342,303 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab. Unexpected Results? Search the Catalog Instead.

Symmetry breaking charge transfer leading to charge separation in a far-red absorbing bisstyryl-BODIPY dimer (open access)

Symmetry breaking charge transfer leading to charge separation in a far-red absorbing bisstyryl-BODIPY dimer

Article describes how symmetry breaking charge transfer is one of the important photo-events occurring in photosynthetic reaction centers that is responsible for initiating electron transfer leading to a long-lived charge-separated state and has been successfully employed in light-to-electricity converting optoelectronic devices. In this study, the authors report a newly synthesized, far-red absorbing and emitting BODIPY-dimer to undergo symmetry-breaking charge transfer leading to charge-separated states of appreciable lifetimes in polar solvents.
Date: December 15, 2023
Creator: Yahagh, Aida; Kaswan, Ram R.; Kazemi, Shahrzad; Karr, Paul A. & D'Souza, Francis
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
ST JOHN'S Cemetery: A report detailing how Denton County Commissioner Hub Clark stole a cemetery from a Pilot Point freedpersons community in 1938. (open access)

ST JOHN'S Cemetery: A report detailing how Denton County Commissioner Hub Clark stole a cemetery from a Pilot Point freedpersons community in 1938.

This report was submitted to the Denton County Commissioner’s Court on December 12, 2023. The independent research contained herein was inspired by a collaborative community effort to highlight the emerging historical narrative of the St. John's freed-persons community of Pilot Point, its unexplained disappearance in the 1930s, and the events that led to the community's cemetery becoming landlocked and inaccessible to the public for more than eighty years.
Date: December 12, 2023
Creator: Luther Rummel, Jessica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Acute and Sublethal Impacts of Crude Oil Photo-Induced Toxicity in an Early Life Stage Marine Fish (Sciaenops ocellatus) and Invertebrate (Americamysis bahia)

We investigated the modifying effects of ultraviolet (UV) light and chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500A) on crude oil toxicity in juvenile mysids (≤ 24 h) (Americamysis bahia) and larval red drum (24-72 hpf) (Sciaenops ocellatus). These results demonstrate that crude oil toxicity significantly increases with co-exposure to environmentally relevant UV levels in both species, indicating photo-induced toxicity. This toxicity was further exacerbated by the application of chemical dispersants which increased the dissolution and concentration of oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in test solutions. To better understand the mechanisms and initiating events of this observed photo-induced toxicity, the incidence of apoptotic cell death and global transcriptomic changes were assessed in larval red drum (24-72 hpf) following co-exposure to crude oil and UV. These results showed that co-exposure to UV and low concentrations of crude oil (<1 µg/L ∑PAH50) induced apoptotic cell death in skin and eye tissue and altered transcriptomic pathways related to visual processing and dermatological disease. To link these cellular and molecular impacts of photo-induced toxicity to apical endpoints of ecological performance, sublethal impacts to growth, metabolic rate, and visually mediated behaviors were explored in larval red drum at 2 developmental stages. These results suggested that earlier life stages may …
Date: December 2023
Creator: Leads, Rachel Renee
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Litigation against North Carolina Educators and School Districts under the North Carolina Tort Claims Act (open access)

An Analysis of Litigation against North Carolina Educators and School Districts under the North Carolina Tort Claims Act

This dissertation discussed the impact of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act and the history of governmental immunity that has protected school districts and school employees in North Carolina. The research question addressed was: how have North Carolina state courts interpreted the North Carolina Tort Claims Act in litigation against North Carolina school districts and their employees? The North Carolina Tort Claims Act provided citizens with a vehicle to sue local governmental agencies and their employees, such as school employees. The act also provided immunity for schools, especially for excessive damages in the case of negligence by an employee. The study examined how state courts have responded to different plaintiffs since the passage of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act in 1951. The decisions in the cases analyzed have been mostly favorable to schools, which has strengthened immunity for school employees. There were four legal aspects addressed by the courts after the passage of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act either most frequently or were unique to the case law of North Carolina. Those legal aspects were tests of school districts' governmental immunity; contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff; the official capacity of school employees in lawsuits; and …
Date: December 2023
Creator: Harned, Jason Douglas
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Report of Current Research: 2023 (open access)

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Report of Current Research: 2023

Annual report of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute discussing the institute's personnel and finances as well as compiled papers summarizing in-progress and completed research, with biographical information about authors and in-press publications.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History

Design and Development of a Paper Spray Air Sampling Device for Use in Clinical, Defense, and Environmental Applications

Environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly important, primarily in urban areas due to the concentrated levels of human activities. The air sampling device presented is a novel method to sample air which harnesses the power of paper spray ionization paired with the intrinsic advantages of mass spectrometry such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, high throughput, and the ability to monitor multiple compounds at once.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Murillo, Wilbert Alberto
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Effect of Developmental Hypoxia on Cardiac Physiology in Three Species: Alligator mississippiensis, Chelydra serpentina, and Danio rerio

In this dissertation, I explored the effects of developmental hypoxia on heart contractility in three separate species of ectotherms: the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), and the zebrafish (Danio rerio). I began with the common snapping turtle and tested whether the utilization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum was altered in response to developmental hypoxia. In the next two chapters, developmental hypoxia of the American alligator was explored studying how the cardiac tissue was affected, specifically in physiological stressors, sarcoplasmic reticulum utilization and sensitivity to pharmacological increases in contractility. The last chapter explored how zebrafish heart contractility was altered in response to chronic hypoxia from egg to adult. Findings from these chapters suggest that while developmental hypoxia did alter cardiac contractility, it did not alter the response of the heart to physiological stressors such as increased heart rate or under hypoxia. Overall, these findings contribute to increasing the current understanding of how developmental hypoxia alters the cardiovascular system but with an emphasis on the cardiac tissue level.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Smith, Brandt Ragan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Implementing a Reward-Based Version of Ostrom's Eight Design Principles as an Intervention Package on Responses in a Common Pool Resource (CPR) Game (open access)

The Effects of Implementing a Reward-Based Version of Ostrom's Eight Design Principles as an Intervention Package on Responses in a Common Pool Resource (CPR) Game

The aim of behavior analysis has always been to apply technologies rooted in basic behavioral principles to problems of societal importance (e.g., Skinner, 1948; 1953; 1987). One such problem is the Tragedy of the Commons - a phenomenon arising from systemic failures among a community, leading to the total collapse of a critical resource (Hardin, 1968). Elinor Ostrom's Eight Design Principles were developed to provide a framework for the self-management of common pool resources (CPRs; Ostrom, 1990/2015). When applied as an independently manipulated variable, Ostrom's design principles have shown strong effects in the management of CPRs within the context of a tabletop board game Catan® (Smith & Becker, 2023). This preparation included both rewards (i.e., positive reinforcement) and sanctions (i.e., positive punishment) as a feature of the independent variable. However, it has been well documented that punishing and coercive contingencies can lead to problematic outcomes for individuals and societies (e.g., Sidman, 2001; Skinner, 1976). This study evaluated the effects of utilizing only rewarding consequences in lieu of sanctions in an effort to produce the previously observed control over self-management of a CPR, utilizing the previously adapted rules of the Catan® board game.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Paterson, Ian Scott
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

An Empirical Investigation of the Medical Supply Chain and Its Impact on Human Solid Organ Transplantation

The objective of this dissertation is to first identify if there are any academic research gaps in our understanding of the medical supply chain and secondly to understand the role and impact of logistics on the human organ transplant process. The first essay identifies the current status of medical supply chain literature and provides future direction for improving the medical supply chain. This was accomplished by preforming a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis from 2,160 publications was conducted. The second essay explores how logistical aspects impact transplant logistics performance and the quality of life for the transplant recipient. Survey data was collected from medical professionals and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The third essay identifies the factors are influencing the number of donor kidneys discarded each year. A retrospective analysis of all deceased donor kidneys procured in hospitals in UNOS region 4 (Texas and Oklahoma) from January 1, 2001, to June 28, 2021, was conducted. Data was analyzed using multinomial logit regression and panel data analysis. As a result, we identified several medical and logistics factors that have influenced the number of donor kidneys discarded in the United States.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Hiatt, Brian Joseph
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 45, Pages 6497-6654, November 10, 2023 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 45, Pages 6497-6654, November 10, 2023

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: November 10, 2023
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
ARKENSTONE – I. A novel method for robustly capturing high specific energy outflows in cosmological simulations (open access)

ARKENSTONE – I. A novel method for robustly capturing high specific energy outflows in cosmological simulations

Article describes how ARKENSTONE is a new model for multiphase, stellar feedback-driven galactic winds designed for inclusion in coarse resolution cosmological simulations. In this first paper of a series, the authors describe the features that allow ARKENSTONE to properly treat high specific energy wind components and demonstrate them using idealized non-cosmological simulations of a galaxy with a realistic circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the AREPO code.
Date: October 17, 2023
Creator: Smith, Matthew C.; Fielding, Drummond B.; Bryan, Greg L.; Kim, Chang-Goo; Ostriker, Eve C.; Somerville, Rachel S. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Using Curriculum Mapping to Understand Information Literacy in Political Science Curricula (open access)

Using Curriculum Mapping to Understand Information Literacy in Political Science Curricula

Article presenting a curriculum mapping study of noncore course offerings in political science curricula by an early-career librarian. It combines syllabi study and curriculum mapping methods to analyze the language of student learning objectives (SLOs) from course syllabi and to integrate SLOs with threshold concepts from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the AAC&U Information Literacy VALUE Rubric. The methods produce two sample sets: one of core concept representation and the other of additional observances for syllabi improvements. Results analyze the frequency and percentage distributions of threshold concepts in SLOs. The author outlines strategies for engaging faculty in information literacy and suggests how librarians and faculty might inform information literacy teaching in the department.
Date: October 5, 2023
Creator: Henson, Brea
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The impact of high-immersion virtual reality on foreign language anxiety (open access)

The impact of high-immersion virtual reality on foreign language anxiety

Authors of the article assert that public speaking, especially in a foreign language, is associated with increased anxiety. The authors found that VR technology had a positive effect on practicing public speaking in a foreign language, the research findings have practical implications for professionals and curriculum designers in various domains where public speaking skills are essential.
Date: October 4, 2023
Creator: Kaplan-Rakowski, Regina & Gruber, Alice
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Benchmarking Metagenomic Classifiers on Simulated Ancient and Modern Metagenomic Data (open access)

Benchmarking Metagenomic Classifiers on Simulated Ancient and Modern Metagenomic Data

Article describes how taxonomic profiling of ancient metagenomic samples is challenging due to the accumulation of specific damage patterns on DNA over time. The authors performed a comprehensive evaluation on simulated metagenomes representing human dental calculus microbiome, with the level of DNA damage successively raised to mimic modern to ancient metagenomes.
Date: October 2, 2023
Creator: Pusadkar, Vaidehi & Azad, Rajeev K.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
What kind of questions do creative people ask? (open access)

What kind of questions do creative people ask?

Article explains that asking questions is a key characteristic of creativity and an important component of the creative process. In this study, the authors investigated the relation between creativity indicators and three types of questions: open vs. closed ended questions, possibility thinking, and temporal thinking.
Date: August 12, 2023
Creator: Acar, Selcuk; Berthiaume, Kelly & Johnson, Rebecca
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Archive Activism: Memoir of a "Uniquely Nasty" Journey

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Archive Activism is a memoir of activism rooted in a new way to converse with history—by rescuing it. Archive activists discover documents and other important materials often classified, “gone missing,” or sealed that somehow escaped the fireplace or shredder. It is an approach to LGBTQ advocacy and policy activism based on citizen archivery and original archival research to effect social change. Research=Activism is the formula growing out of Charles Francis’s personal story as a gay Texan born and raised during the 1950s and 1960s in Dallas. The rescues range in time and place from Francis’s first encounter with a raucous, near-violent religious demonstration in Fort Worth to attics loaded with forgotten historic treasures of LGBTQ pioneers. Archive Activism tells how Francis helped Governor George W. Bush achieve his dream of becoming president in 2000 by reaching out to gay and lesbian supporters, the first time a Republican candidate for president formally met with gay and lesbian Americans. This inspired Francis to engage with deleted LGBTQ history by forming a historical society with an edge, a new Mattachine Society of Washington, DC. For the first time, Archive Activism reveals how LGBTQ secrets were held for decades at the LBJ Presidential Library …
Date: August 2023
Creator: Francis, Charles C.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adoption of Innovation in a Community College Environment: User Perceptions of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology among Students Studying Emergency Medical Service (EMS) (open access)

Adoption of Innovation in a Community College Environment: User Perceptions of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology among Students Studying Emergency Medical Service (EMS)

This research study examined the implementation of an extended reality (XR) lab on a community college campus to facilitate student and faculty access to immersive learning resources. The study, conducted during one skills day, involved 46 students and was designed to understand if integrating immersive VR into emergency medical technician (EMT) education could enhance learner confidence and motivation, develop problem-solving and analytical thinking skills, and thus connecting the classroom learning with real-world application. The majority of participants reported increased motivation and engagement, alongside improvements in learning outcomes like knowledge retention and skill development. Applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions as key determinants of VR adoption in EMT education. While no significant overall performance enhancement was observed, VR training showed potential to boost motivation, confidence, and specific performance aspects. Furthermore, student perceptions towards VR in EMT education were largely positive, thereby suggesting its utility in immersive scenario training, skill acquisition in a risk-free environment, enhancing learner engagement, and real-world situational preparedness. VR demonstrated promise as a transformative tool in EMT education, necessitating further research to fully exploit its potential in diverse learning environments.
Date: July 2023
Creator: Das, Anila
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
All for the Greater Good: A Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Level Analysis of Supply Chain Goal and Incentive Alignment (open access)

All for the Greater Good: A Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Level Analysis of Supply Chain Goal and Incentive Alignment

Goal and incentive alignment are a means of establishing collaborative behavior in supply chains. Essay 1 examines goal and incentive alignment at the strategic level in the purchasing process. It employs survey research in conjunction with structural equation modelling to examine the source selection strategy as a means of aligning the goals of the offeror with those of the buyer. Essay 2 examines goal and incentive alignment at the tactical level. It uses discrete event simulation to explore how the pursuit of localized profit objectives affects the global profitability of a supply chain. Lastly, Essay 3 examines goal and incentive alignment at the operational level. By employing a hybrid simulation approach to model a complex product refurbishment process, this research demonstrates that evaluating subprocesses based solely on their throughput does not equate to greater cost savings for the company at the focal point of this case study. These essays contribute to the body of knowledge in several ways. To the best of the author's knowledge, Essay 1 demonstrates the first empirical linkage, in the realm of public procurement, between the fear of a bid protest and the appropriateness of the sourcing strategy. Similarly, Essay 2 represents the first adaptation of …
Date: July 2023
Creator: McConville, Sean Cask
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Behavioral Transportation: The Role of Psychological, Cognitive, and Social Factors in Distracted Driving Behavior

Logistics 4.0 suggests that increased automation can enhance performance, while Logistics 5.0 emphasizes the advantages of a modern workforce that combines humans and emerging technologies. However, the logistics industry needs a deeper understanding of human factors, an area that has been overlooked so far. To bridge this research gap, this dissertation investigated distracted driving behavior among individuals involved in transportation and logistics-based applications. This investigation employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Essay 1 focuses on a systematic literature review (SLR) that comprehensively analyzes published research on self-response studies regarding distracted driving behavior. The study identifies five overarching categories of distractions: (a) cell phone-related, (b) technology-related, (c) nontechnology-related, (d) psychological, and (e) personality. The findings underscore the substantial research conducted on self-reported distractions associated with cell phones and technology. Essay 2 employs the protection motivation theory (PMT) to develop hypotheses that predict the engagement of young drivers in texting while driving (TWD). In addition to TWD, the survey also included cognitive failure to examine the indirect effects of PMT on TWD within a mediation framework. The results, obtained through structural equation modeling with 674 respondents aged 18-25, indicate that several factors including response cost, threat vulnerability, cognitive failure, self-efficacy, and …
Date: July 2023
Creator: Gabaldon, Janeth
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Examining the Perceived Efficacy of Professional Learning in Gifted and Talented Education (open access)

Examining the Perceived Efficacy of Professional Learning in Gifted and Talented Education

This research aims to examine current practices in gifted and talented educator professional learning, as well as teacher attitudes, beliefs, and experiences towards gifted education in order to explore opportunities to further develop and improve professional learning structures. Through a qualitative methodology following the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, this research utilizes a phenomenological interview design in which data from educator interviews are examined through thematic analysis. To support and further extrapolate on the feedback from the interviews, this research also includes a document analysis of the published descriptions of 30-hour educator training required for those providing GT services in the state of Texas. The thematic analysis of interviews identified three major themes and two minor themes after engaging in a deep analysis of the interview transcriptions. These major themes are the (1) utility of professional learning, (2) shared control of learning, and (3) understanding the whole student. Minor themes are (i) long-term career growth and (ii) role of professional support networks and connections. Results of the document analysis illustrate that the most frequent descriptions are associated with the abilities participants will take from the learning. Within this descriptive code, most of the language focused on learner competence, while few of the descriptions …
Date: July 2023
Creator: Lockhart, Kari Beth
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Examining the Relationship of Critical Thinking Educational Efforts on Student Grade Point Average and Program Retention (open access)

Examining the Relationship of Critical Thinking Educational Efforts on Student Grade Point Average and Program Retention

Demand for the skill of critical thinking is extensive in both higher education and in the workforce. The purpose of the current research is to examine the relationship between critical thinking educational efforts (e.g., programs incorporating high impact practices) and higher education student outcomes. For this study, student outcomes were defined as cumulative grade point average and student program retention. The study used existing data which were obtained from a large public research university in the southwest United States. The study found that higher critical thinking was significantly associated with higher overall GPA, and this relationship was stronger in males as compared to females. However, students' critical thinking was not significantly related to program retention. Findings from this study appear to confirm previous studies indicating a positive relationship between students' ability to think critically and GPA. The study also suggests that elements promoting critical thinking can be successfully embedded into undergraduate curricula through various means, including the use of high impact practices.
Date: July 2023
Creator: Schellen, Michael Christopher
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Exploring Uses of Automated Essay Scoring for ESL: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice (open access)

Exploring Uses of Automated Essay Scoring for ESL: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

Manually grading essays and providing comprehensive feedback pose significant challenges for writing instructors, requiring subjective assessments of various writing elements. Automated essay scoring (AES) systems have emerged as a potential solution, offering improved grading consistency and time efficiency, along with insightful analytics. However, the use of AES in English as a Second Language (ESL) remains rare. This dissertation aims to explore the implementation of AES in ESL education to enhance teaching and learning. The dissertation presents a study involving ESL teachers who learned to use a specific AES system called LightSide, a free and open text mining tool, to enhance writing instruction. The study involved observations, interviews, and a workshop where teachers learned to build their own AES using LightSide. The study aimed to address questions related to teacher interest in using AES, challenges faced by teachers, and the influence of the workshop on teachers' perceptions of AES. By exploring the use of AES in ESL education, this research provides valuable insights to inform the integration of technology and enhance the teaching and learning of writing skills for English language learners.
Date: July 2023
Creator: Tesh, Geneva Marie
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Linguistic Racism in the Marketplace

Linguistic racism is faced by non-native customers due to their different language style when they go through the service exchange process. Despite its prevalence and importance, there is a dearth of research about linguistic racism in the marketing literature, especially from consumers' perspectives. This dissertation thus aims to address this gap by focusing on consumers' cognitive and affective responses as a result to their linguistic racism experiences when they interact with service employees (native speakers) from the host country. Toward this goal, first (Essay 1), a qualitative study is performed to anchor the dissertation in the customers' real-life experiences and to help identify key associated themes which are further empirically examined (Essay 2 & 3) in this three-essay format dissertation. Essay 2 empirically investigates if the identity assignment through ones' language style makes customers feel stigmatized and influence their psychological well-being. In addition, how these experiences subsequently influence their inclination to use technology-mediated interfaces. Similarly, the main objective of Essay 3 was to employ a sociological perspective to examine the impact of language-based chronic social exclusion on non-native customers' psychological and behavioral responses in the marketplace. Moreover, their intention to pay higher tip as a refocusing strategy when these customers …
Date: July 2023
Creator: Malik, Aaminah Zaman
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Meta-Analysis on Effective Multimodality Teaching: 4MAT Model (open access)

A Meta-Analysis on Effective Multimodality Teaching: 4MAT Model

The study explores the effectiveness of multimodality teaching using the 4MAT Model. A meta-analysis was conducted with empirical studies on instruction via multimodality teaching in preschool, K-12, and higher education. The studies in the meta-analysis involved an experimental and control group. The control group received traditional teaching lessons, and the experimental group received multimodality teaching. A text analysis was conducted to examine the trends in the advantages of the 4MAT model versus traditional methods. The literature review analyzed the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, advances in multimedia teaching effectiveness assessment, transforming traditional teaching through the 4MAT model, 4MAT model and learning, the importance of multimodality teaching, the origin of multimodality teaching, the 4MAT model, and multimodality teaching and student achievement. This research aimed to determine a better understanding and increase learning achievement by using the 4MAT model versus traditional teaching methods.
Date: July 2023
Creator: Kairu, Caroline Wambui
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library