2007 MU dissertations - Access restricted to UM
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Item Effective leadership traits identified through protestant clergy leader conversations(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007) Ehlers, Marjean P., 1950-; Messner, Phillip E. (Phillip Eugene), 1941-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This qualitative case study examined conversations with exemplar clergy to identify leadership traits. Twelve effective clergy leader interviews were conducted within the denomination under study. Two elite interviews were conducted with a Bishop and another national church leadership expert from the denomination. A focus group was held with the cabinet of the denomination under study. Examination of leadership theory involved the underpinning theoretical framework of trait leadership. Literature review will also included leadership discourse in the Church. An effective leadership profile was created from the discovered effective leadership themes of the study. Three research assumptions provided the framework for this qualitative case study: R.A. l. There are emergent themes of effective leadership traits in clergy, R.A. 2. Emergent themes of effective leadership traits converge with trait leadership research, and R.A. 3. Effective leadership traits converge with church discourse. The discovered themes were learning, visioning, building relationships, risktaking, and integrity. The minor themes of encouraging, preaching, conflict resolving, God's guiding, and creativity also emerged but with less redundancy. Implications involved new understandings among women in ministry, importance of mentoring relationships, leadership training, young internship opportunities shaping leadership potential, and leadership profiling.Item Views and perceptions of what causes crime : the case of black women offenders(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007) Skiffer, La Tanya; Galliher, John F.; Pearce, Tola Olu[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Although there have been some research studies focused on offenders' perceptions of crime, the majority have involved male inmates and used quantitative methods. Few studies have focused on women's perceptions of the origins of crime, while no study has focused on Black women offender's perceptions of what causes crime. This research project seeks to fill part of this gap in the literature. This research expands on two earlier studies. First, Mathis and Rayman (1972) studied male prison inmates' views and perceptions on what causes crime and found that inmates identify external, environmental factors as one of the primary causes of crime. Second, Gillespie and Galliher (1972) highlight the importance of male inmates' definition of the impact of prison on their prospects for the future. The current dissertation explores Black female inmates' perceptions of what causes crime as well as their orientation toward the future. Thirty (30) Black female offenders in a large West Coast prison were interviewed using a semi-structured, in-depth interview questionnaire. The women were between the ages of 19 and 75, and primarily of lower education and socio-economic status. Findings indicate that Black female inmates' primarily cite two types of causal attributions: external and internal/external. Overwhelmingly, Black female inmates cite more external factors as causes of crime (e.g., abuse or other people). Furthermore, drug use was also frequently cited by informants. For many informants, drug use originated in external causes but became a personal or internal cause of subsequent behaviors. These findings challenge the view that prisoners primarily identify external factors in regard to causes of crime.Item The diminishing house(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007) Beer, Nicky; Santos, Sherod, 1948-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The Diminishing House is a collection of poems in three sections. The first section begins with a series of childhood confrontations of mortality; the poems in the following two sections strive to transcend the ensuing grief through meditations on human anatomy, natural history, and ekphrasis. Many of the poems are informed by the still life, either literally or figuratively. Additionally, many of these poems bear the influence of other writers who seek metaphysical meaning through intense contact with the material world, such as Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, Amy Clampitt, and Mark Doty.Item Molecular and cell biological studies of mammalian zinc transporters(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007) Mao, Xiaoqing, 1972-; Petris, Michael J.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Zinc is an essential trace element in all organisms. The importance of the hZIP4 human zinc transporter is highlighted by its causative role in a genetic disease of zinc deficiency, acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE). The overall goal of my project is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of hZIP4 post-translational regulation. The abundance of hZIP4 on the plasma membrane is dependent on zinc availability, and hZIP4 undergoes zinc-stimulated endocytosis. More importantly, an additional level of hZIP4 post-translational regulation was identified, which involves ubiquitination and degradation of this protein by elevated zinc treatments. Furthermore, endocytosis is a prerequisite for its degradation requiring both proteasomes and lysosomes. One characteristic feature of many ZIP proteins is the intracellular histidine-rich region between transmembrane domains 3 and 4. The essentiality of the histidine-rich segment for ubiquitin-mediated degradation of hZIP4 was demonstrated. It functions to prevent cell toxicity from zinc overload. Furthermore, a cytosolic lysine residue is solely responsible for hZIP4 ubiquitination. However, mutation of this lysine does not interfere with zinc-stimulated hZIP4 degradation, suggesting the existence of alternative degradation pathways independent of ubiquitination. The implication that hZIP4 has multiple degradation pathways may provide a precise system regulating hZIP4 protein levels to avoid zinc overload, accounting for the essential role of hZIP4 in achieving zinc homeostasis.Item Patient specific bone remodeling and finite element analysis of the lumbar spine(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2007) Pfeiffer, Ferris M., 1976-; Smith, Douglas E., 1962-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The body of work outlined here relates generally to mechanical engineering research in the area of biomechanics. More specifically this work focuses on numerical evaluation of lumbar spine mechanics and bone reactions as they relate to patient specific computer models. Much of this work is accomplished through the use of finite element (FE) modeling. The work is driven by the desire of surgeons to answer biomechanical and physiological questions about patient response to treatment in a noninvasive way. This work is also motivated by the need of researchers to improve upon current solution techniques to the equations of bone remodeling. The objectives of this work are to develop patient specific finite element models of patient anatomy so that patient variation can be examined, adapt current bone remodeling algorithms to address the motivation of the current study, simulate bone remodeling that occurs in the facet joint post operative to spinal fusion surgery, and to evaluate vascularization effects on bone graft growth.