This collection of 9 vocal works, taken from the oœuvre of André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), was chosen for their utility in teaching undergrad voice majors. This collection offers a group of songs that are attractive in their simplicity allowing the time in their lessons to be devoted to the instruction of French pronunciation. Grétry's attention to detail in the setting of French prosody provides undergraduate singers with a collection of songs that offer an immediate understanding as to the nuances of the French language. With funding from an I-GRO grant through the University of North Texas, research was conducted in the archives of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and work continued in the Grétry Museum in Liège, Belgium. The primary sources found within these locations formulated valuable insights into to the life and influence of Grétry, and provided first-hand experience with research techniques within foreign libraries. This research has solidified the relationship between Grétry's compositional style and its usefulness within the undergraduate voice studio.

This dissertation presents the clarinet pedagogy of Robert Marcellus through reorganizing, documenting, and consolidating the archival recordings of summer master classes held at Northwestern University from 1977-1990. Pedagogical discussions and exercises are examined on topics such as wind, articulation, hand and finger position, and phrasing. Marcellus' interpretation and comments are discussed, along with musical examples from Cyrille Rose's 40 Studies for Clarinet, numbers 13, 21 and 32. This dissertation contains Marcellus' repertoire list and a sequence of study. Through this examination and consolidation of Marcellus' own words, this dissertation serves as a unique resource for those clarinetists interested in learning about this distinguished pedagogue.

In 1873, a financial crisis plunged the United States into a deep economic depression that exacerbated a number of post-war economic issues. By the late 1870s, political dissent centered primarily on financial issues merged into the Greenback movement, which represented a loose coalition of reformers calling for economic relief based on the expanded use of greenbacks (paper currency issued by the United States Treasury during the Civil War). The Greenback Party emerged as a direct response to federal financial policies, but in Texas, it also provided a broad political platform for those opposed to the policies of "Redeemer/Bourbon" Democrats. The Greenback Party of Texas brought together a wide range of dissenters, including disgruntled Democrats, ousted Republicans, and many different economic and social reformers. From 1876, when the first Greenback clubs appeared in Texas, to the Greenback Party's virtual disappearance after the election of 1884, the Texas Greenbackers reached across boundaries of section, race, class, and sometimes gender; brought together farmers, workers, and professionals; Southerners and Northerners, white and black; former Confederates and former Unionists; native-born Americans and immigrants; and received sizable support from multiple counties in the northern, eastern, and central part of the state. In spite of its short …

In the United States, rapid military mobilization for the world wars marked a turning point in the national need to manage and evaluate manpower. To orchestrate manpower needs for the military, industry, and those relating to familial obligations, Woodrow Wilson's administration created the Selective Service System during the First World War. In categorizing men, local Selective Service boards utilized rapid physical and psychological diagnostic techniques and applied their assessments to current military branch induction standards to pronounce candidates as militarily fit or unfit. From World War I to World War II, the Selective Service System expanded as a bureaucracy but did not adequately address induction issues surrounding rapidly changing standards, racism, and inconsistent testing procedures. These persistent problems with Selective Service prevented the system from becoming truly consistent, fair, or effective. As a result of Selective Service System, War Department, and military branch standards, military rejection and prematurely military discharge rates increased in World War II. Additionally, though Selective Service did not accurately predict who would or would not serve effectively, rejected and prematurely discharged men faced harsh discrimination on the American home front during World War II.

The current study examined 236 undergraduate students in a week long twice-per-day ecological momentary assessment exploring the influence of baseline reward sensitivity and interactions between circadian variables (i.e., total sleep time, sleep quality) and daily measures of reward. Though primary study findings did not support reward sensitivity related moderation of sleep-reward pathways, a number of notable findings emerged. We found evidence of specific domains of reward sensitivity (anticipatory reward and reward responsiveness) which are uniquely related to daily experiences of reward. In addition, bidirectional circadian-reward pathways were found between sleep quality and daily rewards which suggests pathways towards reward-related engagement. Evidence also supported interactions between sleep quality and total sleep time on experience of daily reward, further highlighting the complexity of sleep-reward pathways and their relevance to mood symptoms.

Suicide is a significant public health issue in the US. Despite national and international prioritization since 1996, little definitive progress has been made in terms of identification and intervention in cases of elevated suicide risk. Forty percent of those who died by suicide attended an emergency department within a year of death. Therefore, universal suicide risk screening in emergency departments could prove a vital component to a national suicide prevention strategy. The present study empirically evaluated the universal suicide risk screening program recently implemented at Parkland Health and Hospital System. The sample consisted of patients over 18 years of age (N=333,855; Mage=42.7, 32% male) screened as part of routine clinical care from May 4th, 2015, through November 3rd, 2015. The Parkland Algorithm for Suicide Screening (PASS) is part of a clinical decision support system for responses to Columbia - Suicide Severity Rating Scale Clinical Practice Screener (C-SSRS) items, leading to an automated clinical response via three suicide risk stratification levels: no action for no risk identified, psychiatric social worker assessment for moderate risk identified, and psychiatrist/psychologist interview for high risk identified. The present study used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, which found the PASS predicted disposition (z=30.46, p<.001, AUC=.78, …

Eak Tai Ahn is not only the first generation of Korean musicians, composers and conductors to have studied Western music and given successful musical performances in Western countries, but also is among the first to introduce the music of Korea to the West utilizing the Western music system. Korea Fantasy is an important work that helped Ahn win international acclaim. Korea Fantasy is an orchestral piece that evolved along with Ahn's unique life experiences shaped by the state of his native country. The piece is programmatic, depicting the history of Korea, which utilizes musical devices, such as rhythms and quotation that are distinctive musical elements of Korea. This document discusses the political and social history of Korea during Ahn's life time, offers an overview of Ahn's education and musical footsteps, and describes the premiere and reception of Korea Fantasy. Moreover, a discussion of his compositional traits and a musical analysis of Korea Fantasy are presented.

The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were used from a previously large existing dataset from a grant funded by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between the general student population and students with special needs. However, STEM coursework in an inclusive classroom may impact students' decision to pursue STEM careers.

This research of distance learning in singing study provides some historical framework of long-distance singing study, including research on three former distance singing courses, which exemplify the "best practices" of their time: Siegel-Myers Correspondence School of Music, the Perfect Voice Institute, and the Hermann Klein Phono-Vocal Method: Based Upon the Famous School of Manuel Garcia. I also discuss current trends in long-distance singing study, including interviews and insights from current long-distance singing teachers using cutting edge technology in their virtual studios. Lastly, I make predictions and projections, based on analyses of past "best practices," where this information may have impact upon future methods of distance singing lessons, including conceivable distance singing course components of online degree programs offered at universities.

The hospitals and their healthcare providers need to optimize simultaneously three outcomes: healthcare costs, healthcare options offered to customers, and information utilization efficiency. The adoption of electronic healthcare record (EHR) technologies is a potential managerial mechanism for balancing these outcomes. EHR offers patient management and decision support capabilities that can ameliorate health delivery outcomes for patients, doctors, and hospitals through better-informed business and care decisions. The analysis of data collected in an EHR system may lower costs and improve health care delivery (or both). In sum, it could be argued that EHR is a source of competitive advantage. Despite this prima facie appeal, many hospitals remain reluctant to adopt and implement EHR due to lack of insights into return on investment, unavailability of tested systems and data entry obstacles. To address this gap between the potential of EHR system and lack of its adoption, the purpose of this research is to investigate the role of EHR as a resource of competitive advantage for hospital. Essay 1, titled "Implementation and Adoption of EHR: A Conceptual Model based on Resource Advantage Theory", describes the antecedents and consequences of EHR adoption and implementation. Essay 2, titled "Exploring the Relationship Between Electronic Healthcare Record …

Psychological trauma may affect higher-order executive functions, which include selective attention, inhibition, and task-switching processes. Difficulty in these executive processes can in turn influence individuals' daily functioning and may also negatively affect the psychological treatment of post-trauma symptoms. Women may be most at risk for developing problems with executive functioning following trauma, consistent with their overall greater risk of developing post-trauma symptoms. Yet, little is understood about the influence of psychological variables, premorbid functioning, and specific trauma factors in determining post-trauma cognitive functioning in women. Additionally, individual variability in susceptibility to psychological distress and neuropsychological deficits following trauma remains an open area of study. The present study investigated the relationship between psychological and trauma factors with neuropsychological outcomes in women with trauma histories as well as individual variability in risk for poor neuropsychological outcomes. In total, 60 participants' data (age M = 29.73, SD = 10.91) were included in analyses. The final sample consisted of 33 community members recruited from the UNT Psychology Clinic and the UNT student body and 27 veterans recruited from the Veterans Affairs North Texas Healthcare System (VANTHCS). Regression and path analysis identified premorbid intellectual functioning as a predictor of better neuropsychological outcomes and anxiety and …

Lecture recital presented at Room 317, Music Building, Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree.

María Grever (1885-1951) overcame racism and gender bias during a pivotal era in American music history to become the first commercially successful Mexican female composer and more specifically, a pioneer of popular music during the first half of the 20th century. Though named the "Madonna of song," her legacy is largely overshadowed by other compositional giants of the era, such as the Gershwin brothers, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. Grever's music is sophisticated, heartfelt, and worthy of attention. Her colorful, genuine music adds distinctiveness and variety to recital programs. Grever's songs offer a high level of musical integrity and socio-cultural value. Incorporating her compositions into a singer's vocal repertoire is an excellent way to broaden the scope of styles and languages while maintaining the highest standards of musical study. The following document considers the importance of performing and studying Grever's music by analyzing nine songs representing three compositional periods. I evaluated the songs considering pedagogical benefit, performance value, and significance to her overall oeuvre.

Public school finance and school accountability are highly contentious subjects. This correlational study illustrates campus level instructional spending efficiency by examining various input and output variables. The study utilizes data envelopment analysis of selected variables to compare elementary campuses and create instructional spending efficiency measures within purposively selected metropolitan educational service regions in Texas. The study analyzes elementary school instructional spending and student classification as economically disadvantaged compared to student achievement in English language arts. The study finds a direct relationship between instructional spending efficiency and student achievement. The relationship between the socioeconomic variable of economically disadvantaged status is inverse. This finding suggests that in depth examinations of highly inefficient, but relatively high academic performing cases, may uncover effective instructional or operational practices tailored to the needs of the sub-populations.

Research on associations between online dating and later relationship and sexual satisfaction is limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between meeting a romantic partner online or in person and later relationship and sexual satisfaction for heterosexual males and females. Main analysis results suggest that men report higher relationship satisfaction when they met their partner online and women with a preoccupied and dismissing attachment style reported higher sexual satisfaction when they met their partner online. Overall, there were few differences in relationship and sexual satisfaction for heterosexual men and women who met their partner online or in person.

According to the American League of Orchestras' most recent report, Michael Daugherty is one of the ten most performed American composers of concert music in modern times. He has received six GRAMMY awards, including awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2011 and 2017. Characteristics of Daugherty's music are diverse: colliding tonalities and blocks of sound, driving polyrhythmic counterpoint, and jazz and pop elements. His music can be minimalistic at times and at others, stirringly melodic. Amongst this eclecticism, a fascination with American iconography remains a consistent hallmark of his music, exemplified by titles such as American Gothic, Jackie O, or Lost Vegas. Daugherty has stated that his goal is to create sophisticated, abstract music that is also catchy or memorable, with melodies and cultural allusions that audiences can "hang their hat on." Despite widespread success, relatively little scholarly work has been done on Daugherty's music, providing an opportunity for further research. The primary goal of this study is to add to the literature on Michael Daugherty by providing an analysis and conductor's guide of his first choral-orchestral work, Mount Rushmore. It is a genuine show piece, galvanizing and colorful, modestly demanding of the listener, and appreciated by individuals of …

Over the last several decades, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) has remained one of the most extensively studied and commonly used adolescent assessment measures. Most recently, the MMPI-A was revised, published as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF). Given the infancy of the extant MMPI-A-RF literature, the current dissertation sought to be one of the first criterion studies since the test manual to establish its relevant clinical correlates in a sample of youth referred for mental health services. Following in line with previous clinical correlate research, the psychometric properties of the MMPI-A-RF were determined. Under this approach, the present study bolstered support for the construct validity of the RC scales through the identification of clinically relevant, scale and item-level correlates. In particular, the RCd and RC4 evidenced especially strong convergent and discriminant validity. As a result, the current study highlighted the MMPI-A-RF's efficacy in detecting psychopathology along the broad externalizing and internalizing spectrum. In addition, the role of gender and its effect on MMPI-A-RF clinical interpretations were explored. Practical recommendations for ensuring a gender-specific approach to MMPI-A-RF interpretation were outlined.

This study examined the relationships between family structure (organization and control), family process (cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict) with parenting sense of competency (parenting efficacy) for mothers (n = 138) engaged in Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) related activities. Family structure in this study looked at how the family system is organized regarding clarity of family rules. In addition, family processes of the research participants looked at daily family routines and interactions. General parenting self-efficacy, task-specific self-efficacy for nurturance, and task-specific self-efficacy for teaching which are the dependent variables, looked at the degree to which parents feel competent and capable of solving problems related to these processes in the parent-child relationship. Research questions were answered using multivariate analysis of canonical correlational analysis (CCA) to examine the associations between the independent and dependent variables. Results showed significant relationship between family structure variables of control and organization and parents' self-report of their general efficacy and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing. The study also showed an inverse relationship between process variable of conflict and overall self-efficacy of parents' and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing.

Emma Diruf Seiler (1821-1886) was a Bavarian-American voice teacher and scientist who wrote and published Altes und Neues über die Ausbildung des Gesangorganes mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die Frauenstimme (Old and New in the Art of Singing, with Special Attention to the Female Voice) in 1861 while working in Leipzig. It was translated by William Henry Furness and published in Philadelphia as The Voice in Singing in 1868. This pedagogue and her writings are largely unknown to those who study historic bel canto pedagogy. In the opening of Seiler's pamphlet, she explained her purpose for writing was "to bring into harmony things which have always been treated separately, the Science and the Art of Singing..." Aside from brief comments in a few books on vocal pedagogy, Emma Seiler is largely unknown. Neither her contribution to voice science and pedagogy, nor the impact of her integrated philosophy on teaching have been subjected to scholarly scrutiny. The purpose of this document is to explore her philosophy on teaching, her method of female vocal instruction, and her impact on voice instruction. This dissertation historicizes evidence-based pedagogy through Seiler's example.

This project explored whether mindfulness and acceptance-based practices (MABPs) for older adults would reduce the negative effects of ageism and negative attitudes and beliefs related to aging. In addition, state affect and stress were explored. This study used an experimental design to compare two groups of older adults and two groups of undergraduate students – those who received a MABP and those who did not, after being presented with negative ageist stereotypes. Condition and condition by age sample comparisons revealed several findings. Following the MABP, undergraduates who received a MABP had significantly lower ageism scores than did undergraduates who did not. Older adult findings were opposite of proposed hypotheses, with older adults having higher scores on ageism after receiving the MABP, as compared to the scores of older adults who were in the comparison condition. Differences in state mindfulness were seen between conditions, with the MABP condition exhibiting more state mindfulness than in the comparison condition. However, there was no significant condition by age sample interaction effect. Change scores for state affect after the MABP were non-significant at either level of analysis, and older adults showed no difference in digit span stress scores based on their condition assignment. Exploratory analyses …

Previous studies highlighted the importance of parental support for development of mastery of control and depressive symptoms. These studies tended to examine one time wave and outcomes related to that period, forwarding an assumption parenting behaviours do not change as children age. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-Children and Young Adults, this study filled the gap by examining children's supportive environment at three time points and determining how levels of support across these points impacted children's depression and mastery at 18 years of age. Relative stability of mothers' supportive parenting (i.e., encouragement of social maturity, warmth and affection, and physical punishment) at early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence was examined by Kendall's tau correlations. Encouragement of social maturity showed relative stability between early and middle childhood and middle childhood and early adolescence; warmth and affection showed relative stability between early and middle childhood, and physical punishment showed relative stability across all time points. Absolute stability was examined using hierarchical linear modelling and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. No instances were found. Latent class growth analysis identified different trajectories of supportive environment among participants and three groups were identified. Multiple regressions conducted to examine how different trajectories affect late adolescents' …

Mental health stigma has been identified as a barrier to help-seeking in the United States. Research suggests that insecure attachment may contribute to higher mental health stigma and lower help-seeking behavior. This may be particularly salient in military personnel who tend to report higher mental health stigma than the general population. Evidence suggests that both supportive and destructive military leadership are related to service members' attitudes toward seeking help. In the current study, a sample of military service members and veterans (N = 232) completed an online survey regarding mental health stigma, military leadership experiences, attachment strategies, and mental health help-seeking behaviors. Findings indicated that destructive and supportive leadership experiences were significantly related to self and public stigma, and self-stigma mediated the relationship between destructive and supportive leadership experiences and likelihood to seek help. Attachment anxiety predicted higher self and public stigma, while attachment avoidance predicted high self-stigma but low public stigma, with high self-stigma partially mediating the relationship between attachment avoidance and help seeking.

Das Jahr is considered Fanny Hensel's most impressive accomplishment of piano solo work. However, the only modern edition that is extant includes many additional editorial markings. By further analyzing the sections that are technically challenging or musically demanding from an interpretive standpoint, pianists wishing to perform the work will have to find workable fingerings and pedal markings to learn this piano cycle. For this reason, this dissertation will not only provide readers with an original text of Das Jahr, but also assist pianists in finding practical solutions that can help them to interpret this distinctive work successfully on the modern piano.

Genomic modifications occur slowly across generations, whereas short-term epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adaptive phenotypes may be immediately beneficial to large numbers of individuals, acting as a bridge for survival when adverse environments occur. In this study we used dietary exposure to crude oil as an example of an environmental stressor to assess its effects from the molecular to the organismal levels in piscine and avian animal models. In addition, we assessed the role of the parental exposures on their offspring F1 generation. The research developed in this dissertation has contributed to several areas of investigation including molecular biology, animal physiology, and evolutionary biology. The quantitative information from these studies may be utilized to supplement information regarding the proximate and ultimate effects of environmental stressors on fish and bird populations. Furthermore, this information may be used as additional support for understanding the conservation of the responses from the molecular to the whole organismal levels across the vertebrate taxa, as well as their implications for population survival and maintenance. Additionally, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) and the king quail (Coturnix chinensis) have proven to be excellent models to start building a strong basis for understanding the effects …