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A Comparison of Middle Aged and College Aged Adults' Perceptions of Elder Abuse (open access)

A Comparison of Middle Aged and College Aged Adults' Perceptions of Elder Abuse

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of (a) respondent age, (b) age and gender of perpetrator and victim, and (c) history of experienced violence on perceptions of elder abuse. Two-hundred and one (N = 201) middle-aged adults and 422 college students were assessed. Measures included adaptations of the Severity of Violence Against Women Scale and Elder Abuse Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Scale-Revised. Middle-aged respondents viewed psychological behaviors more harshly than young. Middle-aged females and young males were less tolerant of middle-aged perpetrators. While past performance of elder abuse was predictive of future elder abuse, history of childhood abuse was not. Exploratory analyses examined middle-aged respondents' judgments of abusive behaviors and perceptions based on age of perpetrator. Middle-aged and young adults' willingness to respond to dimensions of quality, severity, and reportability were also examined.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Childs, Helen W. (Helen Warren)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Management in Local Area Networks: Impact on Users' Perceptions (open access)

Information Management in Local Area Networks: Impact on Users' Perceptions

In this study, computer human interaction factors are examined as a possible source of information to aid in the operation and management of local area computer networks. Users' perceptions of computer performance and response time are evaluated in relation to specific modifications in the information organization of a file server in a local area network configuration running in Novell 3.11.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Norton, Melanie J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse : Characteristics of the Mother-child Relationship (open access)

Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse : Characteristics of the Mother-child Relationship

This qualitative study examined the characteristics of the mother-child relationship of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse at the time of the abuse. The study consisted of data from the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Family of Origin Scale (FOS), and a set of structured interview questions designed by the researcher. Autonomy/intimacy concepts from the FOS examined constructs of clarity of expression, responsibility, respect, openness, acceptance of loss and separation, expression of a wide range of feelings, conflict resolution, mood and tone, and empathy.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Motley, Rebecca Roper
System: The UNT Digital Library
Productivity Considerations for Online Help Systems (open access)

Productivity Considerations for Online Help Systems

The purpose of this study was to determine if task type, task complexity, and search mechanism would have a significant affect on task performance. The problem motivating this study is the potential for systems online help designers to construct systems that can improve the performance of computer users when they need help.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Shultz, Charles R. (Charles Richard)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Children's Perceptions of Family Environment in Step and Intact Families (open access)

Children's Perceptions of Family Environment in Step and Intact Families

This purpose of this research study was to identify key differences that distinguish stepfamilies from intact families with regard to individual members' perceptions of family environment and family functioning. Additionally, an initial look at how membership in a stepfamily impacts the young children's perceptions of interpersonal family functioning is offered.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Elliott, Lisa M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Charge State Dependence of M-Shell X-Ray Production in 67Ho by 2-12 MeV Carbon Ions (open access)

Charge State Dependence of M-Shell X-Ray Production in 67Ho by 2-12 MeV Carbon Ions

The charge state dependence of M-shell x-ray production cross sections of 67HO bombarded by 2-12 MeV carbon ions with and without K-vacancies are reported. The experiment was performed using an NEC 9SDH-2 tandem accelerator at the Ion Beam Modification and Analysis Laboratory of the University of North Texas. The high charge state carbon ions were produced by a post-accelerator stripping gas cell. Ultra-clean holmium targets were used in ion-atom collision to generate M-shell x rays at energies from 1.05 to 1.58 keV. The x-ray measurements were made with a windowless Si(Li) x-ray detector that was calibrated using radiative sources, particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE), and the atomic field bremsstrahlung (AFB) techniques.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Sun, Hsueh-Li
System: The UNT Digital Library
Autophosphorylation and Autoactivation of an S6/H4 Kinase Isolated From Human Placenta (open access)

Autophosphorylation and Autoactivation of an S6/H4 Kinase Isolated From Human Placenta

A number of protein kinases have been shown to undergo autophosphorylation, but few have demonstrated a coordinate increase or decrease in enzymatic activity as a result. Described here is a novel S6 kinase isolated from human placenta which autoactivates through autophosphorylation in vitro. This S6/H4 kinase, purified in an inactive state, was shown to be a protein of Mr of 60,000 as estimated by SDS-PAGE and could catalyze the phosphorylation of the synthetic peptide S6-21, the histone H4, and myelin basic protein. Mild digestion of the inactive S6/H4 kinase with trypsin was necessary, but not sufficient, to activate the kinase fully
Date: May 1994
Creator: Dennis, Patrick B. (Patrick Brian)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Introduction of Self-Manage Work Teams at a Brownfield Site: a Study of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Performance (open access)

Introduction of Self-Manage Work Teams at a Brownfield Site: a Study of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Performance

This empirical study is aimed at understanding the patterns of relationships among the organization structure of self-managed work teams in terms of three sets of constructs: 1. organization-based self-esteem; 2. consequent behaviors of intrinsic work motivation, general job satisfaction, organization citizenship, and organization commitment; and 3. performance. The primary significance of this study is that it adds to the pool of empirical knowledge in the field of self-managed work team research. The significance of this study to practicing managers is that it can help them make better-informed decisions on the use of the self-managed work team structure. This study was a sample survey composed of five standardized questionnaires using a five-point Likert-type scale, open-ended questions, and demographic questions. Unstructured interviews supplemented the structured survey and for means of triangulation of results. The variables were analyzed using regression analysis for the purpose of path analysis. The site was a manufacturing plant structured around self-managed work teams. The population was full-time, first-line production employees.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Borycki, Christine
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interactions of Presentation Formats and Decision-Maker Characteristics upon Multiple Decision-Making Tasks: an Experiment Using Multiple Cognitive Assessments (open access)

Interactions of Presentation Formats and Decision-Maker Characteristics upon Multiple Decision-Making Tasks: an Experiment Using Multiple Cognitive Assessments

Information systems research tends to ignore individual differences in users. This laboratory experiment sought to illuminate contributions of decision-makers' cognitive processes to decision outcome as reflected in four hypothesis sets: the impact of imagery preference and presentation format upon (HI) recall accuracy and upon hemispheric activation during (H2) encoding and (H3) recall, and (H4) to examine the relationship between hemispheric activation differences and accuracy differences. Point-value (specific values) and intraset-pattern (relationships between values) recall were considered. Thirty MBA students, grouped by imagery preference (cognitive style) as favoring verbal (textual) or visual (graphical) information presentation, performed computer-based recall tasks using tabular and graphical formats in a repeated measures design. Hemispheric activation (cognitive process) was assessed using ratios of EEG activity in six frequency bands captured from six pairs of homologous electrode sites during encoding and recall.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Henson, Kerry L. (Kerry Lynn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Personality Correlates of Anorexia Nervosa in a Nonclinical Sample (open access)

Personality Correlates of Anorexia Nervosa in a Nonclinical Sample

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between anorexia nervosa and several personality traits. Past research in this area has been contradictory for several reasons. Sociocultural theories have described the media's role in promoting eating disorders by portraying a thin body-type as the ideal. However, they have neglected to describe the personality ideal which our society promotes in women. It is proposed here that anorexics incorporate and oppose this ideal. Therefore, the anorexic personality is one filled with conflict.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Rogers, Rebecca L. (Rebecca Lynn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Critical Power as a Predictor of Performance in a Bicycle Time Trial (open access)

Critical Power as a Predictor of Performance in a Bicycle Time Trial

Certain measures of aerobic power have been shown to have a high relationship with endurance performance. Critical power (CP) has also been shown to be well correlated to endurance performance, but few studies have evaluated its use in a competitive scenario. In this study, cardiorespiratory-metabolic measures were evaluated in 13 highly trained cyclists to determine their relationship to performance in a 17 km time trial. Critical power, determined from the nonlinear power-time model, was also evaluated to determine its relationship to performance in a 17 km time trial. Results indicate that the traditional indicators of V02max and ventilatory anaerobic threshold were well correlated to TT performance (r=-0.86, r=-0.79, respectively). The principal finding from this study was that performance in a bicycle time trial is related to CP at least as well as to cardiorespirator-ymetabolic measures. In fact, the results fromthis study suggest that the relationship between performance and CP is stronger (r=-0.89). Use of the critical power concept is attractive because testing requires only a cycle ergometer and a stopwatch to estimate a parameter of aerobic fitness.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Dangelmaier, Brian (Brian S.)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of Young Children's Awareness of Line and Line Quality in Art and Graphic Reproductions (open access)

An Investigation of Young Children's Awareness of Line and Line Quality in Art and Graphic Reproductions

The purpose of this study was to determine whether kindergarten children possess the ability to recognize, match, and discuss lines and line qualities. Using graphics and art reproductions, three matching tasks were constructed which examined young children's awareness of the line qualities of length, width, straightness, direction, movement, and uniformity. Graphics and art reproductions were also used to construct two tracing tasks employed to examine young children's awareness of actual and implied lines. The tasks were administered to 69 kindergarten students from four elementary schools in a public school district in the north central Texas area.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Young, Jeffry R. (Jeffry Ray)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Form and Meaning in Benjamin Britten's Sonnet Cycles (open access)

Form and Meaning in Benjamin Britten's Sonnet Cycles

This study examines the relationship between sonnet form and musical form in Benjamin Britten's sonnet cycles with a view toward identifying the musico-poetic form how the musical form interprets the poetry. Several issues come to the fore: 1) articulation of the large-scale divisions of the poetic form in the music; 2) potential of the musical setting to make connections between lines of the text ; 3) potential of the musical setting to follow or imitate the thought processes of the poem; and 4) placement of the departure and return.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Stroeher, Vicki Pierce
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Status of the Implementation of International Education in Texas Four-Year Colleges and Universities: a Comprehensive Study (open access)

The Status of the Implementation of International Education in Texas Four-Year Colleges and Universities: a Comprehensive Study

This study examined international education programs in Texas 4-year colleges and universities to determine how they compare to models found in the literature. A second purpose of the study was to compare Texas 4-year colleges and universities with out-of state benchmark institutions with a history of international education programs for over a decade. Areas examined in the study were: (a) administration of international education; (b) instructional activities of international education; (c) international student support services; and (d) outreach both in the community and abroad.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Barker, Thomas S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Red Dresses for Funerals (open access)

Red Dresses for Funerals

Red Dresses for Funerals contains a scholarly preface concerning the nature of factuality versus credibility in the writing of fiction. Four original short stories are included in this thesis. "A Night With Lawrence Welk" explores the relationship between a patient and student intern psychologist. "Red Dresses for Funerals" is about a wedding that plays a significant role in a variety of the characters' lives. "Trace Elements" is the only story involving young children. "Trace Elements" explores the beginning of understanding of some of the grimmer aspects of reality. "Expectations, Great and Otherwise" addresses the issue of denial. These stories are linked by their setting, a small town in Texas.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Brooks, Michelle Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trained Musical Performers' and Musically Untrained College Students' Ability to Discriminate Music Instrument Timbre as a Function of Duration (open access)

Trained Musical Performers' and Musically Untrained College Students' Ability to Discriminate Music Instrument Timbre as a Function of Duration

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of trained musicians and musically untrained college students to discriminate music instrument timbre as a function of duration. Specific factors investigated were the thresholds for timbre discrimination as a function of duration, musical ensemble participation as training, and the relative discrimination abilities of vocalists and instrumentalists. Under the conditions of this study, it can be concluded that the threshold for timbre discrimination as a function of duration is at or below 20 ms. Even though trained musicians tended to discriminate timbre better than musically untrained college students, musicians cannot discriminate timbre significantly better then those subjects who have not participated in musical ensembles. Additionally, instrumentalists tended to discriminate timbre better than vocalists, but the discrimination is not significantly different. Recommendations for further research include suggestions for a timbre discrimination measurement tool that takes into consideration the multidimensionality of timbre and the relationship of timbre discrimination to timbre source, duration, pitch, and loudness.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Johnston, Dennis A. (Dennis Alan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Verbal and Graphic Feedback on Direct Care Trainers' Data-Tecording Behavior (open access)

The Effect of Verbal and Graphic Feedback on Direct Care Trainers' Data-Tecording Behavior

This study investigated the effects of verbal and graphic feedback alone and in combination with praise on the data-recording behavior of 12 direct care trainers (DCTs) who recorded their reinforcer deliveries as they interacted with mentally retarded clients. An additional variable examined was the effect of time of delivering feedback on subsequent data-recording behavior. Feedback was delivered by the experimenter. Correspondence checks were conducted and a three-phase multiple condition experimental design was used. All feedback conditions produced an observable difference in DCT data-recording behavior. Time of delivery of feedback also appeared to have an effect on the amount of data recorded by DCTs.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Morris, Timothy Jewlon
System: The UNT Digital Library
Television as an Instrument for Bridging Cultures: A Study of Television's Effects on Taiwanese Students in the United States (open access)

Television as an Instrument for Bridging Cultures: A Study of Television's Effects on Taiwanese Students in the United States

This study tested American television effects on Taiwanese Students in uncertainty reduction and stereotype forming. The study consisted of a questionnaire analysis and a focus group discussion. Fifty-five subjects responded to the questionnaires and twenty of them joined two group discussions.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Lu, Ray C. (Ray Chun)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of an Interdisciplinary Program upon Students' Achievement, Attendance, and Attitude (open access)

The Effects of an Interdisciplinary Program upon Students' Achievement, Attendance, and Attitude

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Project SAIL, a program designed to increase student achievement through interdisciplinary learning, upon the achievement, attendance, and attitude toward school of the ninth grade students who participated in it. The study also identified its benefits and liabilities from the perspective of teachers and students.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Jacob, Deborah Wester
System: The UNT Digital Library
Investigating the Selected Validity of Authentic Assessment in Written Language for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities (open access)

Investigating the Selected Validity of Authentic Assessment in Written Language for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities

This research study was designed to investigate whether authentic assessment in written language is a valid assessment tool for students with and without learning disabilities. Teacher judgements were used to evaluate students' authentic writing assessments gathered from the classroom. Students' report card grades, authentic writing assessments, and two standardized writing assessments, the Test of Written Language- Revised and Written Language Assessment, were correlated to provide evidence of the validity of authentic assessment practices in written language.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Peak, Pamela K. (Pamela Kamille)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Administration of Auxiliary Services in Texas Public Universities: Analysis and Proposed Integrated Model (open access)

The Administration of Auxiliary Services in Texas Public Universities: Analysis and Proposed Integrated Model

The problem of this study was to develop a model for the administration of auxiliary enterprises in Texas higher education as a cooperative effort of administrators and input from other sources. The purposes were to determine which administrators currently have the responsibility for the management of auxiliary services, to evaluate the correlation between the type of administrator and the concern for fiscal and student needs, to identify problems and opportunities for useful administration, and to develop a model integrating the strengths of each administrator and the implementation of new ideas to improve auxiliary enterprise management. A survey instrument consisting of three types of questions was mailed to both Vice Presidents of Fiscal Affairs and Student Affairs at all 26 four-year public institutions in Texas. Part I questions were informational, designed to determine who administers auxiliary services. Part II consisted of 20 questions on a Likert scale to obtain both opinions on the theories of the research, and specialized knowledge of the administrators. Part III was free response to solicit ideas from the administrators for the construction of the model. Paired t-tests were performed to determine knowledge strengths of the administrators. All other information was presented in frequency tables or narrative …
Date: May 1994
Creator: Yarbrough, Marianne (Marianne June)
System: The UNT Digital Library
John Christopher Stevens: a Study of his Presidential Administration at Abilene Christian University Abilene, Texas, 1969-1981 (open access)

John Christopher Stevens: a Study of his Presidential Administration at Abilene Christian University Abilene, Texas, 1969-1981

The purpose of this study is to examine historically the presidential administration of John Christopher Stevens at Abilene Christian University from 1969 to 1981. During this time the institution grew in enrollment, faculty, facilities, endowment, and quality of educational opportunity. Limited to selected experiences and accomplishments, this dissertation examines Stevens' personal and administrative characteristics through interviews with him and those who worked with him. Materials were also used from Stevens' Presidential Archives in the Callie Faye Milliken Special Collections of the Herman and Margaret Brown Library at Abilene Christian University.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Roach, James Kenneth, 1935-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Capriccio: A Composition for Symphonic Orchestra (open access)

Capriccio: A Composition for Symphonic Orchestra

A body of works titled 'capriccio' have existed for over four hundred years. Most of these works are characterized by a composers abandonment of expected stylistic norms. Guided only by the fanciful whim of the composer, a capriccio exhibits extreme contrasts in the various parameters of a musical composition including melody, harmony, counterpoint, mood and texture. The composition embedded in these compositional parameters as its point of departure and development.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Walczyk, Kevin, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Responses of Selected Texas Fishes to Abiotic Factors, and an Evaluation of the Mechanisms Controlling Thermal Tolerance of the Sheepshead Minnow (open access)

Responses of Selected Texas Fishes to Abiotic Factors, and an Evaluation of the Mechanisms Controlling Thermal Tolerance of the Sheepshead Minnow

Low oxygen tolerances of ten fishes were estimated using an original nitrogen cascade design, and reciprocally transformed to express responses as ventilated volume necessary to satisfy minimal oxygen demand (L·mg O2^-1). Values ranged from 0.52 to 5.64 L·mg^-1 and were partitioned into three statistically distinct groups. Eight stream fishes showed moderately high tolerances reflecting metabolic adaptations associated with stream intermittency. Juvenile longear sunfish and two mollies comprised the second group. High tolerance of hypoxia may allow juvenile sunfish to avoid predation, and mollies to survive harsh environmental oxygen regimens. The sheepshead minnow was the most tolerant species of low oxygen, of those examined, explaining its presence in severely hypoxic environments.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Bennett, Wayne A. (Wayne Arden)
System: The UNT Digital Library