This dissertation is devoted to the development of novel devices for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications using the promise of inkjet printing with two-dimensional (2D) materials. A systematic approach toward the characterization of the liquid exfoliated 2D inks comprising of graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), tungsten diselenide (WSe2), and 2D perovskites is discussed at depth. In the first study, the biocompatibility of 2D materials -- graphene and MoS2 -- that were drop cast onto flexible PET and polyimide substrates using mouse embryonic fibroblast (STO) and human esophageal fibroblast (HEF) cell lines, was explored. The polyimide samples for both STO and HEF showed high biocompatibility with a cell survival rate of up to ~ 98% and a confluence rate of 70-98%. An inkjet printed, biocompatible, heterostructure photodetector was constructed using inks of photo-active MoS2 and electrically conducting graphene, which facilitated charge collection of the photocarriers. The importance of such devices stems from their potential utility in age-related-macular degeneration (AMD), which is a condition where the photosensitive retinal tissue degrades with aging, eventually compromising vision. The biocompatible inkjet printed 2D heterojunction devices were photoresponsive to broadband incoming radiation in the visible regime, and the photocurrent scaled proportionally with the incident light intensity, exhibiting a …

Improvisation is an art form which has arguably been present since the existence of music itself. Inventing music on the spot, like spontaneous speech, is a common expression of artistry throughout history and across musical boundaries. While improvisation has maintained its importance in jazz, classical organ music and the music of many eastern cultures, this dissertation will focus on the presence of improvisation as acceptable performance practice within the tradition of western classical music. At several points in history, this musical tradition was encouraged and even expected to be a regular part of a musician's life, and yet in the classical music tradition of the twenty-first century, improvisation is rarely, if ever, heard from the concert stage, nor is it regularly included in the general education of the conservatory student.

The early stage of piano students' training is one of the most important, because it is then that they establish their habits for life. Those who teach beginners need clear principles for developing a solid technical foundation and for preventing bad technical habits. One of the most difficult principles to inculcate in young students is that of tone production and quality. The primary purpose of this study is to provide a pedagogical guide to help piano teachers teach tone production to elementary-level students. To accomplish this purpose, the strategies of the twentieth-century pedagogues Josef Lhévinne, Josef Hofmann, and Heinrich Neuhaus are examined, and applied to the elementary-level piano literature. This study offers practical training suggestions to teachers of elementary piano students as well as musical examples from high-quality piano literature to accompany these suggestions.

One of the most recognized icons of Mexico is the mariachi moderno tradition, which in the global popular imaginary, is associated with nostalgic, humorous, and emotional songs of love, heartache, death, drinking, and place. Inseparably fused to tequila and the historic charro figure, mariachi moderno completes a symbolic trinity of hetero-nationalist culture, conveyed within a popular imaginary of authentic mexicanidad (Mexican-ness). For mariachis and aficionados in Mexico, performative hypermasculine machismo acts as a perceptual baseline, structuring modes of feeling that signify an experience of authentic nationalist musicality This process is musically constructed in an incorporation of bodily movement, instruments, sound timbres, and symbolic clothing, simultaneously gestured with a heavy male-accent fusing an experience that feels genuinely Mexican. This reflexive signification is a consequence of the lived experience, shared dispositions, and competencies learned in the habitus, constituting real and imagined notions of hetero-nationalist culture. I refer to this musical semiosis as mariachismo, a neologism describing an intersubjective experience of machismo-infused mariachi subjectivity, ritualized through repeated gestures of sound, lyric, and corporeality. The semiotic power of mariachismo is most potent for subjects enculturated to Mexico's hetero-nationalist culture, shaped by popular imaginaries operationalizing gender and mexicanidad, connecting the two, making them feel unquestioned, …

A flexible nanofibrous PVDF-BaTiO3 composite material is prepared for impact sensing and biomechanical energy harvesting applications. Dielectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and barium titanate (BaTiO3)-PVDF nanofibrous composites were made using the electrospinning process based on a design of experiments approach. The ultrasonication process was optimized using a 2k factorial DoE approach to disperse BaTiO3 particles in PVDF solution in DMF. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the fabricated mesh. The FT-IR and Raman analysis were carried out to investigate the crystal structure of the prepared mesh. Surface morphology contribution to the adhesive property of the composite was explained through contact angle measurements. The capacitance of the prepared PVDF- BaTiO3 nanofibrous mesh was a more than 40% increase over the pure PVDF nanofibers. A comparative study of dielectric relaxation, thermodynamics properties and impact analysis of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and 3% BaTiO3-PVDF nanofibrous composite are presented. The frequency dependent dielectric properties revealed micro structural features of the composite material. The dielectric relaxation behavior is further supported by complex impedance analysis and Nyquist plots. The temperature dependence of electric modulus shows Arrhenius type behavior. The observed non-Debye dielectric relaxation in electric loss modulus follows a thermally activated process which …

Bohuslav Martinů's "Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra" is one of the most frequently played pieces in the oboe repertoire. For this reason, it is often played with the piano reduction instead of the orchestra in oboe recitals. However, the existing piano reductions include many errors and discrepancies from the orchestral score, misrepresent the orchestration, sometimes fail to make the oboe entries clear, and tend to be unplayable for pianists. Moreover, the scores were published after the composer's death without him supervising the final editing. I have prepared a new, playable piano reduction to represent the orchestration more faithfully and help pianists work with their soloists more easily. Based on the work of Martin Katz, a prominent collaborative-pianist, I establish four principles for creating a new piano reduction. After scrutiny of the deficiencies of existing piano reductions, I suggest solutions for making the passages in question practical and bringing out the leading voices clearly so that the soloist can join in as easily as playing with an orchestra. To aid in reflecting the orchestral texture that Martinů created, I include abbreviated instrument names in many passages to help pianists to understand how to create balance. I have changed some passages …

Commencement program for the fall 2020 graduating class of the University of North Texas, held at Apogee Stadium on Sunday, November 22, 2020. The program contains the order of service and a list of graduates for the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Video recording of Spring 2021 G. Brint Ryan College of Business recognition ceremony. The ceremony was aired virtually on Saturday, May 1 at 1 p.m. The in-person commencement ceremony for the G. Brint Ryan College of Business was held at Apogee Stadium on Saturday, May 1 at 7 p.m. The ceremony includes opening and closing remarks by the Dean of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, Dr. Marilyn K. Wiley. Graduates of the Bachelor's program are recognized with their names shown on-screen individually in the order of degree earned.

Video recording of Spring 2021 College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism and College of Visual Arts and Design recognition ceremony. The ceremony was aired virtually on Friday, April 30 at 3 p.m. The in-person commencement ceremony for the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism and College of Visual Arts and Design was held at Apogee Stadium on Friday, April 30 at 10 a.m. The ceremony includes opening remarks by the Dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design, Greg Watts and closing remarks by the Dean of the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Jana Hawley. Graduates of the Bachelor's program are recognized with their names shown on-screen individually in the order of degree earned.

William Mason (1829–1908) was a well-known American composer, pianist, and pedagogue. Researchers have mainly focused on Mason's career as a pedagogue in the United States and his pedagogical treatises, which are widely considered and used as the conceptual core of teaching materials on the nineteenth century. However, there has been only an annotated catalogue of Mason's music works, and no performance guide to his piano compositions. This dissertation is designed to be the first performance guide to his solo piano repertoire and act as an introduction to his music through an examination of selected works suitable for the intermediate student. This study provides instruction for students on how to practice these works through the analysis of the elements of practice – pedaling, phrasing, technique practice, touch, and musical expression – which were all considered as essential by Mason himself for a good performance. The five piano works selected are: Three Preludes, Op. 8, No. 1; Ballade et Barcarole, Op. 15; Valse Caprice, Op.17; Spring-Dawn, Mazurka–Caprice, Op. 20; and Spring Flower–Impromptu, Op. 21.

Multicultural (MC) counseling and social justice (SJ) are foundational parts of counselors' professional identity, and they are fostered through a developmental process that counselor educators facilitate. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between counselor educators' ethnic/racial identity development (ERI), their social justice orientation (SJO) and their multicultural teaching competence (MCTC). MCTC was examined using the constructs of knowledge and sensitivity. Data was collected from a nationally distributed online survey. Data were analyzed using four hierarchical regression models in order to control for socially desirable responding. Results indicated that ERI was a significant predictor of MCTC-Knowledge (p < .001) and that SJO was a significant predictor of MCTC-Sensitivity (p < .001). Socially desirable responding was not significantly related to MCTC. Results suggest the importance of attending to ERI and SJO as separate processes in training future counselor educators.

In 1895, Emil Georg Conrad Sauer (1862-1942), a world-renowned German pianist and former student of Franz Liszt wrote his first piano concerto, which was published five years later in 1900. Sauer performed it extensively to enthusiastic crowds in Europe and the United States while on tour during the next several years. Then it vanished from the concert repertoire. It is no longer performed and has only been commercially recorded once. The purpose of this dissertation is to establish why it might have disappeared, and why there is value in bringing it back to the standard piano repertoire.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Faculty recital performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Chamber music concert performed at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Chamber music concert performed at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Monthly newspaper produced for inmates in the Texas criminal justice system containing news stories, policy updates, opinion pieces, creative works, and other information.

Newsletter published by the Texas Department of Transportation for TxDOT employees including information about the organization, projects throughout the state, and other topics related to transportation in Texas.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the first movements of Sergei Bortkiewicz's two piano sonatas and compare them with works by other composers that may have served as compositional models. More specifically, the intention is to examine the role of the subdominant key in the recapitulation and trace possible inspirations and influences from the Classical and Romantic styles, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. The dissertation employs Schenkerian analysis to elucidate the structure of Bortkiewicz's movements. In addition, the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 545, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, and the first movement of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet in A, D. 667, are examined in order to illuminate the similarities and differences between the use of the subdominant recapitulation by these composers and Bortkiewicz.