2009 MU dissertations - Freely available online
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Recent Submissions
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Targeting estrogen- and hedgehog-signaling pathways in prostate cancer
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Prostate cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths in men, and the risk to develop cancer increases with age. Since the lifespan of the society is progressively increasing, the importance of preventing the ... -
An exploration of chemical agents detection using the quantum fingerprint [superscript TM] technology
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)The detection of chemical agents using a novel, gas-phase, sensor technology has been examined experimentally in this work. The goal of the work was to determine the feasibility of using solid-state materials as gas-phase ... -
Explicating journalism-as-a-conversation : two experimental tests of online news
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)The concept of journalism as a conversation has been richly explored in descriptive studies for decades. Largely missing from the literature, though, are clear operationalizations that allow theory building for purposes ... -
Athletes' experiences of sport psychology consultation : exploring a multi-season, cross gender intervention
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Applied sport psychology consultations can provide beneficial services to athletes and coaches, particularly regarding performance enhancement. This study examined the experiences of ten wrestlers involved in a long-term ... -
Assessing the role of pair familiarity in the associative deficit of older adults
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)While aging causes relatively minor impairment in recognition memory for components, older adults' ability to remember associations between components is typically significantly compromised, relative to that of younger ... -
Social cognitive predictors of Mexican American college students' academic and life satisfaction
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)This study used Lent's (2004) social cognitive model of well-being to examine the academic and life satisfaction of 460 Mexican American college students. A model demonstrated that positive affect, acculturation, college ... -
Land dykes in the Ozarks : lesbian feminists living menopause and beyond
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)This dissertation explores the experience and meaning of menopause and aging within a community of lesbian women residing in the Ozarks. Using multiple methods of in-depth interviews and participant observation, this ... -
Technology and creativity : fashion design in the 21st century
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Creatively harnessing the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times, and translating its inspiration into unique, timely, and marketable fashions has been the key to survival of apparel companies since the early 20th century. ... -
Computational neural models at molecular, cellular and behavioral levels : three case studies
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Biological findings from molecular, cellular and behavior levels can be difficult to understand functions. Computational tools and systems concepts facilitate integration of information across levels to further understanding ... -
The reverend, the terrorist, and a web of rumors : the image repair discourse of Barack Obama
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama faced numerous attacks on his character, and on his associations. He was attacked most prominently for his associations with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. ... -
Modeling of delayed fluorescence from photosystem II and applications in assessment of drought and chemical stresses
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Photosynthesis is not only vital for plant growth and survival but also indicative of plant-environment interactions. This research was designed to analyze photoelectron kinetics and its dependence on environmental factors. ... -
Knowledge construction, social identity and social network structure in completely online groups
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Working, learning and informal information-seeking behavior is rapidly moving online. It will increasingly involve collaboration within small groups meeting online. While this process is being driven by technological ... -
Bayesian smoothing spline analysis of variance models
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Based on the pioneering work by Wahba (1990) in smoothing splines for nonparametric regression, Gu (2002) decomposed the regression function based on a tensor sum decomposition of inner product spaces into orthogonal ... -
Inhibition of progestin-induced VEGF in mammary cancer by curcumin and 2-methoxy estradiol and their potential role as anti-angiogenic & chemopreventive compounds
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Estrogen/Progestin combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is commonly prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of menopause in women. Combination HRT however is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, an effect ... -
Fabrication and characterization of polymer based metal-oxide-semiconductor and non-volatile memory devices
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Organic field-effect transistors (FETs) have been widely investigated due to their potential applications in low cost, large area, and flexible electronics. Despite the rapid progress in organic FETs there are still obstacles ... -
Analysis of residential housing markets in large U.S. metropolitan areas
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)The This paper consists of three essays focusing on the geography of U.S. residential housing markets, the role of housing attributes in the residential housing markets, as well as the housing tenure choices in large ... -
Effect of ovulatory follicle size on luteal function, pregnancy rate, and late embryonic/fetal mortality in beef cattle
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Previous reports indicate that ovulation of small dominant follicles resulted in reduced pregnancy rates compared ovulation of large follicles in cattle. A reciprocal embryo transfer approach was used to differentiate ... -
Theoretical and in silico modeling of biological systems : from protein structure prediction to cellular dynamics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)This thesis describes four distinct studies (involving a variety of concepts and methods from the physical sciences) of complex biological systems and processes that cover a wide range of time and length scales (extending ... -
Aging on the farm : toward a model of passionate place attachment
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)The farm population is aging with 29% of principal farm operators over the age of 65. This is significant because farmers work past the age of retirement generally with diminished abilities. The purpose of this research ... -
The culture wars & political polarization in perspective : why polarization and its perturbations are a persistant [i.e., persistent] puzzle in political science
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009)Political polarization in the American electorate has received a great deal of attention in recent years with most of the research focusing on social issues and their impact on electoral outcomes. However, scant attention ...