bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A study of individuals' satisfaction of destination attributes during incentive travel with a moderating role of travel group composition
Authors:   , Lawhead Kylee
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] While incentive travel has existed for decades, it is a highly under researched sector of the hospitality and tourism industry with absent literature in regards to industry and academia. Incentive travel is an internationally rapidly growing segment used to incentivize and motivate employees in the workplace through significant trip rewards. However, while significant research has examined destination attributes and incentive motivation literature, the relationship of internal and external destination attributes to the incentive travel industry and analysis of travel group composition has not been addressed. In an effort to address this gap, this study investigates the determinants of incentive travelers' satisfaction of destination attributes on incentive trips in various travel group compositions from the perspectives of participants of incentive travel within the United States of America. Presenting managerial and theoretical implications to the incentive travel literature, the findings of this study support significant variations in satisfaction levels between incentive travelers' traveling alone and incentive travelers' traveling with guests.
Readers' perceived credibility and attitudes toward custom and consumer magazines
Authors:   , Skokan Ashley
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Extending prior research on source credibility, this study investigated readers' perceived credibility and attitudes toward custom and consumer magazines based on the interaction of message source and source attribution. The study employed an online experiment with a 2 (message source) x 3 (source attribution) within-subjects factorial design using magazine samples as experimental stimuli that were viewed by study participants in a laboratory setting. Each message source derived from either a custom or consumer magazine and was paired with one of three types of source attribution: non-commercial, commercial, and no source. The findings showed that consumer magazines with noncommercial source attribution were perceived as most credible for both source credibility and message credibility, and custom magazines with commercial source attribution were perceived as least credible for both measurements. Further, the findings regarding attitude showed that consumer magazines garnered more positive attitudes from readers than custom magazines.
Improved cloning efficiency by chemically induced metabolic reprogramming of donor cells used for porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer
Authors:   , Cecil Raissa Faith
Published: September 2024

The use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to create agricultural and biomedical models is extremely useful for understanding how we can improve the efficiency of production agriculture, as well as how we can better understand the progression of human diseases. Pigs are especially useful for these types of models because of their importance for meat production and their anatomical similarity to humans for the study of disease. Although SCNT is a reliable way to create these models, the efficiency of the process is very low. Since the first pigs created by SCNT were born almost 20 years ago, many attempts have been made in order to increase the efficiency of porcine SCNT with only marginal improvements. Particular focus has been placed on understanding the way in which the somatic nucleus used for the SCNT process can be better primed for remodeling and reprogramming. Metabolism has been shown in many studies to affect the pluripotency of cells, with a switch from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism coinciding with remodeling of the cellular genome and differentiation. The purpose of this literature review is to: 1) understand the previous attempts that have been made to improve SCNT efficiency, 2) highlight research that has allowed better understanding of stem cell qualities by assessing the similarities between cancer cells and embryonic cells, 3) evaluate the role that metabolism plays in the reprogramming of cells to a multipotent state, and 4) discover the capacity that the transcription factor, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), has to modulate cellular metabolism.
CONFOLD new version : contact-guided ab initio protein folding with new features
Authors:   , Li Xiangyu
Published: September 2024

CONFOLD is an ab initio protein folding method that can build three-dimensional models using predicted contacts and secondary structures. Under this method, we can translate contact distance map and secondary structure into the distance, dihedral angle, and hydrogen bond restraints according to a set of new conversion rules, and then using this information as input to build structure models. To improve this method, we added some new features to CONFOLD, such as disulfide bond information, Beta contact prediction, and contacts distance multi-threshold. CONFOLD New Version allows using disulfide bond information and Beta strands prediction as input so that the Crystallography and NMR System can get the information directly, improving the accuracy and efficiency in some specific cases. And it can exclude some low probability residues contact information by setting multi-thresholds. I tested this method based on CASP 12 datasets, and results show that it can improve the efficiency of the program while keeping the TM-score.
Using a group decision method to judge the value of blockchain for an enterprise in supply chain
Authors:   , Yu Shitao
Published: September 2024

Blockchain technology recently has become popular. This new way of transaction may bring many benefits for a supply chain. Because of its own attributes, a Blockchain network can create a peer to peer transaction environment which is decentralized, tamper proof, safe and reliable, with no need of a centralized trusted third party. What's more, each of the nodes in the network will have the same ledger providing a permanent record for each transaction in the whole net, which makes it nearly impossible to tamper the record. With this transparency of information, it is much easier to trace back the product information.
Development and comparison of customized voice-assistant systems for independent living older adults
Authors:   , Shalini Shradha
Published: September 2024

Voice-controlled in-home personal assistants have great potential to assist older adults. This thesis explores the aspects of human-computer interface design, specifically a voice assistant, to help older adults manage their personal health, especially in the case of chronic health conditions. In our previous work, we have built a web interface for caregivers to monitor older adults' health changes based on in-home sensor data from motion sensors, bed sensors, and depth sensors. Data collected from these sensors are stored in servers and processed using several algorithms to obtain health and activity parameters including gait, fall risk, detect fall, motion patterns, sleep, heart rate, and respiration rate, as well as to generate health alerts. The sensor system with automated health alerts and care coordination has been shown to help seniors maintain better functionality. In our current research project, we focus on developing a consumer interface for older adults and their designated trusted others that can provide health information on-demand, based on spoken queries. The health information is presented as both audio and visual displays and uses graphical visualizations and linguistic summaries of the sensor data trends and changes. The goal is to present data in a form that is simple to understand. To accomplish our objective of creating an easy-to-use-and-understand health data interface for older adults, we explore voice-controlled, in-home personal assistants as a solution. Two voice assistant platforms with displays were selected for implementation and testing, namely, the Amazon Echo Show and the Lenovo Smart Display with Google Assistant.
Novel alkaloid management strategies for improved beef cattle production in the fescue belt
Authors:   , Meng Kevin
Published: September 2024

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) is an important forage crop for agriculture in Missouri and much of the eastern United States. Tall fescue is known for hardiness and herbage accumulation, much of which is attributed to a symbiotic relationship with the fungal endophyte Epichloe coenophiala. This endophyte produces alkaloids, which negatively affect livestock performance after consumption. Tall fescue is a species well adapted to Missouri forage systems and takes considerable resources and time to remove from pastures and replace with a new species. Due to these negative factors, most research efforts have focused on managing tall fescue to reduce toxicity risk. One strategy includes reducing alkaloid load by removing one of the most toxic part of the plant (seedheads). The results will be presented from research projects using prescribed fire on infected tall fescue plots and metsulfuron plus nitrogen on pastures grazed by stocker cattle as management strategies to reduce toxicity and improve productivity of tall fescue forage systems. Prescribed burning of tall fescue in April resulted in reduced seedheads by 49 percent, lower alkaloid concentrations and improved forage nutritive value in months following burning. Metsulfuron herbicide reduced seedhead density by 80 percent and decreased ergovaline production while nitrogen fertilizer recovered forage yield losses due to metsulfuron. Seedhead reduction in response to prescribed fire and metsulfuron has potential for reducing alkaloid exposure when grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue.
Is breastfeeding related to maternal warmth and acceptance among Saudi mothers?
Authors:   , Allazzam Sumayyah
Published: September 2024

The majority of studies that explored the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers focused on the health benefits. Yet, this study among the first to consider the possible effect of breastfeeding on maternal caregiving behavior, particularly, maternal warmth and acceptance. A total of 399 middle income Saudi mothers participated in the study to explore the differences of maternal warmth and acceptance based on the infants' feeding methods. The study also examined the association between breastfeeding duration and maternal warmth and acceptance. The results highlighted that mothers who exclusively breastfed their children scored significantly higher in maternal warmth and acceptance than mothers who only bottle fed and those who mix between breastfeeding and bottle. Breastfeeding duration was also found to have a significant positive association with both maternal warmth and acceptance. The findings provide insight into understanding the possible social and emotional benefits of breastfeeding to the mothers.
Concentration and consolidation : how chain ownership affects newspaper front-page content
Authors:   , Brown Kyle
Published: September 2024

Ownership by newspaper chains in the United States has become the norm, rather than the outlier, in the past half-century. While proponents of this model of ownership claim that chain newspapers are no different from independently owned papers in terms of their dedication to local coverage, research has consistently shown that newspapers that are part of a group are more likely to converge in their editorial opinions and syndicate news articles among their holdings, suggesting that chain ownership has a profound effect on the outcomes of city newspapers' content. Those effects have likely accelerated in an era when newspaper chains are increasingly cutting newsroom staff and relying more heavily on consolidating production resources. Through a quantitative content analysis of front pages downloaded from Newseum.org, this research study investigates the relationship between the size of newspapers' parent companies and the amount of original news content on their front pages. This study was able to conclude that in general, newspapers owned by larger chains had smaller proportions of original news on their front pages, and newspaper chains had smaller proportions of original news in states where they had a higher concentration of ownership.
The effect of isometric tongue exercise in a novel rodent model of dysphagia
Authors:   , Murphy Erika Rose
Published: September 2024

The tongue plays a crucial role in the swallowing process and impairment can lead to dysphagia, particularly in neurological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's Disease, and stroke. This project utilizes our previously established rodent model that develops dysphagia as a consequence of only tongue dysfunction. This model was created by injecting a toxin into the genioglossus muscle of the tongue for selective death of motor neurons in the hypoglossal nucleus, a brainstem region that directly innervates the tongue via the hypoglossal nerve. Our goal is to investigate the effect of tongue exercise on tongue function in three groups of male rats: 1) toxin injection plus exercise (n=7); 2) toxin injection plus sham exercise (n=7); and 3) control injection plus exercise (n=7). For each group, a custom spout with adjustable lick force requirement was placed in the home cage overnight for 12 hours on days 4 and 6 post-tongue injection. For the two exercise groups, the lick force requirement was set to 50 percent greater than the maximum voluntary tongue force, measured using a force lickometer. Assessment of the following outcome measures included: 1) baseline and end-line swallow function measured using videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS); and 2) baseline and end-line lick force measured using a force lickometer. Swallow metrics were analyzed using our custom semi-automated VFSS analysis software. Our lingual exercise program resulted in statistically significant differences in tongue force and lick rate but had no effect on swallow rate. Results provide insight regarding tongue exercise as a potential treatment to ameliorate alterations in tongue function in neurologically impaired patients.
Magnitude of STING Signaling Determines CD8 T cell Memory
Authors:   , Newth Rebecca J.
Published: September 2024

Memory CD8+ T cells are critical for long-term protection against intracellular pathogens and tumors. STING signals enable the transcription of pro-inflammatory molecules, such as type I IFNs, in response to nucleic acids from pathogens or self . Although the STING signaling pathway is best characterized for generating antiviral responses, recent evidence indicates STING signaling is involved in regulating IFN- independent cellular responses in innate immune cells. However, it's role in T cells is still poorly understood. Our collaborators published that enhanced STING signaling leads to a decrease in T cell protective immunity in a mechanism independent of direct IFN signaling on T cells. Our data indicates that CD8 T cells expand and clear infection but subsequently vanish without differentiating into memory. This is not due to impairments in memory programming, rather, CD8 T cell death is induced due to high levels of the apoptotic molecule Bim. Our data also suggest that T cell death via STING signaling could be attributed to its ability to modulate tryptophan metabolism. STING signaling can upregulate the enzyme IDO to catalyze the oxidation of tryptophan, a necessary amino acid for T cell survival. Indeed, IDO inhibition is able to return Bim expression to wildtype levels and restore the generation of memory T cells. Collectively, our data emphasizes a role for tryptophan metabolism in the generation of memory CD8 T cells and suggests enhancing STING signaling might not be beneficial in all T cell responses.
Growth, performance and quality attributes of steers supplemented with high oleic soybean oil
Authors:   , Shirley William James
Published: September 2024

Growing concerns with saturated fatty acids on human health has led to research being done to reduce saturated fatty acid levels in animal tissues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of high oleic soybean oil on the performance, carcass composition and meat quaility of angus crossbred steers. 30 steers were sorted by weight using stratified sampling design into four pens, 2 being control and 2 being treatment. Control steers were fed a diet that included 3 percent regular soybean oil, while treatment steers were fed a diet with 3 percent high oleic soybean oil (HO). All animals were fed diets with soybean oil supplementation for a minimum of 63 days before harvest. After harvest, KPH weights and hot carcass weights were taken. Marbling score and longissimus dorsi area were assessed 48 hours after slaughter. Fat samples were taken from four different fat depots (subcutaneous, kidney, pelvic, heat (KPH), seam and intramuscular) and analyzed for fatty acids composition. PROC UNIVARIATE was ran and data more than three standard deviations from the mean was removed. Remaining data was analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.3. Greater DMI (P_0.01) was measured for cattle fed the HO diet and as a result DMI percentBW was also significantly higher (P_0.01). However, the G:F was significantly less (P= 0.05) and the ending body weight had no difference.
A study of the factors that affect lithium ion battery degradation
Authors:   , Xiong Shihui
Published: September 2024

Secondary batteries have been applied in every aspect of our life, from cell phones, to laptops, medical devices, satellites, and renewable energy power stations. Li-ion batteries have shown superior advantages in their ability to store large amount of energy in compact spaces and their long battery life. However, battery capacity degradation, which causes battery failure, posts a serious concern to the economy and efficiency to individuals and industries. The degradation rate is affected by several factors including temperature, charge and discharge voltage, current, and the level at which the battery is charged or discharged. Understanding these factors can largely help to reduce the speed of battery failure and allow batteries to better serve their purpose. First, this thesis project did a review of existing literatures addressing how conditions including temperature, state of charge, depth of discharge, charge voltage, and C-rate affect Li-ion battery degradation rate and the conditions necessary to achieve optimal battery life. An experiment was done to study how battery chemistry, cycle frequency, and temperature affect battery degradation rate and observe how degradation affects battery performance. Results show that high and low temperature shorten battery life, cycle frequency is not consequential with Li-ion battery degradation rate, and INR batteries might have shorter battery life than IMR batteries. These findings will help consumers and companies better understand proper usage of Li- ion batteries.
The Longue Duree of Choctaw Removal, 1800-1860
Authors:   , Green Edward Patrick
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Historians have long considered Indian removal to be a product of Andrew Jackson's Presidency (1829-1837). They point to the Indian Removal Act (1830), the Cherokee's legal struggles, and their final violent expulsion from Georgia. In these renderings, the story is quick, violent, and most of all successful. At all levels, this is a story of a developing conflict between the federal government and native peoples, with both sides given a unanimity of purpose and desires. This project takes a radically different understanding of removal, challenging both the limited temporal bounds and the myopic focus on the Cherokee tribe by examining the Choctaws' experience in Mississippi. The locality of the process is stressed: neither federal agents nor Choctaws pursued a consistent policy through the process. Removal was messier, convoluted, and at times contradictory, all as a result of the decentralised policies of the federal government and the Choctaws efforts to mitigate them. Chapter one shows the varied federal policies in the years before removal began and concludes that two distinct American ambitions for the tribe emerged in the period. Chapter two examines the first efforts of forced removal between 1831 and 1833, emphasising the ways in which Choctaws turned the situation to their own advantage. Chapter three considers the various legal methods that the Choctaw used to stay in Mississippi long after the federal government had considered removal "accomplished". Finally, chapter four considers the privatised efforts at removing the holdouts from the state, showing Mississippi to be the true driver of removal.
Design and synthesis of targeted NIR fluorescent nanoparticles for bio-imaging
Authors:   , Hoagenson Alicia Renee
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Breast cancer is the second most common cancer, and the chance that a woman will die from breast cancer is 2.6 percent. One in 8 women develop breast cancer during their lives. Treatment includes various forms of chemotherapy and radiation, and often breast cancer tumor removal, or lumpectomy. Breast tumor removal surgery often consists of a sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and subsequent removal of axillary lymph nodes upon finding metastasis. SLN biopsy is the clinical procedure to determine the presence of metastasis and the removal of axillary lymph nodes based on the histopathological evaluation. The current clinical gold standard for SLN biopsy involves identification of metastatic cells in SLNs by administration of a radiotracer with a blue dye in the peritumor region followed by histopathological examination of frozen tissue sections. While SLN biopsies accurately predict metastasis in axillary lymph nodes, the caveat is the removal of healthy lymph nodes that causes adverse side effects such as lymphedema and reduced ability to fight infections. If we can identify the presence or absence of metastasis during surgery without the wait of histopathological evaluation, the time duration for surgery and anesthesia for patients can be reduced as these factors have implications for patient welfare and health care costs. Therefore, there is a clinical need to identify cancer cells in SLNs during surgery. Real-time fluorescent imaging techniques are being investigated as an alternative approach for blue dye for use in traditional SLN biopsies. FDA approved near-infrared (NIR) dye indocyanine green (ICG) has been used for real-time fluorescent imaging. However, ICG alone cannot distinguish healthy cells from metastatic cells in SLNs during breast cancer tumor surgery. Labeling ICG with an agent to identify cancer cells with high specificity would solve the clinical need. Therefore, it is hypothesized that xvii encapsulation of ICG in nanoparticles and the subsequent surface conjugation of targeting agents to receptors overexpressed on tumors would enable identification of tumor cells with high specificity and selectivity. In this study, a nanoparticle-based system encapsulated with ICG has been developed and targeted with EGFR antibody for selective identification of cancer cells. Design, synthesis, encapsulation, stability, and in vitro studies in cells using the nanoparticles were completed. The phantom gel study, mimicking human tissue, was also performed using nanoparticles to estimate the amount of ICG required for in vivo imaging. The study results suggest that the newly developed targeted NIR delivery system could be used for real-time fluorescent imaging applications.
roomsthatgonowhere
Authors:   , Sanchez Jesus
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] I often find myself staring at the light along the wall of my apartment. I'm at my kitchen table when it appears from nowhere. I stare at the light as it shifts and then I look away. A few seconds pass, then minutes pass, and I'm fixated on this feeling. There's a presence I cannot explain, but feel in the air. I look to the ground, my rug is bent and folded over. It looks sad and I look at the empty chair in front of me. The bands of light from my window appear again. The rooms I create are considered empty, but inside them is an intangible presence. A lost loved one never goes away. I see objects, spaces, and phenomena like the light coming through my window reminding me of them. Every day I live and those people I've lost are hidden in the back of my mind. When I recognize this absence, I acknowledge I am inhabiting a space without them. I sit at my kitchen table every day, and the light reminds me I'm sitting there without her. This feeling creates a sensitivity to space. I become aware of the smallest of details acknowledging the invisible presence. The empty spaces I inhabit become full as I search for a lingering aura that can only meet me half way.
Novel approach to assessment of efficacy of platelet inhibition by clopidogrel and aspirin in healthy dogs
Authors:   , Trenholme H. Nicole
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Introduction: Antiplatelet therapy, including clopidogrel and aspirin, is used to decrease the risk of thromboembolism in dogs. However, efficacy of therapy is not typically confirmed in clinical patients, nor is therapy able to be titrated to effect based on typical diagnostics. Methods: Six client owned healthy dogs, weighing 21.1-36.4 kg and being between 1-6 years of age were enrolled in a prospective cross over design study. Each dog had baseline lab work and coagulation testing performed, including thromboelastography with platelet mapping (TEG-PM) and whole blood platelet aggregometry (WBPA). Clopidogrel (2-3 mg kg-1), aspirin (2 mg kg-1), or a combination of the two medications were administered for two weeks, with a two week wash out period between each treatment. TEG-PM, WBPA, platelet count, fibrinogen, and packed cell volume (PCV) with total solids (TS) was performed after each treatment. Platelet function was assessed with WBPA. Percentage platelet inhibition was calculated with TEG-PM to evaluate for response to antiplatelet therapy, and level of agreement was determined between TEG-PM and WBPA. Dogs were assessed for drops in PCV, TS, and platelet count or increase in fibrinogen following each treatment. A Shapiro-Wilk test for normality of distribution was performed on all baseline lab work, and a Wilcoxon paired ix rank sum test was performed to evaluate for significant decrease in PCV, TS, or platelets or significant increase in fibrinogen. Significance was determined if p < 0.05. Percentage agreement between TEG-PM and WBPA was also determined. Results: All dogs were aspirin responders on WBPA; 3/6 were clopidogrel responders. There was a poor level of agreement between WBPA and TEG-PM, with these diagnostics showing agreement in 16.7-66.7 percent of measurements. Clopidogrel treatment produced a significant drop in PCV (p = 0.017); aspirin and clopidogrel treatment in combination caused a significant increase in fibrinogen (p = 0.046) and decrease in TS (p = 0.027). Conclusions: TEG-PM did not consistently identify responders to antiplatelet drugs in healthy canine subjects. There was a poor level of agreement between WBPA and TEG-PM in detecting platelet inhibition from antiplatelet therapies. Though there was a statistically significant decrease in PCV with clopidogrel therapy alone and an increase in fibrinogen with a decrease in TS on combination therapy, the degree of alterations is likely not biologically important in healthy dogs.
Caregiver choice in alternating treatments
Authors:   , Stevens Ashley
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Caregivers have a large impact on the long-term effectiveness of any Applied Behavior Analysis treatment plan designed for their child's needs. There is a call-to-action to develop more effective training procedures and implement strategies to gain buy-in up front to maintain caregiver adherence. The purposes of this current study were to 1) further evaluate the effectiveness of nontechnical instructions on fidelity in a Behavioral Skills Training component analysis, 2) evaluate whether caregiver choice is impacted by treatment effectiveness alone, or if graphic feedback is needed, and 3) evaluate the preference for and effects of providing choices to caregivers via social validity data. Caregivers were involved in treatment planning and implementation of protocols in an alternating treatments design. These procedures were used in order to increase future adherence of ABA strategies post-discharge of child. Results indicate 1) nontechnical protocols alone were not sufficient in training any of the caregivers to fidelity, 2) treatment effectiveness impacted 2/3 caregivers' choices of implementation whereas graphic feedback was necessary for 1/3 caregivers and 3) overall, the study processes were deemed socially valid for all caregivers.
A victory long in the making : divestment from South Africa at the University of Missouri
Authors:   , Rogers Samuel
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This thesis focuses on the little known, but significant, movement for divestment (the sale of stocks from companies doing business in South Africa) at the University of Missouri in the late 1970s and the mid-1980s until the university's administrators decided to divest in December 1987. Missouri students joined compatriots across the United States calling for similar objectives. Scholars who look at collegiate anti-Apartheid movements or divestment usually focus on administrative divestment decisions or on the intricacies of specific campus activism. Instead, I look at the divestment movement's unique characteristics at University of Missouri campuses and particularly at the flagship campus in Columbia. Concurrently, I look at the reasons why the University of Missouri's administrators actually decided to divest in 1987. My first chapter covers the first two phases of divestment at Mizzou; here Students began calling for the university system to divest in 1977 and did so again in 1985. The major themes of this chapter focus on the administrative response to activism and the university system's partial divestment in 1985. Chapters two and three take a more microscopic approach, they focus on the protests and events that were directly related to them at the University of Missouri's flagship institution. In my fourth chapter I consider divestment activism's impact on the University of Missouri's administrators and I ask why they eventually decided to completely divest from South Africa in December 1987.
Motivation in the apparel classroom : a self-determination perspective
Authors:   , Barner Claudine
Published: September 2024

The purpose of this study was to uncover strategies that apparel educators may use to encourage higher level self-regulation in foundational apparel studies. Based on the Organismic Integration sub-Theory of Self-Determination Theory, we tested whether instructors' employment of autonomy-supportive language verses traditionally used controlling language would differentially influence students' internalization of the importance of a necessary but uninteresting basic sewing task. Generally speaking, we found support that instructors' use of autonomy supportive language may increase internalization necessary to motivate students to master basic sewing skills. Theoretical, empirical, and practical implications are presented.
Association between urinary iodine concentrations and insulin resistance in US adults
Authors:   , Ezemaduka Chisom
Published: September 2024

Background: Iodine intake within the US population has declined in recent years. Mild iodine deficiency increases the risk of inadequate thyroid hormone production and there is growing evidence that sub-clinical hypothyroidism may give rise to outcomes disruptive to metabolic health including insulin resistance (IR). Objective: To investigate the association between urinary iodine concentrations (UIC), a measurement of iodine status, and IR in US adults. Method: Data from 1286 US adults ([greater than or equal to] 20 years) in the NHANES 2011-2012 were used in the study. Two subgroups (low= UIC < 100[microgram]/L and normal=UIC [greater than or equal to] 100[microgram]/L) were compared for measures of IR, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), hyperinsulinemia, and glycated hemoglobin. Chi-square test, simple linear regressions and multiple logistic regressions were used to test for statistical differences between the groups. Results: Median UIC (mUIC) of adults was optimal although women, high income earners, age groups 40-59yrs and non-iodine supplements users had significantly lower mUIC (P < 0.05). In males, no significant associations were noted between measures of IR and UIC. Females with low UIC were at greater risk for FBG [greater than or equal to] 5.6mmol/L (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 1.73, 95 percent confidence interval (CI) = 1.09 - 2.72) while those with normal UIC were at greater risk for HbA1C [greater than or equal to] 5.7 percent (OR= 0.56, 95 percent CI = 0.34 - 0.90) and HOMA-IR [greater than or equal to] 2.6 (AOR= 0.56, 95 percent CI = 0.32 - 0.99). Conclusion: Our results partially support our hypothesis that UIC is associated with the odds of IR. Adult females with low UIC had a greater risk for elevated FBG, a marker of prediabetes, while those with normal UIC had greater risks for elevated HbA1C and HOMA-IR. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the casual relationship between iodine status and IR.
Simulation of trickle bed electrochemical reactor for hydrogen peroxide synthesis
Authors:   , Lu Zhouzhou
Published: September 2024

A 2D multi-physics, multi-component model was developed to analyze the effects of electrolyte concentration, flow rates and applied voltage on the performance of a trickle bed electrochemical reactor for hydrogen peroxide synthesis. The trickle bed reactor with a porous cathode composed of carbon black and polytetrafluoroethylene was designed in our previous work. An important feature of the reactor was a divided-cell structure of the cathode, which resulted in a much-improved performance. In order to describe various phenomena that affect the behavior of the system, it is desirable to model the divided cell TBER for H2O2 generation. The simulation used three main models including the electrochemical model, the mass transfer model, and the fluid dynamics model to solve the coupled voltage (charge), mass and momentum balance. The simulation results were compared with the experimental data, showing reasonably good agreements for different variables. Also, the distribution results of the divided cell model were compared with the undivided ones and did show a better improvement on the distribution of the H2O2 concentration. The model can be used as an optimization tool for further improvement of the trickle bed electrochemical reactor.
Herbicide resistant weeds in Missouri : sources and solutions
Authors:   , Oseland Eric Gregory
Published: September 2024

Herbicide resistant weeds continue to invade new territories each year. Two studies were designed to identify both the spread and the current status of herbicide resistant weeds in Missouri. In 2016 and 2017, 98 separate commercially available bird feed mixes were examined for the presence of weed seed. Amaranthus species were present in 94 of the 98 bags of bird feed examined and reached levels as high as 6,525 seeds kg[-1].. Results from linear regression and t test analysis indicate that when proso millet, grain sorghum, and corn were present in feed mixes, Amaranthus seed contamination was increased. The presence of proso millet and grain sorghum also increased contamination of grass weed species while sunflower increased A. artemisiifolia contamination and safflower increased contamination of Bassia scoparia. An additional study collected seed from 112 separate horseweed populations d from infested fields throughout Missouri just prior to soybean harvest in 2015 and 2016. A discriminating dose that represented twice the recommended field use rate of glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D, dicamba, and cloransulam was applied to each population in order to determine the frequency and distribution of herbicide resistances in Missouri horseweed. A population was classified as resistant if visual control 28 days after application (DAA) was less than 60 percent. Glyphosate resistance was confirmed in all 112 populations while cloransulam resistance was confirmed in 89 of 112, or 79 percent of the populations. Two populations survived the application of 2,4-D while all populations were found to be susceptible to dicamba and glufosinate. The results of this survey suggest the use of glyphosate and cloransulam for controlling horseweed in Missouri is likely to result in unsatisfactory control and dicamba, glufosinate, and 2,4-D still provide adequate control of horseweed across the state. Both studies draw attention to the distribution and spread of herbicide resistant weed species in the United States.
Effects of feedback content and preference on performance
Authors:   , Schalla Alexander Clark
Published: September 2024

Data were collected on individual task completion and feedback procedures and stimuli used to change performance in existing feedback interventions. The information collected aimed to improve the quality of feedback delivered to direct care staff at a clinic specializing in the treatment of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. A feedback stimulus preference assessment (FSPA) was administered to identify preferred feedback components commonly used in feedback interventions. Preference assessment data collection consisted of a paired choice and ranking procedure on feedback components including content, modality, recipients, and immediacy. Feedback delivery was altered and delivered based on preference to improve task completion rates (i.e., performance). Performance was based on a checklist of session-related duties direct care staff were required to complete during client appointments. Results from this study indicate that preferred and detailed, behavior-specific, affirmative feedback may be effective at improving rates if individual task completion.
Horticultural crop response to synthetic auxins
Authors:   , Dixon Sarah E.
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Rising adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybeans increases the potential exposure of grapes to dicamba, where off-target injury may occur via particle or vapor drift. In 2017 and 2018 at three locations in Missouri, research in production vineyards focused on the single-season effects of dicamba on hybrid grapes (Vidal blanc). During flowering and early fruit set, established grapes were exposed to low rates of dicamba, delivered as a spray solution (36 or 72 ppm) or by vapor from treated soil. The severity of dicamba injury (leaf cupping and feathering) was similar at 2 of 3 site years, with greater injury related to particle versus vapor drift of dicamba. Across all site years, season-long shoot growth was reduced up to 97 percent following exposure to particle drift. Minimal shoot inhibition resulted from dicamba vapor. At harvest, impacts of dicamba on grape yield were variable. At one site, grape yield was reduced 20-48 percent from dicamba vapor compared to respective controls, with evidence for increased sensitivity during flowering. In one site year, the final sugar content of berries at harvest was reduced by dicamba as particle drift, up to 19 percent. Grapes are highly sensitive to dicamba, with visual symptoms extending throughout the growing season. Impacts of dicamba on berry sugar and yield may result from early season injury.--Chapter 2 abstract.
A sense of where they were neoliberals and the Democratic Party in an Era of Challenges and political transformation, 1978-1989
Authors:   , Tonks Henry M. J.
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This Thesis examines the development of neoliberal politics within the Democratic Party, concentrating on the period from 1978 to 1989. The thesis focuses on elite-level politics, examining neoliberal politics through the work of historical actors (politicians, commentators, policy analysts, and political operatives) who were either active members of or influential upon the Democratic Party. The introduction of this thesis sets out the parameters of the study, and reviews important topics and trends within historiographical literature relating to its subject. Chapter One examines the formulation of neoliberal political economy, including through an examination of political discourse around Japan and the Japanese economy. Chapter Two examines the relationship between neoliberal politics and the politics of race. The conclusion of this thesis indicates how neoliberal politics subsequently developed within the Democratic Party, assesses what thematical and topical areas were not examined in the thesis, makes suggestions as to how this subject could be developed in future projects, and draws together conclusions from the body of the thesis.
Temperature trends of the Late Cambrian through the Middle Ordovician : implications for Ordovician climate and biodiversification
Authors:   , Speir Laura
Published: September 2024

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The Ordovician Period includes both the largest and longest period of sustained biodiversification--the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE)--and the second-largest mass extinction of the Phanerozoic--the end Ordovician mass extinction. Climate change has been invoked as a contributing factor to both events. Much research has focused on the end Ordovician extinction and thus, paleotemperatures of the last 15 million years of the period are relatively well documented. Data for the Early and Middle Ordovician are much more limited. Although the number of Early to Middle Ordovician climate studies has increased over the last decade, the record of climate change leading into the GOBE is still incomplete. To begin to address this problem, I generated [delta][superscript 18] O data at three new localities and increased sampling density at a fourth. New data combined with previous records suggest that cooling occurred between the latest Cambrian and Early Ordovician, that little change occurred during the Early Ordovician, and that additional cooling occurred by the Middle Ordovician. However, temperatures remained above modern levels through the GOBE. While climate change may have played a role in the GOBE, the relatively low magnitude and relatively late timing of the cooling argue that cooling is unlikely to be the primary trigger for the event.
Epigenetics of canine lung cancer development
Authors:   , Herrera Chamisa L.
Published: September 2024

Background: Human lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer related mortality and has significant economic impact. Cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke are a common cause of lung cancer development. Lung cancer is fairly uncommon in dogs despite sharing similar environments, being exposed to second-hand smoke, and having similar respiratory physiology. Understanding the cause of apparent species protection could result in new prevention and treatment avenues for man and dog. One way of investigating species differences is investigation the methylome and protein expression of common cancer related genes in the dog and comparing those to know findings in man. We elected to study of the methylation status of a panel of canine genes known to be deregulated in human cancer including CDA, DLX-1-3', DLX1-5', FOXB2, HOXA9, HOXB5, and PPAR-[gamma]. During the investigation of these genes in canine lung cancer, and interesting methylation profile was discovered for PPAR-[gamma]. PPAR-[gamma] is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that plays important roles in cellular proliferation and differentiation. It has been implicated as a tumor suppressor in many solid tumors including human prostate, breast, colon, and lung cancer. Our initial findings of an altered methylome of PPAR-[gamma] prompted further investigation of the tissue distribution of PPAR-[gamma] in normal canine lung, canine lung cancer, and metastatic to lung cancer. We also went on to investigate the role of DNA methylation on control of gene expression. The protein was studied using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and DNA methylation was studied using combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA), and methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Results: PPAR-[gamma] is expressed in all large conducting airways, particularly in goblet cells and bronchial glands, in the canine lung. The protein is also expressed in interstitial macrophages. PPAR-[gamma] is expressed in 33 percent of canine non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases and 66 percent of metastatic osteosarcoma (OSA) cases. There is a significant loss of 5' PPAR-[gamma] methylation from normal lung to primary lung cancer and metastatic OSA (p=0.0002), however altered PPAR-[gamma] promoter methylation at the interrogated locus does not appear to be associated with changes in protein expression. Conclusions: PPAR-[gamma] protein is expressed in normal canine lung tissue, canine primary lung cancer, and metastatic OSA. Confirmation of PPAR-[gamma] protein expression in tumor-bearing dogs supports the investigation of PPAR-[gamma] agonists in this subset of veterinary patients. These results are the first to describe epigenetic marks and protein localization of PPAR-[gamma] among different lung pathologies in the dog.
Factors affecting participation in Indonesian social forestry
Authors:   , Kusumawardani Dorin Lida
Published: September 2024

Social forestry was designed as a solution for massive deforestation, lack of land access and poverty issues in community dependent forests. The Indonesian Government allocated 12.7 million ha of forest area as community managed forests through a social forestry program. This paper analyzes the factors affecting household participation in Indonesian Social Forestry. Participants are defined as households who are formal members and actively participate in a social forestry group. A survey was conducted with 240 households in three different villages in the region of Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. The logistic regression estimates indicate that training in forestry, more landownership, experiences of natural resource conflict and dependence on forest resources increase the likelihood of household participation in a social forestry group. The study finds that a higher education level by the head of household decreased the odds of household participation by 81 [percent]. In addition, households from Penepian Raya village were less likely to participate than households from Selaup Village.