2005 MU theses - Freely available online
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Item Press coverage of lynchings in Missouri : an analysis of the newspaper coverage of black and white lynchings between 1882 and 1942(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005) Garrison, AmandaBeginning in 1882, Missouri communities experienced a wave of lynchings that would not subside until 1942. The lynchings that took place in Missouri initially affected both White and Black males accused of crimes. In Missouri, lynchings occurred within predominately rural areas, and incorporated into the rural community was the rural newspaper. This study focuses on the coverage of the lynchings that took place between 1882 and 1942, and discusses the differences between the reporting of the Black lynching and the reporting of the White lynching.Item Writer of the ineffable : the paradoxical role of Annie Dillard(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005) Zimmerman, Lindsay; Cairns, ScottWhile extensive analysis has been written exploring the presence of mysticism in the works of Annie Dillard, little work has emerged which pinpoints her particular mystic sources and demonstrates how Dillard's work uses concepts from these sources. This paper is intended to fill in that gap. This project is the result of extensive research of both Dillard's works, (especially "Tickets for a Prayer Wheel," Pilgrim at Tinker Creek , and For the Time Being ) and her Eastern Orthodox Christian mystic sources ( The Philokalia and The Way of a Pilgrim , and tangentially, Gregory Palamas). This paper examines how Dillard's Christian mystic sources help her to navigate the challenge of writing about supposedly "ineffable" subject matter: through references to and performance of hesychasm, wrestling with God's hidden presence, theophany, unceasing prayer, via positiva, and via negativa, Dillard "speaks around" what she cannot speak directly. This project also attempts to situate Dillard's work within both William James' and Grace Jantzen's discussions of the issue of ineffability, ultimately concluding that Dillard's writing both addresses the problem of God's unknowable and therefore unspeakable essence, as well as undertaking the task of articulating her own "mystical experience." This project is an essential supplement to existing critical examinations of Dillard's use of the mystical in her work, linking her panentheist religious philosophy to the Eastern Orthodox Christian mystic sources whose ideas continue to define her writing career.Item Flammability characterization of fat and oil derived phase change materials(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005) White, Jason Franklin; Suppes, Galen J.Phase change materials are a quickly growing commodity in a world which now places a premium on energy conservation, and renewable energy sources. The implementation of PCMs into several world markets can lead to reduced energy costs, and increased opportunity to take advantage of alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Understanding the flammability characteristics of PCMs will increase the ability to adequately introduce these materials into these markets, which may be very sensitive to flammability concerns, such as building construction. This thesis is a discussion of a project designed to determine flammability relationships for many fat and oil derived PCMs, and to compare these to the current market's dominant PCM, paraffins. The results were similar to what was expected; the flammability of the PCMs is directly linked to the materials flash point, i.e. the material with the lower flash point will have a lower propensity to burn. To accompany this, it was also determined that the flash point of each material could be directly linked to both the materials boiling point and molecular weight; both have a positive linear relationship. Based on these results, it was concluded that PCMs derived from fats and oils have a lower propensity to burn than petroleum derived paraffins.Item Automating database curation with workflow technology(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005) Sanghi, Gaurav Ashokkumar; Kazic, Toni MarieBuilding scientific databases is extremely difficult and expensive. Costs could be reduced if the experts who curate the deposited data, are provided with data that are reviewed by other experts at lower levels for accuracy and consistency. Since expertise is distributed around the world, a common platform that implements a well-accepted work process is needed to support such community curation. The workflow is complicated because there are many different types of biochemical data and the relationships among the data are complex; different data types need different kinds of checks; procedures to deposit, review, revise, and accept data; and the volume of data is very large. We have automated the workflow used in curating several types of biochemical data. This model is flexible enough to accommodate additional processes idiosyncratic to particular groups of curators, such as those for enzymatic reactions, biochemical terms, and molecular structures. This work demonstrates the application of workflow technology to intellectually complex, geographically distributed, multidisciplinary scientific processesItem An application of machine learning techniques to interactive, constraint-based search(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2005) Harbert, Christopher W.; Shang, Yi, 1967-Search engine users frequently place additional constraints on search results that are not included in the user's original query. To respond to these additional constraints, search engine designers frequently add an "advanced search" page. On these pages, the user supplies a set of constraints for the result items. While this is certainly more useful, it relies on two assumptions: that the user knows these constraints prior to the search, and that the constraints are independent. This is not always the case. This work presents a method to use an existing search engine to create an interactive, constraint-based search: the Query Expansion and Refinement Process (QUERP). In addition, this work provides an example of the method as applied to the popular eBay auction site. The experimental results show that using QUERP to provide an interactive, constraint-based search has the potential to provide higher precision and recall than the original search engine.