bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mediated temporal consciousness: memory and concepts of time through engagement with online news archives
Authors:   , Britt Terry Lynn
Published: April 2021

Archival news content no longer exists solely in physical collections at a limited number of public institutions and media organization storerooms. Instead, digitized and digital-native content of the past can be found online through multiple venues, including the venerable online video sharing site, YouTube. This research looks at how online videos of major news events within the past 10 years provide a chance to re-engage with memories of the news events and other memories connected to the time of the given news event. Through a qualitative research method known as video elicitation, the study uses semi-structured interviews with participants to look at recalled semantic and episodic memory content connected to a recent news event featured in a YouTube-based archival news video -- one regarding the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, protests after local police shot and killed African-American teenager Michael Brown, and the other regarding the 2010 British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and underwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The study considers the characteristics and comparative states of the interview responses in building a new media concept -- mediated temporal consciousness (MTC) â€" to understand the awareness and articulation of episodic and semantic memory content associated with past news events or the time at which the person first learned of the news event. MTC is a proposed extension of presence (also known as telepresence) theory in the sense of presence as transportation; in this case, transportation from the present to past points in time coinciding with initial mediated dissemination of news events.
Mothers' cooking stress and family dining out : examining psychological influences and family dining out benefits on mothers' life satisfaction
Authors:   , Kim Kathleen Jeehyae
Published: April 2021

This study aimed to (1) to examine whether the constructs of dining out constraints (i.e., interpersonal constraint, structural constraint, and intrapersonal constraint) influence the frequency of mothers dining out with their family, (2) to investigate the relationship between cooking stress, the need for a reward, the desire to dine out, constraints, and the frequency of dining out as leisure, focusing on the entire process from problem/need recognition to purchase decision, (3) to identify whether dining out benefits (i.e., enjoyment, convenience, detachment, relaxation, and learning experience) influence the life satisfaction of mothers, and (4) to assess the moderating effects of mothers' cooking stress on the relationships among dining out benefits and life satisfaction. The results for the constraint model indicated that both interpersonal and structural constraints of dining out have significantly negative impacts on family dining out frequency, but it was failed to find the effect of intrapersonal constraint on family dining out frequency. The findings for the decision-making model indicated that cooking stress has significantly positive impacts on both desire to dine out and need for reward. It was also found that need for reward has a significantly positive impact on desire to dine out, and that desire to dine out has a significantly positive impact on perceived frequency of family dining out as leisure. It was revealed that desire to dine out also has significantly positive impacts on both interpersonal constraint and intrapersonal constraint, while there did not seem to be a positive relationship between desire to dine out and structural constraint. Both interpersonal constraint and structural constraint did not have significantly negative impacts on perceived frequency of dining out. Yet, intrapersonal constraint had a significantly negative impact on perceived frequency of dining out. The results for the benefit model indicated that enjoyment, convenience, relaxation, and learning experience have significantly positive impacts on life satisfaction after family dining out. On the other hand, detachment did not have a significant impact on life satisfaction after family dining out. Regarding the moderating effects of high versus low cooking stress groups, the effects of convenience and learning experience on life satisfaction were significantly smaller in the high cooking stress group than in the low cooking stress group, but the effects of enjoyment on life satisfaction were significantly stronger in the high cooking stress group than in the low cooking stress group. The effects of detachment and relaxation on life satisfaction were not significantly different between the high and low cooking stress groups. The implications of these findings for the restaurant management strategies to attract mothers and their families are discussed.
Electrophysiological studies of identifying and modulating the preparatory strategic processes involved in episodic memory retrieval
Authors:   , Price Mason H.
Published: April 2021

Successful retrieval of episodic memories has been shown to depend on the overlap between the processes engaged during encoding and those re-engaged during retrieval. The ability to strategically adapt cue processing to maximize this overlap, sometimes referred to as â€œretrieval orientationâ€, has been supported by numerous studies employing electroencephalography (EEG), which demonstrate differences according to the class of memories being sought. However, research in this domain has largely focused on event-related potential (ERP) effects of sustained amplitude that occur after the onset of retrieval cues, thereby failing to indicate whether such effects might be engaged in a preparatory manner before cue onset. Here, we describe two experiments that addressed this issue by employing an analysis approach focusing on the pre-stimulus period of retrieval test trials and capitalizing on the increased sensitivity of multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of oscillatory activity. Experiment 1 established evidence of a preparatory form of retrieval orienting and examined the potential fluctuation versus stability of such processing. Experiment 2 attempted to directly modulate the engagement of orienting processes by parametrically manipulating the extent to which responses during the retrieval task are speeded. By novelly quantifying the relationship between multivariate neural correlates of retrieval orientation and behavioral measures of performance, and testing how orienting might be flexibly adjusted to meet task demands, the current project serves as a starting point for developing techniques aimed at improving episodic memory retrieval through strategic control.
Piezoelectric transformer plasma ion source characterization for neutron production
Authors:   , Baxter Emily A.
Published: April 2021

Neutron sources have applications in fields where the elemental composition of a material needs to be determined while retaining the integrity of the initial sample. While many different neutron sources are currently available, they face drawbacks such as size and radioactivity. The piezoelectric transformer plasma source (PTPS) has been developed as a compact source of ions. The PTPS consists of a 10 mm diameter by 2 mm thick lithium niobate (LiNbO3) disk which uses the piezoelectric effect to generate appropriate electric fields for plasma generation. The PTPS was characterized using multiple methods to determine the characteristics of the plasma being formed with consideration of possibilities for increased output. An ion current experiment was used to determine the impact of extraction voltage, input voltage to the PTPS, internal pressure of the plasma generating chamber, ionizing gas, and hollow anode size on the ion current produced by the PTPS and to demonstrate the scalability of the PTPS. The PTPS was integrated into a neutron generating system to show that the PTPS was capable of producing ion currents sufficient for neutron generation. Finally, the electron temperature and density of the plasma generated in the PTPS was measured through the use of a triple Langmuir probe system. The experiments showed that the PTPS is capable of producing ion currents in the 10 Î¼A range with plasma electron temperature and densities in the 4 eV and 1015 m-3 range which, and when operated as a source of deuterium ions (and coupled with a deuterated target placed at a high voltage) was capable of producing neutron counts above background through the deuterium-deuterium (D-D) reaction.
An experimental investigation of drunk personality using self and observer reports
Authors:   , Winograd Rachel
Published: April 2021

Research has shown that drinkersâ€™ â€œtypical drunk personalitiesâ€ are different from their â€œtypical sober personalitiesâ€ on each factor of the Five-Factor Model (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness). The aim of the current study was to test if these changes can reliably be observed by trained raters during a drinking episode. Participants (N = 156) attended laboratory sessions in same-sex friend groups of 3 to 4 people (43 groups). Half of the groups were administered alcohol (target BAC = .09). Participants engaged in activities designed to elicit a range of personality expression. All sessions were recorded and multiple trained raters (M = 6.96) completed three personality measures based on the footage. Additionally, participants completed selfreports of their â€œtypicalâ€ sober and drunk personalities two weeks prior to their sessions, as well as two short personality measures during the session. Results indicate consistent differences in personality among sober and drunk participants across measures, but the nature of the differences varied by reporter (self vs. observer). Specifically, across three scales, observers rated participants in the Alcohol condition higher in Extraversion, but similarly in most other factors (on one measure, Neuroticism was lower in the Alcohol condition). Among the two self-report measures, four and five of the factors demonstrated reliable differences, with Conscientiousness, Intellect, Neuroticism, and Agreeableness (on the pre-session retrospective measure only) reportedly decreasing with intoxication, and Extraversion increasing. These findings demonstrate that self-perceptions of sober-to drunk personality differences are more pervasive than observer-perceptions, but that alcohol-induced changes in Extraversion are robust enough to be detected across measures and reporters.
Church outreach to Latino/a immigrants in Missouri and their mental health issues
Authors:   , Christensen Chad L.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Latino immigrants have steadily moved into new rural areas of the Midwestern United States. This has involved adapting to a new community context, new cultures and different local traditions, new races of people, and the mental and emotional effects of dealing with this newness and their potentially adverse effects. Research shows that while Latino immigrants have had fewer issues with psychological problems in their country of origin, once in the U.S. they begin to have higher rates of onset of psychological disorders. A significant amount of findings state that Latinos are less apt to acquire mental health counseling than other parts of the U.S. population, and this decreased likelihood is more pronounced when they are less acculturated or are new immigrants. Negative views of Latinos toward mental illness and psychological services inhibits their desire to seek help. For poorer Latinos who do receive mental health care, there is higher probability that they will end treatment too soon. Depression has been viewed as a personal problem not related to health. Yet, among elderly Latino/as, the demand for mental health care has existed, especially for those dealing with depression.
Examining the professional development for principals regarding teacher evaluation and the relationship to student achievement
Authors:   , Golden Lori
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The mixed method convergent study was conducted to explore the impact of principal professional development practices on teacher evaluation and student EOC scores in high schools in southwest Missouri. Electronic survey data (Qualtrics) were analyzed from 33 certified principals in 33 secondary sites across southwest Missouri. Additionally, a qualitative survey was extended to the principals who completed the quantitative survey. The Leader Member Exchange Theory provided a lens for examining the professional development of principals regarding teacher evaluation within the research study. The quantitative results of the study revealed no correlation between principal professional development regarding teacher evaluation and student EOC scores. Additional qualitative data found that upon being hired, principals indicated they received less than 10 hours of professional development on teacher evaluation per school year. Additionally, 41% of respondents reported either they were not assigned a mentor upon becoming a principal or their mentor was not beneficial. Qualitative data collected during the study found principals perceive continuous development in post-evaluation meetings and more time practicing feedback conversations as a component of their development in becoming effective evaluators.
Identification of a novel extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate receptor in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors:   , Pham An Quoc
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] In animals, extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (eATP) is a well-studied signaling molecule that is recognized by plasma membrane-localized, P2-type purinergic receptors. In contrast to animals, much less is known about purinergic signaling in plants. In 2014, our laboratory identified the first plant purinoreceptor, P2K1 (DORN1), which is a member of the L-type lectin receptor-like kinase (LecRLK) family. P2K1 is comprised of an extracellular lectin domain, a transmembrane domain and an intracellular kinase domain. In order to identify other plant purinoreceptors, we tested a number of LecRK genes for their ability to complement the inability of p2k1 mutants to induce an elevation in the intracellular calcium concentration upon ATP addition. One such gene, termed P2K2, was found to partially complement the ATP-induced cytosolic calcium response of the p2k1 mutant. Subsequently, we found that the extracellular lectin domain of P2K2 binds to ATP with high affinity (Kd = 40.2[plus or minus]4.5 nanomolar). Interestingly, p2k1, p2k2, and p2k1p2k2 mutant lines are more susceptible to Pseudomonas syringae compared to wild-type. P2K1 and P2K2 interact other and cross-phosphorylate each other during eATP treatment. These data suggest that P2K2 is the second purinergic receptor found in plants and plays an important role in plant immunity.
Donor-acceptor copolymers and sol-gel processable zinc oxide for thin film transistors and hybrid photodetectors
Authors:   , Pickett Alec
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Organic semiconductors have been gaining attention both in research and commercial development for electronic devices due to their low manufacturing and processing costs. Copolymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) cores have attracted a lot of attention due to their high p-type as well as n-type carrier mobilities in organic field-effect transistors (FETs) and high power conversion efficiencies in solar cell structures. Hybrid organic-inorganic photodiode interfaces have also gained significant interest due to the realization of intrinsic p-n junctions as well as their unique physical properties such as mechanical flexibility and high photosensitivity. ZnO is an intrinsic n-type semiconductor which is non-toxic and sol-gel processable, creating avenues for film patterning and fully solution processed devices. In this work, we report the structural and charge transport properties of n-dialkyl side-chain substituted thiophene DPP end-capped with a phenyl group (Ph-TDPP-Ph) monomer in FETs which were fabricated by vacuum deposition and solvent casting. From grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Ph-TDPP-Ph reveals polymorphic structure with [pi]-conjugated stacking direction oriented in-plane. The unit cell comprises either one monomer for one phase (TR1), or two monomers for the second phase (TR2). The TR2 phase thus signals a shift from a coplanar to herringbone orientation of the molecules. The device performance is sensitive to the ratio of the two triclinic phases found in the film. Some of the best FET performances with p-type carrier mobilities of 0.1 cm2/Vs and on/off ratio of 10[superscript 6] are for films that comprise mainly the TR1 phase.
Motivated processing of online news comments : how do incivility and belief congruence affect comment readers' cognitive and emotional responses?
Authors:   , Zhu Di
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The present study examined how the presence of incivility in online comments (i.e. uncivil comments) influences individual online news user's cognitive and emotional responses. In specific, by conceptualizing incivility in online comments as a message feature which influences news users' motivational system activations, this study investigates audience' real-time responses during their processing of online comments through psychophysiological measures along with self-reports and memory measures. The study also explored how different viewpoints expressed in the online comments as function of consistent or inconsistent with audience pre-existing viewpoint may modulate the level of activation in motivational systems, thus influencing comment readers' cognitive and emotional responses. The findings suggested that uncivil comments resulted in greater negative emotional response (indexed by increased self report negativity, anger and arousal) and enhanced cognitive resource allocation (indexed by heart rate deceleration) to encoding the comments compared to civil comments. Further, belief-incongruent comment also elicited greater negative emotional response (indexed by self-report negativity, anger and physiological and self-report arousal) and stronger intention to post a comment, compared to belief-congruent comments. At last, comments incivility and belief congruence interact with each other to affect one's positive emotional responses (indexed by orbicularis oculi responses) and perceived credibility of the main news messages.
The effect of exit exams on college enrollment : a state level analysis
Authors:   , Kyoore Jude
Published: April 2021

Efforts to better prepare students for college and workforce have always been a priority of state governments, and exit exams have been used as one of the tools to accomplish those goals. This study aims to examine the relationship between exit exams and college enrollment. By adopting student choice model as the theoretical framework to guide the research design, the study utilized information on first-time degree/certificate seeking students as the outcome variable from 1992-2016. With information on the implementation year of exit exams from the Center of Education Policy, the study employed quasi-experimental research design difference-in-differences. The results show that exit exams are positively related to enrollment in 4-year institutions only. When disaggregated by types, the study showed that end-of-course exams only have a positive and significant relationship with enrollment in 4-year institutions. However, the study indicated that there is no relationship between adopting exit exams and the number of students enrolling in out-of-state institutions. The findings of this study have important implications for the student choice model, policy-making, and future research.
Mysteries, philosophy, and self-representation in imperial Rome : Plutarch, Apuleius, and Vettius Agorius Praetextatus
Authors:   , Buchheim Andrew J.
Published: April 2021

In my dissertation, I explore the use of mystery cults in three separate authors -- Plutarch of Chaeronea, Apuleius of Madauros, and Vettius Agorius Praetextatus -- and analyze how these writers use mystery cults to self-referential ends. This study is not primarily concerned with the actual rituals and the objects used in mystery cults, but rather explores how these writers present these elements in their works. Through writing about mystery cults, I argue, these authors intentionally construct significant facets of their public iamges built around claims to erudition and the possession of a paideia that includes knowledge of Greek philosophy (often explicitly Platonic). Further, these constructed images are colored by traditionalism and antiquarianism. I argue that these texts are (auto)biographical in nature because each author shapes his personal experience and his ideas about religious practice in calculated ways that aims for a particular type of self-presentation. Through discussion of mystery cults, that is, these three authors present themselves in a way that address both reading and listening audiences. I chart the elements consistent between each author and also explore how specific historical contexts and contemporary intellectual currents shaped what it meant to write about mystery cults over a span of nearly three hundred years. Plutarch's On Superstition and On Isis and Osiris, Apuleius' Apology and Golden Ass, and Praetextatus' funerary monument in conjunction with Macrobius' Saturnalia all show that elite authors intimately connect participation in mystery cults with erudition and the possession of philosophical knowledge, which is Greek and Platonic in nature. More particularly, Plutarch and Apuleius make strong connections between themselves and the Greek past, emphasizing their connections to Platonic thought. Although Praetextatus' funerary monument contains some vague Platonic resonances, it primarily emphasizes his connection with traditional religion practices of the Roman senatorial aristocracy that consciously separate the senator from the Christian element in Roman high society. Ultimately, philosophy and religion are nearly synonymous in these texts. In short, each author intellectualizes popular religious forms in order to highlight in some manner the difference between the social elite and the common people. Writing about mysteries is also self-writing.
Biophysical characterization of the structure and flexibility of the E. Coli ribosome
Authors:   , Armbruster Emily Doris
Published: April 2021

At the discovery of ribosomes by George Palade in 1955 in the first image of the subcellular environment, he described them as "a particulate component of small dimensions (100 to 150 [alpha]) and high density". Subsequently, the ribosome was shown to be the site of protein synthesis, or translation, and thus an essential macromolecular complex for all cells. Ribosomes can have variability from species to species, but the overall structure and function are conserved [66]. Ribosomes are named according to their sedimentation coefficients, a unit of density expressed in Svedbergs (abbreviated S). The three most studied and most prevalent ribosomes are the bacterial 70S, the eukaryotic 80S, and the 55S mitoribosome, which is present in the mitochondrion organelle. The bacterial ribosome serves as a target for many antibiotics and is a model system for investigating the structure and function of this "nanomachine". Despite variations in size, all ribosomes consist of a small and a large subunit that when bound together have an internal cavity that is divided into three sites, named A, P, or E site. The bacterial ribosome has a 30S small subunit, which consists of a 16S rRNA and 21 attached proteins, and a 50S large subunit that is made up of the 23S rRNA, 5S rRNA and 31 proteins. This dissertation discusses the 70S bacterial ribosome, other than when the 80S eukaryotic ribosome is specified.
Mechanizing the metatheory of rewire
Authors:   , Reynolds Thomas N.
Published: April 2021

The [lambda]-calculus provides a simple, well-established framework for research in functional programming languages that readily lends itself to the use offormal methods--that is, the use of mathematically sound techniques and supporting tools--to describe and verify properties of programming languages, as well. This is no coincidence. After all, the [lambda]-calculus formalizes the concept of effective computability, for all computable functions are definable in the untyped [lambda]-calculus, making it expressively equivalent torecursive functions. In software, the expressiveness of functional languages is considereda strength. Functional approaches to language design, however, needn't be limited to soft-ware. In hardware, the expressiveness of functional languages becomes a major obstacle to successful hardware synthesis, for the reason that such languages are usually capable of expressing general recursion. The presence of general recursion makes it possible to generate expressions that run forever, never producing a well-defined value. In this dissertation, we study two novel variants of the simply typed [lambda]-calculus, representing fragments of functional hardware description languages. The first variant extends the type system, using natural numbers representing time. This addition, though simple, is non-trivial. We prove that this calculus possesses bounded variants of type-safety and strong normalization. That is to say, we show that all well-typed expressions evaluate to values within a bound determined by the natural number index of their corresponding types. The second variant is a computational [lambda]-calculus that formalizes the core fragment of the hardware description language known as ReWire. We prove that the language has type-safety and is strongly normalizing -- the proof of strong normalizationis the first mechanized proof of its kind. We define an equational theory with respect to this language. This allows us to prove that the language has desirable security properties by construction. This work supports a full-edged, formal methodology for producing high assurance hardware.
Investigation of rare alleles in maize using the zea synthetic doubled haploid population
Authors:   , Glowinski Anna
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The biology of rare alleles is important to our understanding of genotype-to-phenotype relationships. Understanding the role of rare alleles can aid in the selection and development of future breeding lines. Inbreeding and selection of maize over the past 100 years has removed many deleterious alleles, but there are still rare alleles with small effects segregating in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) germplasm. However, rare alleles have not been extensively studied due to limited resolution and allelic representation issues. Therefore, a new genetic resource, the Zea Synthetic, was created utilizing both teosinte and maize. The Zea Synthetic is a randomly mated synthetic breeding population comprised of the 27 inbred Nested Association Mapping (NAM) founders and 11 geographically diverse teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) accessions. Two-thousand doubled haploids (DH) were produced from the Syn-4 (4th)generation of the Zea Synthetic to determine the contributions of allelic variants to fitness throughout the maize genome for both maize and teosinte alleles segregating in a common population. The DH have been genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). GBS data, combined with whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the Zea Synthetic founders, are being used in an identity-by-descent (IBD) analysis to determine which genomic regions were selected against during the DH process. Genotypic and phenotypic data are being combined in association analyses to determine phenotype and genotype relationships.
Policing the boundaries of whiteness : monsters made in the USA
Authors:   , Kelley Kate Stockton
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation explores institutionalized racism in American culture that signifies through the Reconstruction era Klansman, the folklore of the Night Doctor, and what I've dubbed the White Monstrous Feminine. My analyses of these monsters depends upon contextual explorations wherein the monster serves as a starting point to understanding the larger, interwoven race and racism of White Supremacy. My methodology is foregrounded in decoloniality and the concept of de-linking from the idea that Western epistemology is the only way to "know" the world. Additionally, the theoretical standpoint of this dissertation is shaped by Critical Race Theory and the insistence that positionality and experience together are a key category of knowledge production. In this way, I aim to articulate a critical practice informed by people and their ideas instead of discrete, abstract schools of thought based on a universal human experience. As a White academic I have intentionally sought out the experiences, work, and standpoints of academics of color in my effort to mark out the racial violence of Whiteness embodied by the Klansman, the Night Doctor, and the White Monstrous Feminine.
Advanced modeling and optimal control of a cart-double pendulum system
Authors:   , Shy Cecil Jr.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The Overhead Crane has evolved in scope since its inception in the late 1800's. Its early use as a hoist for material transport is now proceeded by new found applications, such as in the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at the NASA Johnson Space Center. ARGOS is an astronaut training facility designed to simulate reduced gravity environments such as Lunar, Martian, or microgravity. By industry standards, it is essentially a repurposed Overhead Crane; in academia it can be conceptualized as a cart-double pendulum system. Anti-sway control of cart-pendulum systems has been heavily researched; however, these methods are not typically designed for space simulation. The goal of this research is to design a controller that provides both energy and error minimization for the cart-pendulum, so that its payload moves as if it were floating freely in a microgravity environment (according to Newton's 1st law). The Euler-Lagrange equation is used to model the system and an optimal control technique called the [alpha]-shift is used to control the system. Most treatments on optimal linear control do not include the [alpha]-shift, but its addition allows one to stabilize the system faster and provides an extra tuning parameter while maintaining the simplicity of the solution. Numerical experiments show that the [alpha]-shift method significantly improves the cart-pendulum's ability to control its payload; especially for payloads in the cart-double-pendulum case.
Online mental health advocacy groups social support, stigma management and advocacy messaging, and audience reactions to this messaging
Authors:   , Smith-Frigerio Sarah
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Mental health concerns continue to be stigmatized in traditional media, in spite of -- or perhaps contributing to --high prevalence rates of mental health diagnoses globally. This has led to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a public health crisis. Given stigmatization in traditional media, mental health communication scholars are investigating how mental health concerns are depicted and discussed in digital and social media spaces, but this area remains underexplored. The WHO has also outlined the importance of grassroots mental health advocacy groups in addressing the public health crisis, and an understanding of such groups' social media content is imperative. Through the theoretical lenses of information and resources, social support, advocacy, and stigma management communication, case studies of two grassroots mental health advocacy groups were conducted. Analysis of 200 social media posts, interviews with 5 content creators, and interviews with 15 users of the groups' social media feeds identified five major themes: providing information and resources through peer support, using stories, encouragement and connection to provide peer support, using peer support to foster advocacy work amongst users, progressing through stigma management communication strategies from accepting to challenging, and the importance of what is left unsaid. The theoretical and practical implications of these themes are discussed in the final chapter.
An alternate approach to educational reform in the United Arab Emirates : exploring students' motivation through Pisa 2012
Authors:   , Yaaqeib Saad
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] For over a decade, the public education system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has engaged in educational reform with varying degrees of success. The reform initiatives mainly targeted administrative, curricular and instructional areas. However, student-centered factors (e.g. achievement motivation) were not included. This study explores the UAE's students' achievement motivation towards mathematics to provide a preliminary student-centered angle in formulating educational reform programs. This study applied the Expectancy-Value Theory of achievement motivation on a student sample from the UAE. The sample was obtained from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2012). In addition to the overall motivational patterns, the findings revealed significant differences in achievement motivation beliefs between native and non-native students. The findings were discussed and interpreted in the UAE's cultural context.
Rat modeling of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and auto-grafting
Authors:   , Lehmidi Tareq Mohamed Elhadi
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] New advancements in cancer treatment methods are increasing the survival rate of cancer patients. Unfortunately, these life-saving treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have permanent impacts on ovarian function leading to infertility, osteoporosis and obesity. Autologous transplantation of previously cryopreserved ovarian tissues would serve as a potential therapeutic approach in human reproduction and general medicine in terms of restoring steroid hormone function, fertility, body composition, and bone integrity.
A neverending stream : human trafficking in Medieval Europe
Authors:   , Paolella Christopher
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This study focuses on human trafficking patterns from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Era. I argue that while slavery, as a means of compelling agricultural labor, disappeared across much of Western Europe by the middle of the twelfth century, the commercial sex industry grew. As slavery died out, the slave trade withered across Western Europe and gradually reoriented itself around the Mediterranean basin. Yet, human trafficking networks remained in Western Europe, if in attenuated form. They continued to supply a smaller, but no less persistent, labor demand that was now fueled by brothels and prostitution rings instead of agriculture. I argue further that the experiences of women link the sex trade and the slave trade, and that twelfth-century socio-economic development linked the earlier long-distance slave trade and the local and regional trafficking networks of the later Middle Ages.
Simulation and optimization of low impact development for mitigating combined sewer overflows associated with climate change
Authors:   , Shallal Ali
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Modeling rainfall runoff can help to understand what is happening throughout the system, how can control of water to prevent flood, and how much the quality of runoff can change in urban area. Modeling sewer system help decision maker to indicate best strategy to prevent flooding, reduce runoff pollution, reduce cost of wastewater treatment and determine best suitable LID to an urban area. This dissertation first starting with analysis the complexity of model necessary to get accepted result in term peak flow, runoff volume, numbers of flooding nodes and time to peak. Modeling requirements may lead to system simplification, as in limiting the size of the pipes included in the analyses. Researchers analyzed the combined sewer system of the urbanized Town Fork Creek catchment in Kansas City, Missouri using PCSWMM to assess the potential impact of the simplifications on hydraulic results.
From unique killers to a jumbo genome - isolation and characterization of phages that infect the plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Authors:   , Attai Hedieh
Published: April 2021

Bacteriophages and their lytic peptides can protect plants from phytopathogens such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. To better understand mechanisms of phagemediated host killing, we isolated and characterized five lytic bacteriophages with activity against A. tumefaciens C58. These phages come in different shapes and sizes--from T7-like phages with podoviral morphology and isometric heads to T4-like phages with myoviral morphology and a contractile tail--and exhibit varying host ranges and killing efficiencies. The smallest Agrobacterium phages are phiKMVlike phages in the T7 superfamily that are efficient at killing their hosts. Their lethality can be attributed to their expression of a unique endolysin, called Phage Peptidoglycan Hydrolase (PPH). The atypical domain structure of PPH, along with the absence of obvious accessory proteins, suggest PPH may function independently to mediate host cell lysis. Contrary to the narrow host range of the phage, expression of PPH from an inducible promoter inhibits cell growth and blocks cell division in a broad range of bacteria including Agrobacterium, Sinorhizobium, and Escherichia strains. Another member of the Podoviridae family, Atu_ph08, carries remnants of a lysogen and shares 60.2% identity with Agrobacterium genomospecies 3. The T4-like phages in our collection are not potent killers. Atu_ph04 is unique T4-like phage that is similar to a group of rhizophages. The largest Agrobacterium phage, Atu_ph07, has a head diameter of 146 nm, an extended tail length of 136 nm, and a genome of 490 kbp. Our results indicate a high degree of morphological and genomic diversity and also suggest novel mechanisms of host cell killing remain to be uncovered.
The role of apoptosis during inflammation resolution in Lyme arthritis
Authors:   , Hilliard Kinsey Alyss
Published: April 2021

Experimental Lyme arthritis is induced by the infection of C3H mice with the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, and is a valuable model to study the regulation of inflammation during bacterial infection. While the lab has previously focused on how inflammation is initiated, this thesis focuses on the role of apoptotic cells during inflammation resolution in Lyme arthritis. We show administration of apoptotic cells can be used to initiate earlier resolution in B. burgdorferi-infected mice by decreased neutrophil recruitment, and this may be due to increased PPAR-[gamma] activation. Additionally, the PPAR-[gamma] agonist, rosiglitazone, can be used as a cell-free treatment to elicit a similar effect as the apoptotic cells. We also define the role of various eicosanoids during inflammation resolution. If apoptosis or efferocytosis, the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, is dysregulated, it can cause exacerbated inflammation and arthritis. BLT1-/- neutrophils have a defect in apoptosis and efferocytosis recognition to due decreased DISC formation. This is a result of increased cAMP in BLT1-/- neutrophils due to the inability for LTB4/BLT1 signaling to downregulate cAMP. Additionally, macrophages must be able to produce PGE2 to be affected by and efferocytose apoptotic cells efficiently. Deficiencies in either of these eicosanoid signaling pathways results in increased cellular infiltrate during arthritis resolution, prolonging inflammation. We also show apoptotic cells actively secrete mediators to aid in their alteration of the inflammatory response. These results demonstrate the importance of apoptosis and efferocytosis during inflammation resolution in Lyme arthritis and several mechanisms involved.
Process engineering to produce defined hierarchical structures of diatoms for wastewater polishing and micropollutant removal
Authors:   , Li Yan
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Diatoms are unicellular algae, which are among the most common types of phytoplankton. They are widespread in fresh water, oceans and soils with different sizes and morphologies. The diatom cell wall is composed of highly ordered 3D nano-porous silica, or so-called frustule. The abundance and unique cell wall structure of diatoms make them useful in biological research and promote their broad applications in the fields of biology, ecology, environment sciences, and especially nanotechnology, as diatom frustule is ideal for fabrication of new nanomaterials and devices. This study first aimed to determine how solids retention time (SRTs) would affect the diatom micro- and nanostructures, as well as removal efficiency of nutrients in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Second, we determined the changes in morphology and nanostructure of diatoms at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs ranging from 3 h to 24 h). We also developed a biological and environmental friendly production method to incorporate different sources of titania into the porous 3D silica frustule of diatoms for the photo-degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). The photocatalytic activity of the produced silica-titania frustule increased with the decrease in HRT. These new nano-materials with silica-titania frustule had excellent photocatalytic properties, including high porosity, high surface area, and reliable immobilization of TiO2 into the ordered silicon frustule. Finally, we investigate the effect of natural organic matter (NOM) on the photo-degradation of PPCPs by diatom incorporated with titanium. NOM and PPCPs are known to compete for adsorption sites on catalytic materials, which results in decreasing of the degradation rate of PPCPs. In this study, three selected PPCPs, Triclosan, Bisphenol A, and DEET were used to determine the effects of NOM concentration on photo-degradation by nano-TiO[subscript 2] (P25) or titanium-incorporated diatoms. A total of 7.2 [plus/minus] 1.4% wt titanium was incorporated in the frustule without a significant change in morphology, nanostructure of diatoms and their activity. As the concentration of humic acid increased to 10 mg L[superscript -1] diatom incorporated with titanium had 2 fold higher photocatalytic activity in degrading triclosan and 4 fold higher photocatalytic activities in degrading bisphenol A and DEET than P25. PPCPs can be selectively removed by diatoms incorporated with TiO2 in the present of NOM, - most likely because sub-10 nm pores of original 3D hierarchical structure of diatom frustules serve as a pretreatment unit in membrane filtration by efficiently rejecting large NOM molecules while let PPCPs (with their molecular weight of typically less than 600 g/mol) pass through the nanopores.
Computation of fission product deposition in aerosols
Authors:   , White Nathan Edward
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) generate carbonaceous dust during both normal operations and accidents. The dust particles can be both highly irregular and porous and have exceptionally large surface areas, making dust-facilitated fission product (FP) transport a major factor in the computation of the nuclear source term. Since the FP interactions with the dust can occur while the dust is on a surface as well as in suspension, there is a need to obtain computational and experimental results for both situations. Since the particle sizes of interest span a wide range, from nanometers to microns, and are porous with various pathways for FP interactions to occur, these computations need to include not only the continuum regime, but the transport regime as well where the particle (or pore) size is comparable to the vapor (FP) mean free path. The focus of this dissertation is on Monte Carlo computation of the condensation rate on chainlike particles and particle agglomerates in the transport regime, towards a better understanding of how aerosol geometry affects mass transport on those particles.
Low sensitivity to, and craving for, alcohol in naturalistic and laboratory settings
Authors:   , Trela Constantine James
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Low sensitivity to alcohol is a well-established risk factor for the development of an alcohol use disorder. This risk is transmitted along several routes included, but not limited to, differences in alcohol expectancies, association with heavier drinking peers, and differences in motivations for drinking. A recent line of inquiry drawing on the Incentive Sensitization Theory of Addiction has emerged as another potential factor through which alcohol sensitivity interfaces with alcohol use disorder. The Incentive Sensitization Theory of Addiction posits that formerly neutral cues become imbued with incentive salience through their repeated pairing with drug use and become highly sought after in their own right. Psychophysiological laboratory work has produced promising results that suggest that this process is stronger for low sensitivity drinkers relative to their higher sensitivity peers. The present work attempts to extend these laboratory results into drinkers' natural environment. Participants completed a 10-day period of Ecological Momentary Assessment where they reported on their exposure to cues for alcohol use, levels of craving for alcohol, and their use of alcohol. Results indicated that lower sensitivity drinkers were exposed to alcohol cues more frequently, were more likely to drink, and to drink more heavily when drinking. Cue exposure was a robust predictor of momentary craving, which in turn was a predictor of the likelihood of drinking and marginally associated with the heaviness of drinking. Contrary to hypotheses, alcohol sensitivity was not a moderator of any associations between cue exposure and drinking or craving and drinking. Despite the lack of the expected moderating effects of alcohol sensitivity, the results indicate that craving is a substantial predictor for drinking behavior in an at-risk population. This association between craving and drinking in the "real world" in a non-clinical population has only been rarely documented previously and presents an exciting avenue for continued research.