bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can Second Life make health a first priority? : examining exercise efficacy and body image through priming theory and the Proteus effect
Authors:   , Lewallen Jennifer
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The present study examined prosocial and antisocial effects of avatar embodiment in a virtual world on health and body image in emerging adult women. Decades of research have determined that idealized representation of women's bodies in traditional media contexts has detrimental effects on female self-concept and that body image and also induces self-objectification. Because these images of women are a part of Western media and culture, beauty and body ideals are a part of cognitive schemata for many men and women. Additionally, priming effects research has demonstrated that it is possible to activate positive and negative cognitive nodes or schemata in both traditional and new media contexts. In fact, Perloff (2014) has suggested that social media offer a unique locus for body image exploration, and these virtual applications may reinforce negative body image and associated behaviors. By contrast, other studies have found that virtual environments may induce positive health outcomes. However, experimental studies of the effects of virtual settings on health and body image are few. The present study adds to the existing literature on emerging adult women, body image, health efficacy, and avatar embodiment in a virtual world. In a post-test only experimental design, emerging adult women (N=114) were randomly assigned to a virtual condition either focused on physical activity or physical appearance in the online world Second Life. Additionally, participants were randomly assigned to either a photograph prime or no photograph prime condition to examine whether priming them to focus on their own physical appearance would influence the effects of avatar embodiment on their body image and health-related attitudes and beliefs. These constructs were investigated in light of priming theory -- the activation of existing schema after exposure to a stimulus -- as well as the Proteus effect -- or the idea that avatar embodiment in a virtual environment may induce behavior changes. The present study finds that embodiment of an objectified avatar had no significant effects on levels of self-objectification or body awareness. However, various combinations of a photograph or no photograph prime and embodiment of a physically active avatar had significant effects on levels of exercise efficacy and exercise motivations. The following manuscript discusses these results in light of existing research on body image, emerging adult women, virtual embodiment, priming theory, and the Proteus effect.
A case study of the successes and challenges of opening a 21st century learning community for elementary students
Authors:   , Lawson Katherine A.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This qualitative study serves as a model description for school districts to learn from the successes and challenges faced by one Midwest American district's launch of an innovative, project-based elementary school learning community. The researcher gathered stakeholder perspectives on the support systems needed to create a successful 21st century learning environment through interviews, focus groups, and archival data. Stakeholders included administrators, teachers, and parents. The support systems analyzed included the learning environment, curriculum and instruction, and professional development. Results suggest that flexibility, learner centricity, and 21st century skills are critical to all measured aspects of this 21st century learning community.
Community development network analysis examining obstacles to rural community development
Authors:   , Meador John Elliot
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Rural community economic development efforts frequently face a myriad of conceivable obstacles, many of which stem from the intrinsic nature of rural areas themselves: low or declining population, high levels of poverty, and numerous institutional structures that must be considered. Land Grant University systems are in a unique position to offer guidance to communities who seek information and help in pursing development projects. Often, community development extension services work with existing not-for-profit community development groups already working in an area. This study examines how the traditional economic theory of collective action as well as bonding and bridging social capital theory influence the likelihood that a community development organization accomplishes its goals in a given region. In order to test these theories empirically, a social network analysis was conducted using secondary data obtained from the IRS. Results show that bonding and bridging social capital are associated with higher levels of fundraising, total budgets and assets in community development organizations.
A cultural geography of the Southeast Aegean from the Late Helladic IIIB to the Late Protogeometric Periods
Authors:   , Barnes John Tristan
Published: April 2021

This dissertation examines communities in the Dodecanese and the Carian coast for patterns of subregional behavior. Although societies in the region are often discussed in homogenous terms, an analysis of funerary material reveals the distribution of different practices throughout the region. I argue that this pattern is a reflection of different social agencies operating within the landscape, and that different social groups can thus be identified. These social groups are identified and described, and then traced through the period of societal upheaval that marks the Late Bronze Age -- Early Iron Age transition and the Aegean migrations. I further suggest that the distribution of different social groups and their foreign contacts can partially explain the Dorian identity that began to be expressed in the following centuries.
Cognitive processes contributing to visual working memory performance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors:   , Bodner Kimberly
Published: April 2021

Previous investigations of working memory performance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have yielded mixed findings (e.g., Kenworthy, Yerys, Anthony, and Wallace, 2008; Geurts, de Vris, and van den Bergh, 2014). Research examining visual and spatial working memory abilities in older adolescents and adults with ASD specifically is limited. The current study assessed the contribution of working memory capacity, attention, and visual filtering abilities to visual working memory performance in adolescents and adults with and without ASD. Furthermore, the current study examined task performance related to real world report of working memory and attention abilities. Results revealed comparable estimates of visual working memory capacity overall between groups. However, visual working memory performance for individuals with ASD appeared to be more impacted by increases in attention and visual filtering demands. Individuals with ASD allocated their attention differently than non-ASD individuals, and spent less time looking at relevant information. The ASD group had more difficulty filtering distracting information in more challenging conditions. Difficulties on the task did not significantly relate to reported real world working memory or attention abilities. Findings suggest that visual working memory performance is similar between individuals with and without ASD when cognitive demands are low, but individuals with ASD are detrimentally effected when the cognitive load increases (increased attention and visual filtering demands), consistent with previous literature (Kenworthy et al., 2008). Given the complexity of our environments and need to filter visually distracting information, these findings may shed light on ASD-related difficulties in day-to-day functioning and provide a focus for intervention.
Co-sexuality : the lived experience of organizing around sexuality
Authors:   , Compton Cristin A.
Published: April 2021

Sex and sexuality are a core part of the human experience. What has been socially constructed as "normal" sexuality (e.g., acts, behaviors, preferences, conversation topics, vocabulary, etc.) has changed dramatically over time. Because sex and sexuality are fundamentally acts of power (Foucault, 1978/1990), human sexuality is a highly regulated construct that people organize around. This is particularly true in the context of the workplace, where policies and daily practices both explicitly and implicitly regulate performances of and communication about sexuality. This dissertation explores the process of co-sexuality: how "normal" sexuality is communicatively constructed in the modern Midwestern workplace as well as how people organize around the constructed norm. Participants identifying with a variety of sexualities, genders, and professions drew on the master narrative of the Midwest, the expectation of aggressive sexuality, and acts of silence/ing to describe the process of co-sexuality. Participants also described feeling simultaneously pulled toward and pushed away from the "normal" sexual center and the complex identity work needed to remain effective in the workplace. Implications for theory, sexuality scholarship, and political implications are also discussed.
Development of Women Empowerment index for the Indian apparel industry
Authors:   , Das Debanjan
Published: April 2021

The significant role that women empowerment plays in economic and social development has led practitioners and researchers to search for the indicators that affect women empowerment. Women empowerment scales, such as Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index, have been developed in the agricultural sector, which is the largest provider of female employment in the world. However, scales to measure the women empowerment for the second largest provider of female employment in the world, textile and apparel manufacturing, is non-existent. Therefore, the study developed Women Empowerment Index for Apparel Industry (WEIAI), the index measures the degree of women empowerment within the apparel manufacturing households. The study employed Alkire Foster Methodology to measure Women Empowerment. A face to face survey was conducted. Results indicated that the study participants were disempowered. The lack of leadership in the community and the lack of control over the use of income were found to be greatest contributor to Indian women's disempowerment working in the apparel industry. The study confirmed the five domains of empowerment sub-index model via confirmatory factory analysis. Implications, contributions, limitations and future research opportunities are also discussed.
Soybean seed trait improvements and their effects on human and animal nutrition
Authors:   , Folta Michelle
Published: April 2021

Soybean (Glycine max) is the number one oil and protein crop in the United States, but the seed contains several anti-nutritional factors that are undesirable to both human and livestock nutrition. Soybean seed is comprised of about 40% protein, 20% oil, and 35% carbohydrate, and modifications in these components could significantly benefit human and livestock productivity. In this research, the undesirable soybean carbohydrate raffinose, an oligosaccharide that is indigestible for monogastric animals, was reduced using RNA interference. The resulting transgenic plants were analyzed for presence and copy number of the transgene using Southern blot, efficiency of mRNA silencing with qRT-PCR, and total raffinose content with HPLC. Transgenic plant lines were recovered that exhibited dramatically reduced levels of raffinose in mature seed, and these lines were further analyzed for other phenotypes such as development and yield. This research serves as further confirmation of the contribution of the RS2 gene to the low-raffinose phenotype, and validates both the effectiveness and specificity of RNA interference, thus the technology could be applied to many other important genes in crop plants. Additionally, a study was conducted to measure the effects of soybean seed quality traits on the consumer acceptance of soymilk. In this study, several soybean traits -- high oleic, low linolenic, lipoxygenase-null, and low raffinose/high sucrose -- and combinations thereof were evaluated for their impact on soymilk consumer acceptance. Six soybean varieties representing a control food-grade tofu line and five improved lines were processed into plain soymilk, assayed for nutritional qualities, and subjected to a consumer acceptability panel. Results show that soybean genotype information can accurately predict some aspects of soymilk composition. Consumers preferred soymilks with increased sucrose and low lipoxygenase, and disliked the high oleic trait. This research evaluates key soybean seed traits and their impact on soymilk acceptability in the United States, and provides a framework for future soybean seed trait improvements. Finally, a small-scale precision-fed rooster assay was conducted to measure the true metabolizable energy in wild-type and low-raffinose full-fat soybean meal. Although there was no significant measured difference in passage rate or dry matter digestibility for the two soybean sources, the fed low-raffinose soy meal had significantly higher gross energy than wild-type. Further, the excreta from birds fed low-raffinose soy meal had less gross energy. Therefore, there is more digestible energy in low-raffinose soybean than wild-type soybean. Low-raffinose soy had a measured TME of 2797 kcal/kg, compared with 2330 kcal/kg for wildtype. As low digestible energy is a major limiting factor in the percent of soybean meal that can be used in poultry diets, these results substantiate the use of higher concentrations of low-raffinose, full-fat soy in formulated diets.
Pattern recognition through source signal separation
Authors:   , Rivera Luis Alberto
Published: April 2021

In typical problems involving pattern recognition, the challenge lies in selecting a good set of features and in devising a reliable algorithm to identify the class of learned patterns that most resembles the observed feature vector. Some times, however, the observed vector is not a single, but a mixture of multiple learned patterns and the challenge becomes to recognize all the present patterns and not just one of them. In order to do so, the patterns in the observed feature vector must first be separated -- an apparent paradox since the actual patterns forming the observed vector are hitherto unknown and should probably be identified first. At the same time, many techniques to separate mixture of signals have emerged from the literature in signal processing, but they require multiple and independent observations of the mixture of patterns, which is not usually possible or desirable in a pattern recognition setting. However, we believe that these two problems -- pattern separation and recognition -- are one and the same, and it can benefit from a hybrid technique derived from both contexts. So, in this research, we propose a technique based on Source Separation for recognizing patterns in mixtures of signals. From the signal processing perspective, our method can handle extremely under-determined cases, i.e., cases where one measurement is required despite the existence of multiple patterns mixed in the measurement -- a typical scenario from the pattern recognition perspective. We have run extensive tests to demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the method. We have also proposed frameworks for applications in various areas such as classification of chemical compounds using terahertz signatures; root phenotyping using terahertz imaging; recognition of muscle activity patterns using surface electromyographic signals (sEMG) for Robotic Assistive Technology; detection of vocal dysfunctions; and Hyperspectral Image analysis.
Silicon Valley and the New Gatekeepers : an institutional view of journalism, technology, and social sharing of news
Authors:   , Russell Frank Michael
Published: April 2021

The digital disruption of journalism has raised questions about how journalism is supported financially and how citizens get access to news. In this dissertation, a quantitative content analysis and three qualitative textual analyses explored interactions between journalism, Silicon Valley, and citizens from the perspectives of gatekeeping theory, new institutionalism, and the concepts of interactivity and reciprocity. The content analysis concerned Twitter practices by 26 popular online news organizations. The analysis of posts (n = 1,200) found organizational-level differences in the use of technically and socially interactive characteristics of Twitter. Nonetheless, most posts had the purpose related to traditional gatekeeping of promoting news content. This traditional gatekeeping function had a slight negative association with secondary gatekeeping practices as measured by rankings of the number of retweets or likes. The textual analyses indicated that journalists and technologists discursively construct interactions between journalism, Silicon Valley, and citizens, as based on institutional-level concerns of journalism or Silicon Valley. However, these exchanges are described mainly in terms of interactions between individuals or organizations. Furthermore, the relationship is viewed as dependent on societal-level forces, such as different political or economic systems.
Exploring ion channel mechanisms : from toxin-based tools to computational methods
Authors:   , Salari Autoosa
Published: April 2021

Ion channels are the building blocks of cellular excitability, controlling the most basic functions necessary for life to the most complex behaviors. The research presented here addresses questions about the mechanisms by which different ion channels function, as well as, how various toxins from venomous animals can alter ion channel behavior. This was done using a combination of molecular biology, electrophysiology, and computational techniques. The results shed light on the specific structures of a channel required for proper function, and target by pharmacological agents. Importantly, these results have significance in developing animal toxins as research tools and as future therapeutic agents for ion channel associated diseases. Lastly, we demonstrate for the first time, a system to study a protein required for high temperature avoidance in fruit flies. This opens the door to addressing detailed questions about the most poorly understood of the five senses, temperature sensation.
Implementation of an in vivo radiochromic film QA procedure
Authors:   , Stanford Jason
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Advance treatment techniques, such as IMRT and dynamic conformal arc delivery, are novel radiation treatment procedures at the forefront of accurate and precise radiotherapy. However, the risk of suboptimal treatment resulting in injury is far greater with these techniques due to their complexity. An in vivo quality assurance system is the most appropriate validation of the delivered dose to the patient from these techniques. The intent of this research is to propose an in vivo dosimetry quality assurance procedure using radiochromic film. This research proved that radiochromic in vivo dosimetry is a viable method of detecting spatial patient specific errors in radiotherapy; however, the process is time consuming and not sensitive enough for dosimetric errors associated with weight change. Although time consuming, in vivo radiochromic dosimetry is an attractive alternative for small cancer centers and developing countries without the large startup capital to acquire the electronic portal imaging device necessary for EPID in vivo dosimetry.
Personalized drinking feedback : an event-specific text-message intervention
Authors:   , Cadigan Jennifer Marie
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This study examined the efficacy and feasibility of an event-specific, text-message personalized feedback intervention (PFI) among 130 college students. Results indicated significant between-group differences for peak eBAC and drinks consumed when tailgating, with those in the text message PFI condition reporting a lower peak eBAC and less alcohol use than those in the text message alcohol education control group. Providing normative feedback on tailgating alcohol use in the PFI condition was effective in changing perceived drinking norms and alcohol consumption. This suggests the intervention was effective in correcting normative misperceptions of tailgating alcohol use, which was subsequently associated with reduced alcohol consumption. Findings provide preliminary support for the efficacy of an event-specific text-message PFI.
Feeding others' children : a comparative ethnography of school food service employees and how they make meaning
Authors:   , Vancil-Leap Ashley D.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Utilizing 18 months of participant observation, 25 in-depth interviews and numerous textual sources, this research is an ethnography at an elementary, middle, and high school looking at how school food service employees (i.e. lunch ladies) make meaning out of this low-status, low-paying occupation in the context of changes to federal policies on school nutrition. Overall, I argue that lunch ladies use care work as resources in mundane, yet unique, ways even as their work is shaped and constrained by the financial and regulatory structure changes of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The goal is to show how food, femininity and labor are interrelated to produce inequalities, as well as, create opportunities for equality. Consequently, this project possesses social, cultural, and policy implications by analyzing an invisible group that provides service to every school in the United States and who influence student's school food choices.
The copyright state of play : film archives in reference to the accessibility and reuse of archival footage for documentary filmmakers
Authors:   , Haggerty Kenneth
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This grounded theory study aimed to discover the copyright state of play as it related to film archives. Interviews with documentary filmmakers were used in this study with the objective of gaining an understanding of the copyright issues that they encounter when trying to include archival footage in their films. Interviews with individuals working in film archives were also used to see how archivists manage requests from filmmakers to obtain access to archival footage. Furthermore, a document analysis of contracts and donor agreements was conducted to gain an understanding of the relationships that different archives have with donors and users who wish to reuse archival materials. Throughout the duration of the study, the methods in which archivists can help documentary filmmakers educate the public and express themselves through film were explored. Interviews with documentary filmmakers and individuals working in film archives indicated the negative influence media corporations often have on both documentary filmmakers and film archives.
New gating states of Cystic Fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator discovered via studying pathogenic mutations, pharmacological reagents and ATP analogs.
Authors:   , Lin Wen-Ying
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Cystic Fibrosis (CF), caused by the loss of function in the gene for the protein cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance (CFTR), is one of the most common lethal genetic diseases in the United States. By studying the structural/functional properties of CFTR, we are able to understand the molecular nature of this protein as well as to provide the potential target for drug designs. In my PhD study, I applied patch-clamp technique to explore the gating function of CFTR. Specifically, in my thesis, we approached a more complete CFTR gating scheme through three different ways. First, we proposed two new states need to be added to the original gating scheme to address unexpected results observed in G551D-CFTR, the third most common disease-associated mutant. Second, by studying the gating mechanism of NPPB on CFTR, we further confirmed the existence of these two states. Third, an ATP analog, 2-deoxy-ATP was used to explore the gating pathway provided by these two new states. This study not only bears the significance of the fundamental function of a single molecule, but also provides a new direction in the future drug development.
Structural studies of inhibition and resistance mechanism of EFDA, a human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase inhibitor
Authors:   , Li Zhe
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.]
Terahertz materials for energy harvesting rectenna
Authors:   , Thacker Zachary
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Energy collecting antenna have been studied for over a century. Early work performed by Heinrich Hertz and Nikola Tesla focused primarily on the transfer of energy at low frequency electromagnetic waves. The present work studies the possibility for harvesting electromagnetic energy present on earth from both terrestrial and solar sources. In general the energy density available increases with frequency, peaking around the visible portion of the spectrum. Because of the difficulty of converting high frequency signals, the present focus will be on the intermediate Terahertz range where the power density begins to increase. The goal of this work is to support the viability of an energy harvesting rectenna to collect and convert Terahertz frequency electromagnetic energy. The collection of the energy by an antenna is supported through probing frequency dependent material properties required for designing the device. Modelling of materials sensitive to THz waves is confirmed through spectroscopic measurements of fabricated devices. Device design is further supported by showing the relationship between the measured material properties and conversion, or rectification, efficiency. Finally, the concept is proved through quantitative results of THz rectenna measurements.
An investigation into the factors affecting industrial implementation of combined heat and power (CHP)
Authors:   , Abad Moran Jorge Fernando
Published: April 2021

This dissertation investigates the factors affecting adoption rate of combined heat and power (CHP). CHP, also known as cogeneration, is an efficient approach to producing electricity and thermal energy simultaneously from a single fuel source close to the point of use. CHP is an energy efficiency (EE) initiative with several economic, environmental and societal benefits. However, its full potential has not been achieved due to the presence of barriers and the creation of what is called "CHP gap" or "CHP paradox". To overcome this "CHP paradox", this dissertation developed a framework for the effective promotion and implementation of CHP initiatives. This framework was analyzed using Industrial Assessment Center database and the results of a survey taken by CHP stakeholders. Twelve hypotheses were tested using logistic regression and ANOVA models. It was found that payback period and savings generated by CHP projects are the most important factors that influence CHP adoption rate in the early stages of the CHP evaluation process. During the latest stages of the CHP development project, utilities programs, outreach programs and supportive regulation are the significant factors that influence CHP adoption rate. With the information generated during this dissertation, an implementation guide was developed. This implementation guide takes all stakeholders into consideration and presents two tools that will help industries in the early stages of the CHP decision-making process.
Gender differences in risks for antisocial behavior
Authors:   , Taylor Erin K.
Published: April 2021

Adolescent girls have always been a relevant presence in the juvenile justice system but have received limited attention from researchers. In response to the dearth of studies on female juvenile offenders, federal study groups and reviewers have called for more research to advance our understanding of the risk factors for antisocial behavior among adolescent girls. To date, however, much of the research on antisocial behavior in adolescent girls has had relatively serious methodological limitations, including relying on correlational or cross-sectional designs and focusing on a limited range of risk factors (e.g., family or school). The current study addressed these limitations by longitudinally examining how risks assessed in early adolescence across multiple domains of youths' social ecology (i.e., individual, family, peer, school, and neighborhood) predicted antisocial behaviors in late adolescence and early adulthood for both females and males. A representative national sample of 1,033 youths and their caregivers completed structured interviews that assessed risk factors in early adolescence, and these risk factors were used to predict subsequent antisocial behaviors. Results of path analyses indicated that peer relationship variables and low levels of academic commitment were most predictive of male antisocial behavior in late adolescence, while physical abuse and age were most predictive of female antisocial behavior in late adolescence. However, most of these same variables no longer predicated antisocial behavior in early adulthood. Overall, the findings suggest that treatments for antisocial behavior should be flexible enough to target the risks that are most salient for male and female youths.
Automatic extraction of man-made objects from high-resolution satellite imagery by information fusion
Authors:   , Jin Xiaoying
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Recently available high-resolution commercial satellite imagery provides an important new data source for remote sensing applications. Automated feature extraction (AFE) techniques can assist human analysts by rapidly locating geospatial information and have the potential to significantly reduce the amount of time to process and analyze geospatial data. In this research, we have designed and developed systems for automatic extraction of man-made objects (roads, buildings and vehicles) from high-resolution satellite imagery. We conclude that AFE can be greatly enriched and improved by multiinformation fusion and/or multi-cue integration. For road extraction and building extraction respectively, multiple detectors were developed and the extraction performance was greatly improved using multi-detector fusion from different information sources. For vehicle detection, a GIS road vector layer was used to incorporate contextual information and an implicit vehicle model including spectral and spatial characteristics was learned by a morphological shared-weight neural network. An important characteristic of our research on road and building extraction is that our extraction strategies are fully automated with only a few preset parameters. Compared with related research in these areas, the performance evaluations of our extraction systems are among the highest statistical values reported in literature thus far.
Home schooling in the Show-me-State: a preliminary study of perceptions and academic performance
Authors:   , Ruhlander Tanya
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The purpose of this mixed methods case study was two-fold: first, in regards to home schooling, an exploratory study of analyzing educational policy and accountability second, the study will examine how home-school parents and public school officials perceive the current state of regulation for home school students. This study was of mixed design. It was a quantitative study with a between subjects research design in which the ACT scores of home schooled and a group of public school students are compared controlling for gender and ethnicity and a qualitative study examining perceptions on Missouri's public school and home school policies in a telephone interview. The correlational analyses of the data revealed weak and not significant correlations among all the variables. The ANOVA and regression analyses showed there were not significant differences in ACT scores between college freshman that have attended a public school and college freshman students who were home schooled, even when controlling for gender. The interviews revealed that even though home schoolers and public education administration have a common goal to educate children, their differing views on the topic of regulation and accountability. The state would like there to be more accountability for home schoolers. While home schoolers do not feel any more control is needed by the state over home schoolers. This study was a truly exploratory look into home schooling in Missouri. The preceding description about perceptions on home school policy in Missouri illustrates there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Further, the findings seem to support the idea that there will probably not be any immediate changes to the home school policy in Missouri.
Determination and analysis of multiphoton excitation emissive species.: I,: Emission of PAHS in acidic medium,: II,: Multiphoton emission of possible PDT agents
Authors:   , Turner Joseph B. McGee
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The exploitation of ultrafast laser properties has been recently increasing. Recent research in this lab demonstrated the ability of femtosecond pulses to give two photons simultaneously, exciting the system above the first excited state. This ability enables for extended environments of excitation, the study of molecular symmetries and photochemistry otherwise unobservable at single photon absorbencies. This paper highlights two uses of the laser system, the first being determination of the spectral properties of species being synthesized and 'tuned' to be able to have a strong two photon cross section. The second use is the excitation of highly symmetrical species displaying anomalous fluorescence emission.The trends of the properties of the novel substituted enediynes gives a greater insight to the properties that enable a large two-photon cross section, and enables us to postulate species that would be ideal for a C1-C5 cyclization process to be activated by the ultrafast laser pulse. Being able to observe the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in acidic environments we are able to detect and identify multiple emissive and non-emissive species.
The real banality of evil
Authors:   , Lamboy Regine
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] When Hannah Arendt encountered Adolf Eichmann at his trial in Jerusalem she was struck by the fact that his most outstanding characteristic was his utter thoughtlessness. This raised the questins of whether there might be a connection between thinking and abstaining from evil doing, which she explored in her last book The Life of the Mind. If there is indeed such a connection, there may be a class of people who might be led to abstain from evil doing if they can be persuaded to engage in thinking. This dissertation examines Arendt's success in establishing such a connection. Overall, her project does not really succeed. Her overly formal analysis of thinking wavers between a highly abstract and obscure conceptualization of thinking and a more down to earth definition. Ultimately she winds up stripping thinking of all possible content. .
Figure of fun : gender, performance, and popular entertainment in the theatrical career of Trixie Friganza, 1889-1940
Authors:   , Lasik Franklin J.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This study examines Friganza's many performances of gender over the course of her career, from her first appearance as a young, nubile chorus girl in The Pearl of Pekin (1889) to her screen appearance in the film How to Undress In Front of Your Husband (1937), investigating how her gendered performances both supported and subverted dominant ideals of femininity. This study reveals how at several points Friganza adapted her performance of femininity, moving from the object of desire as the ultra-feminine chorus girl to the less-feminized object of fun as a comedienne, and finally, to the monstrous feminine of her vaudeville performances, in which she largely rejected the dominant expectations of femininity.
Liminal lives : presentation of self among Muslim immigrants in a small Midwestern city
Authors:   , Hidayat Medhy Aginta
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The premise of this study is that Muslim immigrants living in a small Midwestern city strategically take different ways of presenting self to help them survive their life in a new and different environment. These strategic choices of action, besides being influenced by their personal values, are heavily influenced by various external conditions such as social, cultural, historical, and geopolitical backgrounds, occupation, neighborhood, and group affiliation, as well as race, gender, sexuality, and class backgrounds. Following Brekhus' framework of identity presentation, I propose a typology of identity presentation among Muslim immigrants in this small Midwestern city. Muslim immigrants in this research study can be classified broadly into three categories of identity, which are "Muslim lifestylers," "Muslim commuters," and "Muslim integrators." The Muslim commuters are divided further into three groups that consist of Muslim immigrants who commute from "Muslim setting to race/ethnic setting," from "Muslim setting to occupation setting," and from "Muslim-setting to class/status setting."
Water-use efficiency, photosynthetic characteristics, and high through-put phenotyping methods for soybean (glycine max) genotypes contrasting in carbon isotope discrimination
Authors:   , Naylor Brett
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Drought is a huge concern for soybean growers across the world, and in the Midwestern US is the main limitation to grain yield. A way to protect against drought stress is for plants to use water more efficiently. Carbon isotope discrimination (CID) is a measured trait that is related to water-use efficiency (WUE), and can be used to screen genotypes for higher WUE. Several genotypes were studied in multiple greenhouse and field experiments with varying drought stress treatments. Genotypes exhibiting less CID were shown to have a higher WUE, and CID was related to WUE. The higher WUE genotypes also exhibited differences in photosynthetic traits, especially in their stomatal behavior to restrict water loss. In terms of grain yield, very few differences were observed between the genotypes. Thermal images to estimate canopy temperature and sap flow sensors to estimate field water use provided excellent insight into differences among watering treatments and genotypes for transpiration rates. This research demonstrates, that in soybean, CID can be used as a screening tool to select for higher WUE, and higher WUE is likely a result of increased stomatal restrictions to prevent water loss during periods of drought stress. However, these genotypes exhibiting less transpiration showed minimal, if any grain yield reduction. Further, whole field imaging can also be utilized to identify higher WUE genotypes, and sap flow sensors can be expected to estimate water use in the field. Both resulting in reduced labor and more efficient time use.
Total salvation : the gospel of the abundant life and American culture, 1947-1989
Authors:   , Root Jonathan B.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] My dissertation places the gospel of the abundant life, most popularly known as the prosperity gospel, at the center of American religious and cultural history during the last half of the twentieth century. While many scholars of late-twentieth-century American Christianity have focused on its political contributions, both conservative and liberal, my dissertation suggests that it has also contributed to the growth and development of American therapeutic and consumer culture. Many of the prominent figures in my study -- Oral Roberts, Asa Alonso Allen, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Reverend Ike, and Rex Humbard -- were generally uninterested in politics and instead left their mark on the therapeutic landscape. The abundant life's primary contribution to the expansion of the therapeutic sensibility was its attempt to place it within a theologically conservative framework. The leaders of the abundant life made the central goals of American therapeutic culture -- material comfort, psychic well-being, and self-realization -- the central goals of salvation. God's plan for humanity was "total," they argued. Not only did he offer redemption from sin but redemption from poverty, sickness, fat, and depression as well. The path toward total salvation, then, was the pursuit of mental, physical, and financial well-being. Secular culture offered the same things but they could only be fully realized through a relationship with Jesus Christ. By arguing that the abundant life promoted "total salvation," I am also suggesting that its message was much broader than promises of wealth. Rather, wealth was only one part of its message and not even always the most important. The abundant life evangelists addressed issues of sexuality, gender, mental illness, and weight loss.
Severing the electoral connection : public preferences for governing through experts
Authors:   , VanderMolen Kathryn A.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Non-elected persons, such as political appointees and civil servants, are critical to the functioning of American government. Commonly referred to as the "fourth branch", the bureaucracy poses a democratic accountability problem with its staff of non-elected individuals carrying out public policy. Though it opposes classic democratic norms, a burgeoning literature on political processes suggests that, in fact, non-elected processes may be exactly what the people want. This dissertation project questions the role and importance of bureaucratic offcials, mechanisms, and processes to citizens in the United States. As the ultimate source of a democracy's power, the people, it is critical to understand their perceptions of such a large part of a democracy that does not operate democratically. Investigating these process-based preferences speaks to many fundamental questions and concepts regarding the presence of non-elected entities within a democracy, such as bureaucratic legitimacy, expertise, and neutral competence. I use a unique survey I placed on the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) as the primary source of data, and supplement my analyses with additional process-based questions from the 2009 California Field Poll. I find that non-elected process preferences follow distinct patterns of diffuse and specific support (Easton 1975). A process preference can reflect short-term, partisan and incumbent considerations rather than an entrenched distaste for democracy, depending on the proposal at hand. I move the process literature forward by digging deeper into what others have uncritically accepted as non-elected process preferences, and highlight the importance of distinguishing between proposals that have differing bases of support.
Advances in aptamer evolution and engineering
Authors:   , Alam Khalid Kamal
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that fold into unique three-dimensional shapes that allow them to bind with high affinity and specificity to targets of interest. They are selected through the process of in vitro evolution, wherein large libraries of randomized sequence are iteratively partitioned and amplified to enrich for high-fitness, functional molecules. Selected libraries are sequenced and individual aptamers are characterized for their structure and function. Aptamers have found use as research tools, diagnostics, and therapeutics and in the control of biological systems. The work described herein presents several advancements to the selection and application of aptamers. I first describe an aptamer bioinformatics platform, FASTAptamer, which performs the primary sequence tasks common to all combinatorial selection techniques. I then describe a poly-target selection approach that leverages high-throughput sequencing, the aptamer bioinformatics platform, and parallel selections against a family of related targets to identify the first RNA aptamers capable of potent broad-spectrum inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase. Finally, this work describes the engineering and in vitro validation of a bifurcated aptamer, Split-Broccoli, for direct visualization of RNA:RNA processes.
Nonlinear electroelastic resonators
Authors:   , Kirkendall Christopher R.
Published: April 2021

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In broad terms, this dissertation concerns the physics of electroelastic continua and its application to piezoelectric plate resonators, with a specific emphasis on nonlinear phenomena. The gradual reduction of device size, coupled with higher driving amplitudes, have revealed the need for a general framework to predict nonlinear behavior in resonant piezoelectric devices. Not only must a suitable theoretical model exist, but it should be amenable to analytical and numerical methods that give physical insight into the underlying nonlinear interactions. This work addresses the need for such a framework by extending existing theory and applying analytical and numerical methods in new ways. In the first chapter linear piezoelectric device physics is reviewed and a method for improving the quality factor of mass sensors in a liquid environment is presented. However, the limitations of this preliminary work motivate the focus on nonlinear behavior in the following chapters. After a brief review of electroelastic continua in chapter 2, the following chapter details the use of nonlinear Duffing behavior in a quartz resonator to improve mass sensitivity. A 1-DOF model is used but coupling with other modes is observed at higher driving amplitudes, showing the limits of the model. Thus, in chapter 4 a quantitative model is developed to predict the effect of modal interactions in nonlinear piezoelectric crystals. Perturbation analysis and numerical continuation methods are applied to reveal previously unwitnessed multistable behavior, which is then experimentally verified. As a result, the global bifurcation structure of quartz plates is mapped out in terms of the driving frequency and amplitude. The final chapter derives approximate nonlinear plate equations for electroelastic crystals, using both power series and trigonometric expansions. A very general reduced-order model of the governing PDEs is derived and used to quantify the effect of coupling to lateral eigenmodes on the Duffing behavior of the frequency response.