In 2009 the Texas legislature created the National Research University Fund (NRUF), intended to encourage a select group of public doctoral universities in the state, known as emerging research universities (ERUs), to increase their institutional status related to academic research by awarding supplemental financial support for meeting specific policy metrics. Efforts to increase the research status of these universities occurred at a time when public financial support remained stagnate and overall institutional costs increased within the higher education sector. This study utilizes a theoretical approach grounded in strategic action fields and employs panel data and a difference in differences statistical technique to analyze the impact that NRUF policy has in assisting ERUs in achieving R1 status, and how this organizational change impacted access to, and the quality of, undergraduate education. Results indicate that the NRUF policy intervention was not statistically significant for any part of the study. These findings suggest that policy interventions do not matter as much as specific institutional characteristics and the overall policy environment. Enrollment and tuition revenue predicted institutional performance related to academic research and graduate education, while also assisting these institutions in maintaining undergraduate academic quality and access. These cultural and material resources at the …

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.

Past research has provided evidence for cultural differences in episodic memory when comparing European American and East Asian samples. However, cultural cognitive neuroscience has become over-dependent on European American vs. East Asian samples, which has left very little research into groups outside of this dichotomy. The aim of this dissertation was to address the need of more diverse samples in cultural cognitive neuroscience and to address the lack of research on Latinx biculturals. In this dissertation I explored how language could serve as a priming method to activate specific cultural systems, how bicultural Latinxs may switch cultural frames through language priming, and how priming of cultural systems affects their perception and recognition memory for certain visual information. The present study was designed to include a specific technique to investigate the potential cross-modal effect of cultural priming through language on visual cognition in bicultural and bilingual Latinxs. Results suggest that language did prime bicultural Latinxs to perform differently in a behavioral task, where images encoded in Spanish were more likely to be identified as incorrect and images encoded in English were more likely to be identified as correct. Additionally, we found that Cultural Blendedness directly predicted recognition accuracy, where higher identification …

Autonomous vehicles have made milestone strides within the past decade. Advances up the autonomy ladder have come lock-step with the advances in machine learning, namely deep-learning algorithms and huge, open training sets. And while advances in CPUs have slowed, GPUs have edged into the previous decade's TOP 500 supercomputer territory. This new class of GPUs include novel deep-learning hardware that has essentially side-stepped Moore's law, outpacing the doubling observation by a factor of ten. While GPUs have make record progress, networks do not follow Moore's law and are restricted by several bottlenecks, from protocol-based latency lower bounds to the very laws of physics. In a way, the bottlenecks that plague modern networks gave rise to Edge computing, a key component of the Connected Autonomous Vehicle system, as the need for low-latency in some domains eclipsed the need for massive processing farms. The Connected Autonomous Vehicle ecosystem is one of the most complicated environments in all of computing. Not only is the hardware scaled all the way from 16 and 32-bit microcontrollers, to multi-CPU Edge nodes, and multi-GPU Cloud servers, but the networking also encompasses the gamut of modern communication transports. I propose a framework for negotiating, encapsulating and transferring data …

Prompt and efficient intervention is vital in reducing casualty figures during epidemic outbreaks, disasters, sudden civil strife or terrorism attacks. This can only be achieved if there is a fit-for-purpose and location-specific emergency response plan in place, incorporating geographical, time and vehicular capacity constraints. In this research, a comprehensive emergency response model for situations of uncertainties (in locations' demand and available resources), typically obtainable in low-resource countries, is designed. It involves the development of algorithms for optimizing pre-and post-disaster activities. The studies result in the development of four models: (1) an adaptation of a machine learning clustering algorithm, for pre-positioning depots and emergency operation centers, which optimizes the placement of these depots, such that the largest geographical location is covered, and the maximum number of individuals reached, with minimal facility cost; (2) an optimization algorithm for routing relief distribution, using heterogenous fleets of vehicle, with considerations for uncertainties in humanitarian supplies; (3) a genetic algorithm-based route improvement model; and (4) a model for integrating possible new locations into the routing network, in real-time, using emergency severity ranking, with a high priority on the most-vulnerable population. The clustering approach to solving dept location-allocation problem produces a better time complexity, and the …

Contentious interactions may arise between a tax professional and client upon a disagreement over a tax position. In an increasingly competitive tax return preparation market, these contentious interactions represent a significant threat to tax practitioners' client satisfaction and retention objectives. I conduct an experiment in which I examine the effect of three factors on tax clients' (1) likelihood to accept the advice of the tax accountant and (2) likelihood to switch tax accountants upon receiving professional advice counter to their preferred tax position. The three factors are: (1) clients' antagonistic narcissism; (2) clients' relationship with the accountant; and (3) how the advice is framed by the tax accountant. The results are based on a sample of 93 taxpayers. First, this study examines how clients' measured levels of narcissistic antagonism (hereafter, antagonism) impacts their reaction to "being told no" by their tax professional. Results indicate that upon the receipt of advice contrary to their preferences, highly antagonistic clients are more likely to (1) engage in a contentious interaction with their professional and (2) switch to a new tax professional. Supplemental path analyses document that individuals with high levels of antagonism cognitively react to instances of "being told no" by simultaneously devaluing …

In a civil war, conflict management practitioners are concerned with bringing the conflict to an end and providing security for civilians. Similarly, human rights advocacy groups are also concerned with minimizing civilian harm. Given the similar intentions of these actors in civil war states, this dissertation explores under what circumstances conflict management practitioners and human rights advocacy groups collaborate. First, I compare to what extent mediation and peacekeeping cases differ with regards to showing signs of interaction; second, I compare how the level of interaction changes depending on whether peacekeeping missions are deployed by the United Nations or regional intergovernmental organizations. I find that human rights groups are more likely to interact with peacekeeping missions, especially when the missions are deployed by the United Nations. Moreover, I analyze to what extent the interaction between human rights groups and peacekeeping operations impacts how human rights groups carry out their advocacy efforts. The findings reveal that the way human rights groups use their advocacy efforts depend on whether the third parties providing peacekeeping operations respond to their requests.

Computational chemistry employs mathematical algorithms, statistics, and large databases to integrate chemical theory with experimental observations. Computational modeling allows us to make predictions concerning molecular properties and reactivity that ultimately lead to accurate assessment of the most important fundamental properties of chemical systems. Advances in theoretical techniques and computer power have dramatically increased the usefulness and importance of computational chemistry as a complement to experimental studies. This is especially relevant to catalytic reactions of industrial importance as well as the analysis of structural properties and the resulting spectroscopic phenomena in what are often otherwise counterintuitive models. This dissertation is a representation of the research I performed during my years as a graduate student in the Chemistry Department at the University of North Texas. My research has examined novel carbenes as efficient organocatalysts, structure-based design and optimization of small molecule drugs, and surveying methods to accurately describe structure and bonding and catalytic abilities of inorganic and organometallic systems. The works presented herein have been published or are awaiting submission to peer-reviewed scientific journals. A variety of computational techniques were employed in studying metal-mediated catalysis and organocatalysis as well as the structural and photophysical properties of systems containing closed-shell transition metal ions.

Despite advancements in research on sexual morphology as well as increasing interdisciplinary theory on gender, medicine continues to perpetuate anti-transgender stigma in health care. Research on this topic has typically lacked perspectives from health professionals, who operate in and contribute to the environments in which patients seek care. In collaboration with Dallas non-profit Trans Pride Initiative, this study seeks to begin filling this research gap, relying on a sexual stigma framework created by Gregory Herek and applying it to anti-transgender (or gender) stigma to examine its manifestations in health care environments through narrative inquiry. The data from narrative interviews with health care professionals revealed themes of inadequate schooling on transgender competency models and health needs, difficulties in resisting gatekeeper practices while addressing mental health needs, a patient-as-expert approach amongst trans-affirming providers, and understanding of patient family dynamics as a catalyst for understanding stigma. Exploration of sexual identity prior to claiming gender identity, lacking language to explain gender experiences until encountering other LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people, and religious trauma as restrictive to gender exploration during childhood emerged as themes amongst transgender and gender diverse participant interviews. The practical implications of these themes present issues for institutional, social, and …

This study explored NCAA athletic departments' mental health screening practices, including the mental health concerns assessed for by the mental health screening, personnel responsible for administering and reviewing screeners, and resources available for athletes identified as "at risk." Participants were athletic department staff who had knowledge of their school's mental health screening processes. Frequencies and chi-square analyses were used to assess trends across divisional levels (DI vs. DII/DIII). Analyses show that significantly more DI than DII/DDIII institutions have a formal mental health screening program. Institutions' coverage of mental health topics in their screening did not vary significantly by Divisional level, with one exception: a larger percentage of DI institutions assessed whether student athletes had worked with a mental health practitioner than DII/DIII schools. DII/III were significantly more likely to have athletic trainers both administer and review mental health screeners and DI institutions were significantly more likely to have a sport psychologist employed within their athletic department than. DI schools were significantly more likely to have had a student athlete attempt suicide and participate in inpatient treatment than DII/III schools. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Considering the high reproductive investment of the social male and the cost to the female of losing this benefit by soliciting copulations outside the social pair bond, it is expected that most raptor populations would exhibit low to no occurrence of extra-pair paternity (EPP). This holds true for the majority of raptor species studied to date with only one exception of an urban Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) study which reported an unexpectedly high extra-pair young frequency of 19.29%. In our study we examined the frequency of EPP within a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) population residing in the suburban/urban matrix of southwest Ohio. During the breeding seasons of 2018 and 2019, 181 breeding age and nestling individuals were color-banded and sampled for genetic analysis using nine microsatellite loci. After genotyping a total of 40 broods (with at least two nestlings per brood) and both presumptive parents of each brood, no clear evidence of EPP was detected. However, at one nest site, the entire brood of four chicks was not sired by the adult male observed during the courtship period, nor another adult male observed tending the chicks later in the season. We suspect that this particular nest represented two instances of …

While female mimicry and lower status signaling hypotheses of delayed plumage maturation have received much discussion in the literature, the experimental tests of these hypotheses have been infrequent. Those experimental tests often use a simulated intruder method with artificial model intruders rather than using live conspecific birds as intruders. Subadult male painted buntings (Passerina ciris) possess delayed plumage maturation where they appear visually identical to adult females during their first potential breeding season, while adult males are strikingly different in plumage coloration. Here I test the behavioral responses in a territorial population of painted buntings that exhibits extreme delayed plumage maturation using a simulated territorial intrusion experiment to measure territorial male behavioral response when presented with live caged intruders of both subadult and adult males. Territorial adult males were significantly more likely to initiate an attack and continue to attack caged adult male intruders than compared to caged subadult male intruders. This result supports both the female mimicry and status signaling hypotheses, and does not support the cryptic hypothesis. Additionally, in anecdotal observations, territorial males occasionally performed mating display behaviors to caged subadult male intruders. These results further suggest that territorial male painted buntings may identify subadult males as potential …

With the advent of autonomous systems and deep learning systems, safety pertaining to these systems has become a major concern. The existing failure analysis techniques are not enough to thoroughly analyze the safety in these systems. Moreover, because these systems are created to operate in various conditions, they are susceptible to unknown safety issues. Hence, we need mechanisms which can take into account the complexity of operational design domains, identify safety issues other than failures, and expose unknown safety issues. Moreover, existing safety analysis approaches require a lot of effort and time for analysis and do not consider machine learning (ML) safety. To address these limitations, in this dissertation, we discuss an artificial-intelligence driven model-based methodology that aids in identifying unknown safety issues and analyzing ML safety. Our methodology consists of 4 major tasks: 1) automated model generation, 2) automated analysis of component state transition model specification, 3) undesired states analysis, and 4) causal factor analysis. In our methodology we identify unknown safety issues by finding undesired combinations of components' states and environmental entities' states as well as causes resulting in these undesired combinations. In our methodology, we refer to the behaviors that occur because of undesired combinations as off-nominal …

Research has shown that when athletes engage in preretirement planning and address various factors associated with leaving sport (e.g., voluntariness of retirement, shifting identity away from that of an athlete, preretirement planning, personal development, career development, social support), they had significantly better cognitive, emotional, and behavioral adaptation to life after sport. The NCAA is one of the largest sport institutions in the world and they provide limited guidelines to member institutions regarding preparing student-athletes for retirement from sport, and as a result, different schools are developing their own programs. This study explored what NCAA athletic departments do to prepare their student-athletes for their graduation and transition out of sport. Participants were athletic department administrators, and they completed a survey that assessed for current preretirement planning practices and available campus resources for student-athletes who are transitioning out of sport. I used frequencies, t-tests, and chi-square analyses to assess trends across divisional levels (DI vs. DII/DIII). Analyses show that significantly more DI than DII/DDIII institutions have preretirement planning programs. Additionally, there is no significant difference between the topics that are covered across divisional level. The degree to which participants agreed that athletic departments have an ethical/moral responsibility and their perception of who …

Children experience a multitude of benefits in response to interactions with nature. Despite documented effects, children have increasingly spent less time outdoors over the last century and experienced higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. Although child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a culturally and developmentally responsive mental health treatment for children, researchers have limited study of environmental structure and materials employed in the therapeutic process of CCPT. In this study, I sought to further research on the integration of nature with CCPT by providing CCPT in an outdoor, contained playroom equipped with traditional CCPT toys and additional nature materials. Participants were 13 children in the southwestern U.S. with parent-reported attentional or self-regulation concerns (9 males, 6 females; ages 5-10, mean age M = 8.0). Parents reported participants' racial identities were 13% Black (n = 2), 13% Latinx (n = 2), 7% Turkish (n = 1), and 67% White (n = 10). Participants received 8 weeks of twice-weekly CCPT in an outdoor playroom. Results of two repeated measures ANOVAs revealed statistically significant improvement in attention on the Brown EF/A Scales and statistically significant improvement in social-emotional competencies on the SEARS-P. Results of this study illustrate the possible benefits of theoretically integrating …

Previous literature has identified links between psychopathic trait severity and disturbed styles of attachment on sexual outcomes in adulthood. However, few studies have investigated these domains within one design. Therefore, it is unclear how they may influence each other, given that an association between attachment styles and psychopathic traits has also been previously documented. This study sought to explore the possible role of psychopathic traits upon the association between attachment and sexual outcomes. Participants were sampled from an undergraduate student population at a large university. Data were analyzed using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses, as well as two exploratory path models. Analyses suggested that aspects of attachment and psychopathic trait severity were significantly associated with each other and differentially predicted certain sexual outcomes. Furthermore, results indicated that the effects of attachment avoidance on sexual outcomes were mediated by Factor 1 traits of psychopathy, while the effects of attachment anxiety were mediated by Factor 2 traits. Additionally, it was found that attachment style was linked with contempt, and this was further linked to disturbances in sexual outcomes, which is a novel finding. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Teachers face pressures to meet the needs of an ever-changing diverse population of learners while simultaneously attempting to assist students in meeting state standards. There is a body of research that supports emergent bilinguals' growth in reading and writing. However, those practices do not necessarily reflect classroom instruction nor the needs of the students. The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent emergent bilinguals' perceptions about their learning from research-based literacy practices implemented in a classroom designed as a third space. Data were collected using participatory research and photo-elicitation and were analyzed using inductive analysis. The emergent bilinguals provided their insights about class assignments. Findings revealed that research-based literacy practices support emergent bilinguals' perceptions of learning when they are made accessible to them in distinctive yet extensive ways. For students to uncover which literacy activities they value, teachers need to present them with various opportunities to explore their own learning and encourage them to take ownership of their learning. Educators must consider the unique and individual needs of emergent bilinguals when designing the classroom environment and the lessons based on the standards. Recommendations for practitioners, professional development coordinators, and researchers are presented.

In this dissertation, small and large NaCl particle-derived surfaces (Ra > 40 microns) were generated on 2D Zn materials, and the surfaces were carefully studied concerning topography, corrosion behavior, and bone cell compatibility. Increases in surface roughness accelerated the corrosion rate, and cell viability was maintained. This method was then extended to 3D porous scaffolds prepared by a hybrid AM/casting technique. The scaffolds displayed a near-net shape, an interconnected pore structure, increasing porosity paralleled to an increased corrosion rate, an ability to support cell growth, and powerful antibacterial properties. Lastly, nano/micro (Rz 0.02–1 microns) topographies were generated on 2D Zn materials, and the materials were comprehensively studied with special attention devoted to corrosion behavior, biocompatibility, osteogenic differentiation, immune cell response, hemocompatibility, and antibacterial performance. For the first time, the textured nonhemolytic surfaces on Zn were shown to direct cell fate, and the micro-textures promoted bone cell differentiation and directed immune cells away from an inflammatory phenotype.

This dissertation work is a study of positronium formation for positron-hydrogen and positron-helium collisions in the Ore gap (the energy region between the threshold for ground-state positronium formation and the first excitation level of the target atom) using variational K-matrices. We have fitted the K-matrices using multichannel effective range theories and using polynomials. Using the variational K-matrices and their fits, we have located zeros in the positronium-formation scattering amplitude and corresponding deep minima in the positronium-formation differential cross section. The zeros are related to the vortices in the extended velocity field associated with the positronium-formation scattering amplitude. For positron-hydrogen collisions, we have found two zeros in the positronium-formation scattering amplitude, and corresponding deep minima in the positronium-formation differential cross section, while we have obtained a zero in the positronium-formation scattering amplitude for positron-helium collisions. We have connected the zeros in the positronium-formation scattering amplitude to vortices in the extended velocity fields. Our work shows that vortices can occur for charge exchange in atomic collisions.

The period between 1880 and 1885 was a significant time in Claude Debussy's life and compositional career. 1880 marks the date of his first published composition, "Nuit d'étoiles," and 1885 is the year in which he began his two-year tenure in Rome after winning the coveted Prix de Rome in 1884. During the intervening time Debussy composed about forty songs. Scholarly literature, especially analytical literature, tends to focus heavily on music in Debussy's mature style, often casting his early compositions in an unfavorable light. Writing on Debussy is scattered with references to the early songs but authors almost always situate them on one end of a continuum that shows an evolution of compositional style culminating in maturity. Such a view tends, if only tacitly, to regard early works as inferior instances of juvenilia rather than works worthy of study in their own right. In this dissertation I establish a foundation for regarding Debussy's early songs as significant compositions in their own right, independent from anachronistic comparisons with his more mature compositional style, and provide justification for considering the songs as a unified, identifiable repertoire within Debussy's larger œuvre. Using a modified Schenkerian analytical approach, I identify consistencies among the songs …

This research proposes Stress-Lysis, iLog and SaYoPillow to automatically detect and monitor the stress levels of a person. To self manage psychological stress in the framework of smart healthcare, a deep learning based novel system (Stress-Lysis) is proposed in this dissertation. The learning system is trained such that it monitors stress levels in a person through human body temperature, rate of motion and sweat during physical activity. The proposed deep learning system has been trained with a total of 26,000 samples per dataset and demonstrates accuracy as high as 99.7%. The collected data are transmitted and stored in the cloud, which can help in real time monitoring of a person's stress levels, thereby reducing the risk of death and expensive treatments. The proposed system has the ability to produce results with an overall accuracy of 98.3% to 99.7%, is simple to implement and its cost is moderate. Chronic stress, uncontrolled or unmonitored food consumption, and obesity are intricately connected, even involving certain neurological adaptations. In iLog we propose a system which can not only monitor but also create awareness for the user of how much food is too much. iLog provides information on the emotional state of a person along …

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in early intervention (EI) referral and service frequency for children with blindness or visual impairment (BVI) and gather information about the practices and experiences of vision professionals across the United States. The study focused on obtaining data from certified teachers of students with visual impairment (CTVI) and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) in the United States. Information collected included descriptive statistics and professional information about EI for children with BVI, and information about the referral process and service frequency for children with BVI during EI. Thirty-three states were represented in the collected data. Of these states, 26 had responses from four or more professionals, the criteria for inclusion in the analyses. Participants provided information based on a researcher-developed survey requesting information related to the procedures used to provide EI services for children with BVI. Questions were adapted from established instruments where possible. Across states, there were some statistically significant differences in CTVIs and COMS reports of procedures regarding the role of professional collaboration, parent/caregiver participation in IFSP meetings, strengths/resources utilized by vision professionals, and challenges parents/families encountered when accessing EI services for their child with BVI. No statistically significant differences …

This thesis focuses on tribal engagement and tribal consultation in the United States. In the thesis, I discuss my experience working on an interdisciplinary research team completing a formal ethnographic study which was submitted to a federal agency. Using insights gained from this experience and additional experience working with American Indian tribes, I discuss historic, contemporary, and potential future strategies for involving and engaging American Indian tribes in land and resource stewardship decisions in the United States.

Jonathan Leshnoff is one today's foremost contemporary American composers. His percussion compositions are significant compositions to the percussion solo, chamber, and concerto repertoire. This study is a tonal analysis on his marimba solo, Run (2003), with comparative analyses on his percussion chamber work, …without a chance (2002), and Concerto for Two Percussionists and Orchestra (2011).