermore, gene therapy with human SERCA2a restored expression and activity of the pump, and improved several aspects of muscle function and histopathology in DMD dog skeletal muscle. In summary, this dissertation work advances our knowledge of the disease pathogenesis and gene therapy prospects in the canine model of DMD, a highly relevant and valuable preclinical DMD model.
This great prayerful tradition : American presidents preaching public theology at the National Prayer Breakfast
Authors:   , Rosenholtz Cathy Ellen
Published: April 2021

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the speeches delivered by American presidents at the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) from its inception in 1953 until 2016, as well as the rhetorical context of the NPB. Taking a dual-disciplinary approach that combines public theology and presidential studies, this study delineates a generic pattern in the presidential prayer breakfast address built around five narratives. In their speeches at the NPB, presidents construct narratives of faith, connecting divine and human stories in ways that move beyond personal piety, civil religion, or a politicized use of religious language. Presidents serve as public theologians through their prayer breakfast speeches, engaging in transformative rhetoric to communicate their messages. The annual NPB creates a unique liminal space for the president to experiment with speaking theologically.
Of the burning
Authors:   , Scholl Travis
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] "Of the Burning" is a hybrid collection of nonfiction essays and sermon-poems. The narrative threads weaved through the collection include original archival research into the life and work of Harlem Renaissance writer James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), historical research into the year German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) spent in New York City (1930-31), and my own autobiographical recollections of serving as a vicar in a multicultural black church in the Bronx (2005-07). The original archival research consists primarily of work with Johnson's manuscripts for his books God's Trombones (1927) and The Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925), accessed at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in October 2016.
The pagan's progress, or, the invention of pilgrimage
Authors:   , Scott Eric O.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This book examines religious travel in contemporary Paganism in three long-form creative essays. It looks at space, place, and travel within the modern Pagan religious context: how Pagans create sacred spaces, interact with ancient sites, and invent their own pilgrimage practices. The book is anchored in the author's account of his experiences as a second-generation Wiccan and practitioner of the Norse revivalist religion called Asatra, but also features the perspectives of other Pagan pilgrims. "Live Deliberately," the first essay, focuses on Gaea Retreat, a Pagan-owned nature retreat in Kansas, to consider climate change, urban alienation, and the reconciliation of human and environmental needs. This essay uses the Gaea landscape to question whether Paganism can address concepts of freedom and wilderness. The second essay, "Utpra," takes place in Iceland, describing a pilgrimage made by the Icelandic Pagan organization called Asatruarfelagid. Icelandic Pagans see their religion as bound up with their national identity, giving their form of Asatra distinctive cultural character. This essay combines an ethnographic, outward-looking perspective with the author's reflections on Iceland's role in the global Pagan consciousness. The final essay, "St. Deryck," recounts a funerary pilgrimage to Birmingham, England, searching for the grave of the author's Wiccan forebear, Deryck Alldrit. The essay deals with themes of lost memory, ancestry, and how family history swiftly becomes family mythology.
Selective modulation of estrogen receptors : 27-hydroxycholesterol is a negative allosteric modulator of er-beta activity and estradiol binding
Authors:   , Starkey Nicholas J. E.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The estrogen receptors alpha (ER[alpha]) and beta (ER[beta]) are important regulators of development and growth in many major organ systems. In the tissues they are co-expressed in, ER[alpha] is often a stimulator, and ER[beta] an inhibitor, of proliferation and inflammation. Although ER[beta] selective agonists effectively treat multiple pre-clinical disease models, none have been effective in humans. In this dissertation, we studied exogenous (botanicals/fungals) and endogenous (oxysterols) molecules that we hypothesized could effectively modulate the human ERs in a subtype selective manner. Unfortunately, the exogenous botanicals/fungals tested did not activate ER[beta] or inhibit ER[alpha] with >3-fold selectivity. However, the endogenous oxysterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) bound selectively (>100-fold) to ER[beta] over ER[alpha] and acted as a selective antagonist (>10-fold). We found that 27-OHC is a negative allosteric modifier of 17{beta]-estradiol binding to ER[beta], with a physiologically relevant Ki of 50nM and cooperativity factor ([alpha]) of 0.036. We also proposed a 3D in silico model of combined docking attempts with 27-OHC in the orthosteric site and E2 in an alternate site in ER[beta]. These findings may help explain the lack of effectiveness of ER[beta] selective agonists in clinical trials and lead to better ER[beta] based treatments for human diseases in the future.
Gendered racism : the lived experiences of black undergraduate women at an HPWI : microaggressions, space and culture
Authors:   , Newton Veronica A.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This current study examined how Black undergraduate women experience gendered racism at a historically, predominately white university in the South. With a lack of studies on Black women's college experiences, I took a critical intersectional approach to interrogate the role of racism and patriarchy together by utilizing a Critical Race Feminism perspective. With the approach I was able to explore and examine the lived experiences of gendered racism, gendered racial microaggressions in white-maled spaces on campus, Black-maled spaces on campus, as well as white women's spaces on campus. Using a critical race feminism theoretical, conceptual and methodological framework, I interviewed 25 Black undergraduate women who attended a state-flagship university in the Mid-Southern region of the US. I also conducted ethnographic fieldwork by shadowing 5-8 different participants from June of 2015 to January 2017 on campus and off campus. The findings of this study show that Black women received gendered racial microaggressions from white men, Black men, white women students and professors on campus. Black women also receive these microaggressions in white-maled spaces and Black-maled spaces. Furthermore, Black women experience challenges that prevents their acquirement of social capital based on the way their raced and gendered bodies are read. Lastly, Black women have no spaces on campus that serve both their raced and gendered identity together and participate in emotional labor that white students and Black men students do not experience.
On autonomy support : low-income mothers' parenting of young children in contemporary China and the U.S.
Authors:   , Chang Su-Russell
Published: April 2021

According to self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2002), autonomy is conceptualized as a sense of volition or agency. Much research indicates that parental autonomy support contributes to children's well-being and academic achievement among middle-class families with school age children or adolescents (Lekes, Gingars, Philippe, Koestner, and Fang, 2010; NICHD, 2004; 2008; Niemiec et al., 2006). Research is scarce in understanding low-income parents' autonomy support and autonomy restriction behaviors with preschool children. It is also unclear whether and how parents support or restrict children's autonomy in various caregiving contexts, such as during mealtimes and pre-academic activities. This study helps address this topic via a mixed method design. Scenario-based interviews were conducted with 40 low-income mothers in the U.S. and China (nU.S. = 20, nChina = 20), followed by administration of Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale (P-PASS; Mageau et al., 2015). U.S. mothers and Chinese mothers were similar in terms of level of autonomy support and restriction. In addition, both U.S. and Chinese mothers', levels of autonomy support and restrictions differed across the four caregiving scenarios. The study thus identified how specific caregiving contexts may elicit specific autonomy supportive and autonomy restrictive behaviors by low-income mothers with young children in the U.S. and China.
Avian [beta]-defensins as antimicrobial and immunomodulatory agents
Authors:   , Yang Ming
Published: April 2021

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistance and lack of effective antibiotics pose a serious threat to animal health and public health. Host antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against various microbes with low potential for resistance development, compared to conventional antibiotics, indicating great potentials as therapeutic agents. Despite such promise, several limitations hinder the application of AMPs in the clinic, including high manufacturing cost, cytotoxicity, and stability in physiological conditions. New strategies are needed to solve those problems for their application. Avian beta-defensins (AvBD) are small, cationic, antimicrobial peptides. The potential application of AvBDs as antibiotic alternatives against antibiotic-resistant and zoonotic bacterial pathogens has been the subject of interest. In the first study, the biological functions of two AvBDs, AvBD-6 and AvBD-12, were determined under various experimental conditions. The results showed that AvBD-6 (+7) was more potent than AvBD-12 (+1) against E. coli, S. Typhimurium, and S. aureus as well as clinical isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae. The antibacterial activity of AvBDs was greatly compromised under physiological salt concentrations. Both AvBDs demonstrated mild chemotactic property for chicken macrophages and AvBD-12, at relatively high concentrations, could also induce the migration of murine immature dendritic cells. The chemotactic property required the presence of chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) on host cells and the conserved disulfide bridges of the peptides. The two AvBDs were nontoxic to CHO-K1, macrophages, or immature dendritic cells.
"This land is my land" : authority and landscape in American women's nonfiction, 1843-1903
Authors:   , Sinclair Carli
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] "Thus, the arc of my dissertationâ€"from a landscape that is local and familiar to one that is vast and often incomprehensibleâ€"suggests that women confront a range of different spaces in their nonfiction, and that the work of confronting these landscapes is performed to do something more than simply record or observe. As these brief chapter overviews illustrate, each chapter highlights questions and issues that are relevant to womenâ€™s various lived experiences in nineteenth-century Americaâ€"issues such as opportunities for intellectual advancement, spiritual growth, relationships with nature, belonging, and the challenges of work are represented in these texts, although these are only some of the complicated matters raised across this literature. The writers in this study demonstrate that landscape is a central force in their lives, as it is through the act of writing about their immediate landscapes that they access and investigate what matters most to them."--Page 12.
Image matching and image super-resolution via deep learning
Authors:   , Bui Giang D.
Published: April 2021

The advancement of 3D depth sensors, such as LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) scanners, has provided an effective alternative to traditional CAD-based and image-based approaches for 3D modeling. The output of the 3D depth sensors is generally 3D color point cloud and LIDAR images which is collected at the time of the LIDAR survey. However, in order to model 3D scenes under different conditions requires registering natural images with the registered LIDAR images for 2D image domain approaches. That is not trivial due to the repetition and ambiguity that often occur in man-made scenes as well as the variety of properties different renderings of the same subject can possess such as lighting conditions, content changes, camera sensor types, focal lengths, and exposure values. Morever, creating very high quality 3D models takes very long time to acquire and often also requires high end expensive scanners. This desertation addresses both those obstacles. For registration problem, we propose a 2D-2D matching pipeline that builds upon traditional keypoint matching techniques and uses contextual information and mid-level information to handle these challenging scenarios. For visualization problem, we proposes a novel deep learning based approach that can generate high resolution photo realistic point renderings from low resolution point clouds. The proposed method can generate high quality point rendering images very efficiently and can be used for interactive navigation of large scale 3D scenes as well as image-based localization.
Ambulatory assessment of physical pain, emotional distress, and alcohol use
Authors:   , Carpenter Ryan W.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The available research suggests that many individuals with chronic pain drink alcohol to manage their pain. However, few studies have examined the association of alcohol and pain and none have done so in patientsâ€™ daily lives. The goal of this project was to test a theoretical framework for why individuals with chronic pain consume alcohol. The project used ambulatory assessment to investigate three interrelated reasons for using alcohol, namely that alcohol: 1) has analgesic effects similar to prescription opioidsâ€™, 2) is negatively reinforcing, and 3) is expected to relieve pain. Secondarily, we examined the relationship of pain and negative affect, and to what degree a baseline pain response obtained during a laboratory task was associated with pain in daily life. Eight-seven outpatients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who drank alcohol at least twice per week (ALC; n =27), took daily or every-other-day prescribed opioids (OPI; n = 27), neither (NON; n = 26), or both (BOTH; n = 7) were recruited. Analyses focused on the ALC, OPI, and NON groups (n-observations = 6,973). Participants reported on their alcohol and opioid use and expectancies, pain, and negative affect (NA) multiple times daily for two weeks. Results supported the first two hypotheses. There was moderate support that greater pain was associated with later alcohol use, and strong support that alcohol use was associated with pain reductions. Support was also found for the association of opioid use and pain. Effects, though slightly more inconsistent, were also found for NA, suggesting a negative reinforcement process was involved in pain reductions. Contrary to predictions, pain-related expectancies largely did not moderate associations of alcohol and pain, though NA-related expectancies moderated associations of alcohol and NA. Expectancies also moderated the relationship of opioid use with both pain and NA. Thus, the findings suggest that alcohol has meaningful short-term effects in CLBP patients. These effects may put patients at risk for developing alcohol use problems.
An exploration of the intersection of dimensions of the coach-athlete relationship and interactions with high performance and athlete well-being
Authors:   , Dornonville Delacour Lucy
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] While normative success may be the most tangible measure of athletes' sport experience and coaches' success rates, it is imperative that the interpersonal dynamic not be forgotten (Jowett, 2005; Jowett and Poczwardowski, 2007). This interpersonal dynamic is grounded in a coach's coaching style, either controlling or autonomy-supportive. The communication that a coach uses is indicative of this style and significantly influences athlete well-being, motivation, behavior, and performance (Ryan and Deci, 2002). In all, data in this study was collected from twelve participants, nine collegiate gymnasts and three coaches, through both interviews and practice observations. Findings indicate a reciprocal interaction between coach-athlete communication and the development of the coach-athlete relationship. Athletes preferred a feedback style hereby termed activeconstructive instruction (ACI). Through the encouragement of athlete input, ACI presents coaches with a method of authentically providing athletes with autonomy as well as increasing their feelings of competence in their ability to accurately evaluate and correct their own performances. The utilization of the components of ACI also led athletes to garner a greater sense of care and respect from their coaches, thereby strengthening the coach-athlete relationship. As the relationship developed, the athletes felt their coaches were more adept at providing them with individualized feedback and meeting their own specific needs within the sport environment. Furthermore, the development of a strong coach-athlete relationship led the athletes to perceive greater sport enjoyment, motivation, and, ultimately, performance. These findings speak to the importance of both coach-athlete communication and the coach-athlete relationship in the pursuit of high performance and the maintenance of athlete well-being.
Does industry specialization and diversification affect audit office growth?
Authors:   , Dunn Ryan
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This study examines the determinants of audit office growth, and focuses on strategic client portfolio decisions made by offices. While auditors are clearly motivated to grow, prior studies have examined the consequences of that growth rather than the determinants. I find that a diversified client portfolio is associated with higher office growth, holding other city and office characteristics constant. Additional analysis suggest the growth is stemming from higher industry-specific growth in the industries of specialization. Therefore, the diversified strategy hinges on gaining a certain level of specialization in the industries served by the office. I show the effect of diversification on office growth is more pronounced in diversified and volatile cities, while the effect of specialization on industry-specific growth is more pronounced in regulated industries, but attenuated in innovative industries.
Speak truth to empower: A quantitative approach to high school teacher perceptions of instructional leadership feedback in Midwest state secondary schools
Authors:   , Hite Joann
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Educational reform research has remained focused on the guarantee students are given highly qualified and effective teachers and administrators. In the case of educational leadership, the growing challenges in education are amplified by the continued focus on accountability. The growing expectations and accountability challenges have presented school leadership with obstacles. Obstacles to align state and national expectations with the districtâ€™s capability to provide open collaborative communication, which enable individuals to speak truth to empower. The purpose of this study is to review the alignment between a theoretical framework and the evaluative tools utilized by a school district. Specifically, what is the alignment between the Hallinger framework of instructional leadership and the Panorama Survey Tool used to evaluate the Dandridge Public School District (DPS) and building leadership? Findings from the Panorama Survey Tool indicated the instructional leadership of the districtâ€™s high schools were at a variety of places. Key implications from this research show evaluation tools need to be aligned to theoretical frameworks of expectations. This key recommendation will allow this district and others that may follow to make sure there is alignment between instructional leadership practices and the assessment of those behaviors by the teachers who evaluate them.
Diverse applications of covalent cross-links in duplex DNA: From anti-cancer drugs to the detection of disease-relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms to the synthesis of well-defined substrates for the study of novel DNA repair processes
Authors:   , Imani Nejad Maryam
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Abasic (Ap) sites are a common form of DNA lesion that occur endogenously 50,000-200,000 per cell per day in mammals. The alkylation of the guanine and adenine residues by the alkylating agents such as nitrogen mustards also induces the formation of Ap sites in genomic DNA. Our group recently showed that Ap sites can forge DNA-DNA interstrand cross-links in some sequences via reaction of the Ap aldehyde residue with the exocyclic amino groups of nucleobases, such as adenine and guanine, on the opposing strand of the DNA duplex. The earlier work in the group revealed that formation of these covalent bridges between two DNA strands is highly sequence- dependent. Although interstrand cross-links are one of the most deleterious types of cellular DNA damage, the availability of synthetic DNA duplexes containing chemically well-defined, site-specific interstrand cross-links has been proven to be a valuable tool in biological chemistry and medicine. We prepared and characterized a new Ap-derived interstrand cross-link. In another project, we use these remarkable cross-linking reactions for the covalent capture of disease-relevant single nucleotide polymorphism by using a protein nanopore technology. The complex mechanisms underlying cross-link repair in cells and limited availability of stable and defined cross-link are two major reasons why repair pathways of these lesions are not yet well understood. By preparing a variety of Ap-derived cross-links, we studied the role of a base excision repair DNA glycosylase, NEIL3 in unhooking the lesions.
Mixed emotions and adjustment across development and cultures
Authors:   , Sangsun Kim
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Emerging literature on mixed emotions has reported inconsistent relationships between mixed emotions and psychological adjustment, and little is known about how mixed emotion regulation is related to adjustment. The current research aims to investigate how individuals experience and regulate mixed emotions and how mixed emotions relate to adjustment across development and cultures. Three studies address these aims by developing a measure of momentary mixed emotions and mixed emotion regulation (Study 1), examining moderating effects of age and developmental variables in the relationship between mixed emotions and adjustment among adolescents and young adults (Study 2), and examining the role of cultural context in the relation of mixed emotions to adjustment in East-Asian and North-American young adults (Study 3). The results from Study 1 supported the reliability and validity of our new measure, the Complex Emotions Questionnaire (CEQ), showing that individualsâ€™ tendencies to approach their mixed emotions predict positive adjustment, whereas tendencies to avoid mixed emotions predict maladjustment. The results from Study 2 also supported the utility of the CEQ across development, revealing no age differences in the relationship between mixed emotion regulation and adjustment. However, out results indicated that in adolescence, the occurrence of mixed emotions is associated with maladjustment regardless of its duration, unlike in young adulthood. Finally, the results from Study 3 showed that mixed emotions were more strongly associated with adjustment in our North-American sample than in our East-Asian sample, but individualsâ€™ use of emotion regulation strategies were more similar than different across cultures. Implications of the current research and future directions are discussed.
Hollow fiber membrane fouling controls in ultrafiltration system
Authors:   , Wan Peng
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The world's water shortage problem becomes increasingly serious. However, most of the current water desalination/ purification technologies are energy intensive. Membrane technology requires less energy when compare d with the conventional thermal methods without the involvement of a phase change to make a separation. The most widely used membranes are polymeric membranes, although there are still some issues and challenges for their applications including the membrane breakage and membrane fouling. In this study, I explored various ways to make hollow fiber membranes with enhanced properties especially anti organic fouling characteristics. In comparison with flat sheet membranes, hollow fiber membranes have the advantage of self supporting and high packing density. First, as even bore HFM was produced with a stronger tensile strength when compared with the traditional single bore HFM. Second, the zwitterion carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA), positively charged [2 --(acryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (TMA) with a quaternary amine end group and negatively charged 2 carboxyethylacrylate (CAA) with a carboxyl end group were grafted separately to HFM surface via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Membranes modified with charged polymers showed an improved antifouling property, but not to the same extent as the membrane with the zwitterionic polymers. Third, we investigated the self cleaning property for HFMs under visible light irradiation when NTiO-2-nanoparticles were used to modify HFMs. PSF and PVDF are common polymers for production of membranes. PSF is vulnerable under UV light irradiation and PVDF membrane has more resistance to UV irradiation compared with PSF membrane. NTN is successfully introduced to PSF membrane surface via LDOPA layer and anchored to PVDF membrane surface via polydopamine. PSF membrane and modified layer on PV DF membrane can likely be deteriorated by UV irradiation. Visible light is advisable for the membrane antifouling improvement. The manipulation of HFM structure and the introduction of photocatalysts can resolve the membrane breakage and fouling issues. Membrane performance can be improved by the unique structure design of HFM and the introduction of unique functionalities. Overall, a special designed HFM with unique structure and/or functionality could resolve issues during the membrane filtration process and this type of membrane could lead to the next generation of the high performance membrane.
Do my eyes deceive me?: â€œActs of Sightâ€ in Naomi Iizukaâ€™s Polaroid Stories, Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West, War of the Worlds, and Good Kids
Authors:   , Winship Carrie
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Do My Eyes Deceive Me?: Acts of Sight in Naomi Iizuka's Polaroid Stories, Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, War of the Worlds, and Good Kids explores the postdramatic and open aesthetic of contemporary playwright, Naomi Iizuka. Through critical and close reading, I identify and analyze Naomi Iizuka's repeated staging of "acts of sight" as a dramaturgical device in four of her plays and examine these stagings within the context of Iizuka's broader interest in writing plays that dismantle essentialist concepts of identity and authenticity. I define â€œacts of sightâ€ as moments in Iizuka's narratives that call attention to the process of witness in her dramatic textsâ€"through the reference and use of visual media, direct discussion or theatricalization of sight as a physiological and cultural experience, or a number of discursive and linguistic strategies that focus on the editorializing nature of vision, observation, and sight. The plays explored in this study utilize â€œacts of sightâ€ which explicitly and visually demonstrate a postmodern theoretical perspective that rejects concepts of being (where entities are defined by their static categorizations) and argue instead for concepts of becoming (where material bodies are in a constant state of flux and movement). Through the stagings of these â€œacts of sight,â€ Naomi Iizuka invites audiences to deconstruct commonly accepted concepts of identity, which are rooted in essentialist philosophies, as her formal techniques challenge assumptions of identity as a fixed, binary, or concrete element of oneâ€™s life. I argue that this particular dramaturgical device makes each of these plays worthy of consideration as embodied theoretical perspectives and texts that demonstrate Iizukaâ€™s significance as an architect of anti-essentialist theory and artistry.
DNA interstrand crosslinks arising from DAN strand breaks at true abasic sites in duplex DNA
Authors:   , Yang Zhiyu
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Abasic sites (apurinic/apyrimidinic sites, Ap sites) are one of the most common forms of lesions found in genomic DNA. For the past decade, Gates group has endeavored to identify DNA interstrand crosslinks arising from Ap sites, that are sources of endogenous interstrand crosslinks which relate to aging, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This thesis describes my work in this area, starting from studying the DNA strand cleavage at abasic sites via [beta]-elimination reaction, that can generate a family of structurally diverse sugar remnants at the 3â€™ terminus of the nicked strand under physiological conditions. Using an in vitro system, I have characterized a series of DNA interstrand crosslinks arising from these single strand breaks, which structures are dependent on changing DNA sequence contexts and varied assay conditions that are all bio-relevant. These structures are novel and havenâ€™t been reported to the best of our knowledge. In the meantime, this work has highlighted amine catalysis in Michael addition, and brought to attention the role of GSH in the formation of complex DNA lesions.
Biology of uterine glands : impact on reproductive function
Authors:   , Kelleher Andrew Michael
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Pregnancy loss is the most common complication of human gestation, and roughly one-half of conceptions result in pregnancy loss, most frequently in the first two weeks of gestation. In humans, uterine gland dysfunction is thought to result in pregnancy loss and complications, such as preeclampsia, and fetal growth restriction. Available studies in mice support the hypothesis that uterine glands and forkhead box A2 (FOXA2), a uterine gland specific transcription factor, have important biological roles in blastocyst attachment, implantation, and stromal cell decidualization. Thus, aims of this dissertation included: (1) interrogation of the uterine transcriptome and secretome with and without uterine glands during the periimplantation period of pregnancy; and (2) elucidation of the impact of uterine glands and FOXA2 on endometrial receptivity, blastocyst implantation, and stromal cell decidualization. Those objectives were addressed by utilizing mouse models lacking uterine glands and/or FOXA2 in conjunction with in-depth histomorphological, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. Results of these studies established: (1) uterine glands substantially impact homeostasis of the uterine environment; (2) leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and other gland-derived products, are not present within the uterine fluid during the periimplantation period; (3) FOXA2 regulates uterine expression of Lif; (4) LIF-repletion is sufficient for pregnancy establishment but not maintenance in glandless mice; (5) FOXA2- independent uterine gland-derived factors are required for a successful pregnancy. Collectively, these studies provide original evidence that uterine glands are critical for synchronous embryo-endometrial interactions and coordinate on-time implantation and stromal cell decidualization, thereby impacting embryo viability and pregnancy success. These studies also identified novel glandular factors that may be of significance to implantation and post-implantation processes in mice and humans.