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The Generation of Recombinant Zea mays Spastin and Katanin Proteins for In Vitro Analysis (open access)

The Generation of Recombinant Zea mays Spastin and Katanin Proteins for In Vitro Analysis

Plant microtubules play essential roles in cell processes such as cell division, cell elongation, and organelle organization. Microtubules are arranged in highly dynamic and ordered arrays, but unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes. Therefore, microtubule nucleation and organization are governed by microtubule-associated proteins, including a microtubule-severing protein, katanin. Mutant analysis and in vitro characterization has shown that the highly conserved katanin is needed for the organization of the microtubule arrays in Arabidopsis and rice as well as in a variety of animal models. Katanin is a protein complex that is part of the AAA+ family of ATPases. Katanin is composed of two subunits, katanin-p60, a catalytic subunit and katanin-p80, a regulatory subunit. Spastin is another MT-severing protein that was identified on the basis of its homology to katanin. In animal cells, spastin is also needed for microtubule organization, but its functionality has not yet been investigated in plants. To initiate an exploration of the function of katanin-p60 and spastin in Zea mays, my research goal was to generate tools for the expression and purification of maize katanin-p60 and spastin proteins in vitro. Plasmids that express katanin-p60 and spastin with N-terminal GST tags were designed and constructed via In-Fusion® cloning …
Date: December 2017
Creator: Alodailah, Sattam Sonitan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Human-Machine Interface Using Facial Gesture Recognition (open access)

Human-Machine Interface Using Facial Gesture Recognition

This Master thesis proposes a human-computer interface for individual with limited hand movements that incorporate the use of facial gesture as a means of communication. The system recognizes faces and extracts facial gestures to map them into Morse code that would be translated in English in real time. The system is implemented on a MACBOOK computer using Python software, OpenCV library, and Dlib library. The system is tested by 6 students. Five of the testers were not familiar with Morse code. They performed the experiments in an average of 90 seconds. One of the tester was familiar with Morse code and performed the experiment in 53 seconds. It is concluded that errors occurred due to variations in features of the testers, lighting conditions, and unfamiliarity with the system. Implementing an auto correction and auto prediction system will decrease typing time considerably and make the system more robust.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Toure, Zikra
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
When Race Matters: The Influence of Race on Case Clearances in Capital vs. Non-Capital Homicides in Texas (open access)

When Race Matters: The Influence of Race on Case Clearances in Capital vs. Non-Capital Homicides in Texas

Texas leads the nation in the number of executions carried out since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Race was a key factor in the 1972 moratorium, and though the Supreme Court allowed for its return under new statutes, race continues to plague the capital punishment legal system. In this study, I examine the influence of race on case clearances in capital and non-capital homicides in Texas, using the extra-legal and non-discretionary theories from existing clearance literature. I find that race influences the probability of cases being cleared in non-capital cases but has no statistically significant effect in clearing capital cases.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Samaniego, Rebekah
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Who is Really in Charge Here: An Exploration of the Formation and Empowerment of Opinion Leaders in a Reddit Gaming Community (open access)

Who is Really in Charge Here: An Exploration of the Formation and Empowerment of Opinion Leaders in a Reddit Gaming Community

In an attempt to shed light on the further sophistication of opinion leadership in online communities, this study examined the forces and structures that affect their formation in the League of Legends subreddit. By investigating what users thought about the various types of individuals with which the communicate, the researcher hoped to begin to understand and record how those forces work bother on this particular subreddit and in mass media beyond. Opinion leadership continues to be an integral force in deciding what information is consumed by a public and under what frames and agendas it is contextualized. If researchers can operationalize formal definitions for the influences and structures that occur online, they can better navigate the deep waters that are global communication on the internet.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Carter, Clinton Chase
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Eighteenth-Century French Oboes: A Comparative Study (open access)

Eighteenth-Century French Oboes: A Comparative Study

The oboe, which first came into being in the middle of the seventeenth century in France, underwent a number of changes throughout the following century. French instruments were influenced both by local practices and by the introduction of influences from other parts of Europe. The background of the makers of these instruments as well as the physical properties of the oboes help to illuminate the development of the instrument during this period. The examination of measurements, technical drawings, photographs, and biographical data clarify the development and dissemination of practices in oboe building throughout eighteenth-century France. This clarification provides new insight into a critical period of oboe development which has hitherto not been exclusively addressed.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Cleveland, Susannah, 1972-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
American Choral Music in Late 19th  Century New Haven:  The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies (open access)

American Choral Music in Late 19th Century New Haven: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies

This study examines two of the smaller American choral societies that together existed for just over 30 years, 1888 to 1919: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies of New Haven, Connecticut. These societies are important because, especially in the case of the New Haven Society, they were closely related to Yale University and the work of Horatio Parker. One must assume from the onset that the two choral groups examined in the following pages did not have the prominence of the many larger New England choral societies. However a more detailed knowledge about the struggles, successes, influence and leadership of two smaller societies illuminates a field of research in the history of American choral music that has been largely ignored.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Clark, R. Andrew
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Study of English, French, German and Italian Techniques of Singing Related to the Female Adolescent Voice (open access)

The Study of English, French, German and Italian Techniques of Singing Related to the Female Adolescent Voice

Throughout the recorded history of vocal development certain characteristics can be traced to nationalistic roots. This work explores the four major schools of singing: English, French, German and Italian and includes a brief history of the pedagogical development and ideas of these schools' development. In addition, specific techniques and their similarities and differences, between each school is explored. Through the use of students as a control group, various characteristics within the four schools are implemented in coaching. The results are noted. The major theme of this work is to outline the major schools of vocal pedagogy and to contrast and compare specific techniques found in each school. Furthermore, regarding the individual student, the positive and negative effects of teaching in a dedicated fashion to one school versus the implementation of proven methods, of various schools, even though they cross nationalistic boundaries, has been the major thrust of this investigation
Date: May 2001
Creator: Cobb-Jordan, Amy
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identification of environmental determinants of behavior  disorders through functional analysis of precursor behaviors (open access)

Identification of environmental determinants of behavior disorders through functional analysis of precursor behaviors

Methods for the determining the functional properties of problem behaviors are necessary for the design of successful treatments. Many of the currently utilized methodologies are chosen based on their speed, ease of application or for the perceived risk-reduction they afford. However, when thoroughly analyzed many of these methods fall short of their intended purpose. The current study attempted to assess dangerous problem behavior through a functional assessment of functionally related precursor behaviors during analog sessions. Results indicate that for three participants, placing the reinforcing contingencies on these related precursor behaviors produced differentiated outcomes during the assessment. These outcomes matched the outcomes of assessments of the more dangerous problem behaviors.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Churchill, Robert
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment and Comparison of  the Stress Experienced by International and American Students at the University of North Texas (open access)

Assessment and Comparison of the Stress Experienced by International and American Students at the University of North Texas

There were two purposes of the current study: (1) to evaluate if the East Asian Student Stress Inventory could be used to assess the stress experienced by International and American students at the University of North Texas and (2) to determine if the Inventory could discriminate between the two groups on the basis of the stress assessment. A sample of International (n=205) and American (n=216) graduate and undergraduate students completed the inventory. Results indicated that the EASSI could be generalized to a wider spectrum of International students. Using principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation, eight factors were extracted: culture shock, physiological symptoms, family pressure, test anxiety, financial difficulties, attitude toward study, social support and academic self esteem. The inventory clearly discriminated between the two groups on the subscales of culture shock, family pressure and attitude toward study and the International students scored higher on these subscales.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Islam, Nehalul
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
By Air Power Alone: America's Strategic Air War in China, 1941-1945 (open access)

By Air Power Alone: America's Strategic Air War in China, 1941-1945

During World War II, the Army Air Force waged three strategic air offensives in and from China against Japan. At first, the Flying Tigers and 10th Air Force constituted the whole of American aid to China, but the effort soon expanded. Supported by Chiang Kai-shek, Claire Chennault and his 14th Air Force waged an anti-shipping campaign, to which the Japanese Imperial Army responded with Operation Ichigo and against which Joseph Stilwell accurately warned. 20th Bomber Command used B-29s to wage Operation Matterhorn, failed, and later conducted PACAID missions. 14th Air Force then waged a counterproductive transportation campaign as The Pacific War, also known as the Greater East Asian War, ended. Events in the China-Burma-India and China Theaters provide lessons in logistics, targeting, training, and air-ground cooperation that are applicable in the post-Cold War era.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Jahnke, Todd Eric
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fathers' and mothers' childcare ideas and paternal childcare participation. (open access)

Fathers' and mothers' childcare ideas and paternal childcare participation.

The relationship between fathers' and mothers' gender-role ideas and fathers' level of participation in general housework has been well documented. Data from a study in 1998 were used to explore specific aspects of this relationship. In particular, fathers' and mothers' genderrole ideas with regard to childcare (childcare ideas) was examined to see whether these ideas influence paternal childcare participation. Specifically, what impact they had on performance of childcare tasks and the time fathers spent with their children. The responses of 38 couples (76 individuals) were analyzed. No statistically significant relationships were found between the variables. The distribution of the data suggests that even though most fathers claimed to have nontraditional childcare ideas, most mothers still performed the great majority of childcare tasks.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Fletcher, Ryan G.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Integral Role of Training in the Implementation of Hate Crime Legislation (open access)

The Integral Role of Training in the Implementation of Hate Crime Legislation

This research focuses on the association between law enforcement training and implementation of hate crime legislation. The Anti-Defamation League's state hate crime statutory provisions and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Hate Crime Reporting by States data are examined. Section one includes the following: What Constitutes Hate?, The History of Hate Crime Legislation, and Issues Facing Hate Crime Legislation. Section two surveys literature on both Hate Crime Legislation and the training of law enforcement officers. Section three discusses the Anti-Defamation League and FBI data in detail and explains the methods used to test the association between law enforcement training and reporting of hate crime legislation. Findings yield a statistically significant association between law enforcement training and reporting of hate crime legislation.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Broadhurst, Monica DeAnn
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The uninvestigated factors: Dimensions of personality and psychopathology in sex offenders (open access)

The uninvestigated factors: Dimensions of personality and psychopathology in sex offenders

Understanding the relation between personality characteristics, psychopathology, and sexual offenses can contribute to developing more effective treatment interventions. Previous research with sex offenders has focused on general personality traits or inconsistently classified sex offenders based on psychopathology. It was hypothesized that combining personality and psychopathological traits can assist in understanding sex offenders. The current study evaluated 88 male sex offenders in a court-mandated outpatient treatment program utilizing the NEO-PI-R and the MMPI-2. Three clusters of child molesters were examined for differences in personality characteristics and number of offenses. A second-order principle axis factor (PAF) analysis of personality and psychopathology traits revealed three factors: Psychological Distress, Excitement-Seeking, and Social Desirability. The potential clinical utility of these dimensions in predicting treatment compliance is examined.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Briley, Josh
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Present Absence:  A work for string quintet and live electronics (open access)

Present Absence: A work for string quintet and live electronics

Present Absence is a work that integrates electronic processing and live performance. It is approximately 20 minutes long and is divided into three movements. The movements are distinct from each other, but are related through various elements. Incorporating electronic processing and live performance can be cumbersome. The primary objective of this piece is to use electronic processing in a manner that liberates the performers from any restrictions imposed by the use of electronic processing. The electronic processing in the work is accomplished through the program MAX/Msp, a real-time digital signal processing environment. The patch that was created for this piece is called MOO-V. This paper discusses the both the technical details in the construction of this patch, and the aesthetic it serves.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Bell, Jeffrey C.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Media Influence on Executive Police Decision-Making: A Case Study of Police and Media Interaction During the Oklahoma City Bombing Investigation and Trials (open access)

Media Influence on Executive Police Decision-Making: A Case Study of Police and Media Interaction During the Oklahoma City Bombing Investigation and Trials

Because media influence public opinion, it is often surmised that media also influence the decisions of police executives. This exploratory case study examined the relationship between police and media during the Oklahoma City bombing investigation and subsequent trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Findings indicate that media influence police executive decisions when police and media interact closely. It was found that during the Oklahoma City bombing investigation and trials, police on the outer perimeter were influenced most and police conducting the investigation or who were tasked to court room security were influenced the least. It was concluded, based on the consensus of respondents interviewed, that media do influence police executive decisions.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Bellew, Steven S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Cumulative Consumption Feedback On Demand For Money As A Commodity (open access)

The Effects of Cumulative Consumption Feedback On Demand For Money As A Commodity

Behavioral economic theory describes a relation between response requirement and magnitude of reinforcement, and combines these variables into one independent variable (unit price) affecting operant behavior. This study investigated the relative effects of cumulative feedback on consumption for money as a commodity. Subjects were exposed to ranges of unit prices with or without a cumulative feedback bar on the computer screen indicating monetary earnings. For all participants in this study, consumption of money was a decreasing function of unit prices and the results from the present study are consistent with the behavioral economic prediction that increasing the unit price of a commodity will decrease consumption of that commodity. Analyses of demand curves, elasticity coefficients and response rates suggested differences between Feedback and No Feedback groups, although these were small and not statistically significant. The small differences observed were consistent with a behavior strengthening effect of feedback.
Date: May 2001
Creator: Bailey, Kathleen
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transnational Organized Crime and Destabilization in Democracies, Russian Organized Crime as Case Study (open access)

Transnational Organized Crime and Destabilization in Democracies, Russian Organized Crime as Case Study

Transnational organized crime has been prevalent during the last century, but it recently has been recognized as a threat to the world order. Governments throughout the world, along with the intergovernmental organizations identified this phenomenon as a new threat to domestic and international security. This paper attempts to explain the impacts of transnational organized crime on the functioning of democratic societies by adopting the Russian Organized Crime as case study. The descriptive research with regard to definition, scope and organization of transnational organized crime, along with the objectives, limitations and methodology of this research will be included in the first chapter. Recent trends observed in organized crime`s character and the impact of organized crime on the political economies of democratic regimes will be contained in the following chapters. Pre-conditions for a broader response to transnational organized crime and conclusive remarks will be the context of the last chapter.
Date: August 2001
Creator: Yasar, Muhammet Murat
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Anti-Catholic Bias Contained Within Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (open access)

A Study of the Anti-Catholic Bias Contained Within Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

This work examines the anti-Catholic bias of Jacob Burckhardt as he employed it in the Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. A biographical chapter examines his early education in the Lutheran seminary and the influence of his educators at the University of Berlin. The Civilization is examined in three critical areas: Burckhardt's treatment of the popes in his chapter "The State as a Work of Art," the reform tendencies of the Italian humanists which Burckhardt virtually ignored, and the rise of confraternities in Italy. In each instance, Burckhardt demonstrated a clear bias against the Catholic Church. Further study could reveal if this initial bias was perpetuated through later "Burckhardtian" historians.
Date: May 1996
Creator: Kistner, Michael P. (Michael Patrick)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Increasing Differentiation on Vocational Assessments among Gifted High School Students (open access)

Increasing Differentiation on Vocational Assessments among Gifted High School Students

Multipotentiality makes career counseling with gifted students difficult. High-flat vocational profiles give the impression that gifted students can develop a wide range of abilities to an equally high level. High-flat vocational profiles may be due to assessments that consider abilities and disregard interests and values, and ceiling effects from the use of age-appropriate, rather than cognitively-appropriate measures. Subjects included 170 gifted students from a residential, early college entrance program (M=15.9 yrs., SD=.361). Subjects completed the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Self-Directed Search, and Study of Values. McNemar's Test of Correlated Proportions shows the proportion of multipotential profiles decreases significantly when cognitively-appropriate measures of interests and values are considered, in addition to abilities. Pearson Chi-square shows no ethnic differences.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Kidner, Cindy L. (Cindy Lee)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disturbing the Peace (open access)

Disturbing the Peace

Disturbing the Peace is a short, 16mm sync-sound fiction film. Alone one stormy night, a woman must contend with an intruder breaking into her home. The intruder turns out to be a teenage boy. He claims to have broken in only to retrieve a family heirloom he hid there when he and his parents lived in the same house years ago. When the boy finds the heirloom, the woman begins to believe his story, and soon realizes he doesn't have a good home life. The boy asks permission to stay until the storm breaks. She agrees. Should the boy be trusted, or is he telling one lie after another? The police arrive to witness the outcome of the story.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Hatton, William, 1972-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Non-Native Speakers of English and Denominal Regularization (open access)

Non-Native Speakers of English and Denominal Regularization

The purpose of this study was to determine whether nonnative speakers of English have access to specifically-linguistic constraints governing past tense morphology. Forty non-native speakers of English rated the naturalness of 29 exocentric, or headless, verbs in a partial replication of Kim, Pinker, Prince, and Prasada (1991) which looked at the same phenomenon in native speakers. Nonnative speaker performance was similar to the 40 subject native speaker control group. A correlation also existed between length of residence and subject ratings. The results imply that non-native speakers have access to the rules governing past tense morphology although not as completely as native speakers.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Borden, David S. (David Scott)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
GABAᴀ Receptors in Rat Whisker Barrel Cortex: Effects of Sensory Deprivation (open access)

GABAᴀ Receptors in Rat Whisker Barrel Cortex: Effects of Sensory Deprivation

The GABAergic system in adult sensory cortex is affected by sensory deprivation, but little is known about how this predominant inhibitory system is affected during ontogeny. The present study investigates developmental effects of whisker trimming on GABAa receptors in rat barrel cortex. Rats trimmed for 6 wk beginning at birth and adulthood showed similar decreases in [3H]muscimol binding in deprived relative to non-deprived barrels, suggesting absence of a critical period.
Date: August 1995
Creator: Salazar, Eduardo, 1962-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory: a Predictive Validity Study with Criminal Offenders Mandated to Rehabilitative Treatment (open access)

The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory: a Predictive Validity Study with Criminal Offenders Mandated to Rehabilitative Treatment

The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory was constructed to screen for substance abuse patterns despite non-admittance of respondents. Predictive validity studies of the SASSI are limited, and are not available for probationers. Participants were 147 male and 54 female probationers mandated to treatment. Overall differences among SASSI scales were significant for treatment compliance and outcome. Higher SASSI scales were found among those probationers who were compliant/successful. Individual scales were not significantly different, however, a trend was revealed; those respondents who scored higher tended to comply/succeed in treatment. The SASSI alone accurately classified 59.7% of respondents. In summary, the SASSI's use in predicting treatment outcome is limited and should be employed with concomitant data.
Date: August 1996
Creator: Flores, Johnny Martin
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Drama at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary : The Dilday Controversy (open access)

Social Drama at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary : The Dilday Controversy

This study examines the events surrounding the firing of Russell Dilday at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as a social drama. The results suggest that, for application to post-industrial cultures, adaptations need to be made to Victor Turner's original method. The addition of Thomas Farrell's anticipation phase, identification of the breach with the transgression, and examination of unique facets of post-industrial cultures such as economic factors and the role of the media are recommended modifications. In light of these differences, the study concludes that the state of affairs at Southwestern is characteristic of schism in a post-industrial culture.
Date: December 1995
Creator: Drake, Webster F. (Webster Ford)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library