2014 MU dissertations - Access restricted to UM
Permanent URI for this collection
The items in this collection are dissertations that are available only to members of the University of Missouri system. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Per dilectam coniugem et regnorum consortem : empresses' roles in building the Salian dynasty, 1024 1125(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2014) Verbanaz, Nina K.; Huneycutt, Lois L.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The Salian dynasty amassed a great amount of power, expanded its territories, and established new concepts of kingship and rulership throughout its 100-year reign. The Salian empress- and queen-consorts, who were strategically incorporated into the image and administration of the family from the beginning of the first Salian emperor?s reign, were active participants in governing and expanding the realm. This dissertation addresses the various ways in which the Salian women influenced governing and the maintenance of their family's position, looking at three distinct aspects of the queen?s functions in the realm. First, the Salians established their power and position through rituals and images depicting ritual objects. Rituals and their associated objects were the means through which an individuals? status and position within the hierarchical structure of society were made visible. Second, the empresses were involved in the politics of the realm. They were particularly influential through their performance of traditional roles of mediating and acting as regents for young sons or absent husbands. And finally, the Salian queens and empresses influenced developments within their realm through religious patronage, which enhanced the image of their family, revealed their own personal piety, and represented one aspect of their influence in the allocation of resources in the realm.Item Toward a virtue account of science(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2014) Wright, Jacob Warren; Ariew, Andre I.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation argues for a virtue account of science in which foundational scientific goals are achieved by scientists' employment of virtuous tools and practices. Chapter 1 discusses contemporary literature on the nature and success of biology, especially the realism/antirealism debate within biology. This chapter also provides background into the debate surrounding explanation and understanding. Chapter 2 challenges the idea that successful biology requires appeals to laws of nature by arguing that some foundational scientific goals best realized by unlawful tools and practices. This result provides a criterion for determining whether a discipline is more scientific than another another; disciplines are more or less scientific to the extent that they are able to achieve foundational scientific goals. Chapter 3 examines a test case for the result in Chapter 2 by analyzing McShea and Brandon's [2010] Zero Force Evolutionary Law (ZFEL). I show that the ZFEL's failure as a law does not impact its usefulness to scientists, who are able to use the ZFEL to achieve a number of important, foundational goals. Chapter 4 provides a strategy for determining foundational scientific goals by examining the debate surrounding the relationship between understanding and explanation. By analyzing Khalifa's [2013a] Explanatory Knowledge Model of Understanding, I demonstrate that understanding is not a species of explanation and is thus a foundational scientific goal. It is a goal that scientists aim at, has intrinsic benefit, and is not reducible to other scientific goals. Finally, Chapter 5 presents an outline of the virtue account. On this account, science is successful to the extent it regularly achieves foundational scientific goals. Science does so by employing virtuous tools and practices--those tools and practices that regularly allow for the achievement of foundational goals. The chapter concludes by examining several benefits of this view and considering future avenues for research.Item Structuring asynchronous online discussion groups : the impact of role-supported student facilitation(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2014) Huang, Yemin; Fitzgerald, Gail E.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The purpose of the current study was to explore the effectiveness of a role-supported, student-facilitation strategy on online discussions from multiple dimensions: participation, interaction, levels of knowledge construction and cognition, as well as the impact of each role. All 13 graduate students who enrolled in a master's-level online course participated in this study. First, an unfacilitated discussion was implemented, followed by three student-facilitated discussions, in which four volunteers were assigned different facilitator roles (Devil?s advocate, Questioner, Information provider, and Summarizer). At the end of the class, 10 out of 13 students completed an online survey about their experience in the student-facilitated online discussions. Transcripts of the four online discussions were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, social network analysis, content analysis, sequential analysis, and qualitative analysis. Results indicated that student-facilitated and unfacilitated online discussions were similar in respect to participation, but student-facilitated discussions demonstrated significantly improved interaction patterns and levels of knowledge construction and different levels of cognition. The Devil?s Advocate role had a positive impact and the Summarizer?s role had limited effects on levels of knowledge construction. None of the four roles consistently demonstrated a positive impact on participants? cognitive levels. Responses to the survey showed that the student-facilitation strategy was valuable in both group and individual levels.Item Development of algal membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment and polishing(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2014) Xu, Meng; Hu, Zhiqiang[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The discharge of secondary wastewater effluent from wastewater treatment plants can lead to eutrophication of receiving water bodies due to the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus in the effluent. Although nitrogenous compounds are commonly removed in domestic wastewater, removal of phosphorus is far less efficient. Thus this Ph.D thesis research is aimed to develop an algae-based MBR system to treat secondary wastewater.Item "Tell me so that I can help you" : a turning point analysis of privacy in the development of parental caregiving relationships(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2014) Wenzel, Kristina A.; Hesse, Colin; Colaner, Colleen[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Family caregivers have become increasingly essential to the care of impaired older people (Wolff & Kasper, 2006). While much research as investigated family caregiving relationships, little research has explored how these caregiving relationships are renegotiated through communication (Hummert & Morgan, 2001) and even less is known about the more specific negotiation of privacy issues. This study utilized Communication Privacy Management theory to (a) explore how older parents and adult children recalibrate privacy boundaries to meet the care needs of aging parents, and (b) identify patterns of privacy management that occur when older parents and adult children transition into parental caregiving relationship. Thus, this project employed a turning point analysis to explore the changes in privacy in parental caregiving relationships from the perspective of 27 adult children who have cared for an older parent. Findings expand current research on parental caregiving by detailing how caregiving relationships manage privacy. Parental caregivers coped with ambiguity, uncertainty, and ambivalence related to the management of older parents� private information during the caregiving experience. Four boundary recalibration patterns emerged to negotiate boundary coordination: (a) crescendo, (b) oscillation, c) segmenting, and (d) relinquishment. Results also indicated turning points events, barriers and boundary linkages to parents� private information, and common patterns of boundary permeability associated with the development of parental caregiving relationships. The author argues several implications and directions for future research from these findings, including the need to investigate boundary recalibration processes into examinations of relational change and to explore the relationship between caregiver self-efficacy and perceived similarity of boundary coordination and permeability.