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It's Going to be Different, but It's Going to be Okay: Caregiver Perspectives on Autism, Culture and Accessing Care (open access)

It's Going to be Different, but It's Going to be Okay: Caregiver Perspectives on Autism, Culture and Accessing Care

Through ethnography influenced by public health and anthropological theory, I explored the cultural perceptions of autism among eight caregivers whose children received services from a local Dallas-Fort Worth autism treatment organization. Participant observations and semi-structured interviews with caregivers and program employees provided a rich and nuanced view into the state of care currently available in the DFW area while also highlighting areas for improvement. This research will be used to not only identify the barriers faced by North Texas Families while seeking out care,but also the strategies the organization uses when connecting with families from different backgrounds.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Otwori, Beverly N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Understanding Perceptions of Community Gardens in the Dallas Area (open access)

Understanding Perceptions of Community Gardens in the Dallas Area

This exploratory research focuses on identifying the roles and perspectives of community gardens in the Dallas area. Results from semi-structured interviews reveal the social and political makeup of the neighborhoods where the garden projects in this study are located. While these findings highlight the benefits of gardening in the city, they can also be contested spaces. In advocating for the proliferation of garden projects in the city, community organizations would benefit from understanding the nuances of garden initiatives and the way in which they are perceived by members of the garden, nearby residents, and policy makers.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Ayyad, Raja
System: The UNT Digital Library
Language Contact in the Inner City: the Acquisition of AAVE Features by Bilingual Hispanic Adolescents (open access)

Language Contact in the Inner City: the Acquisition of AAVE Features by Bilingual Hispanic Adolescents

Sociolinguists working in Northern urban areas have shown that Hispanics who come in contact with African Americans sometimes acquire features of African American vernacular English (AAVE). However, the acquisition of AAVE features by Hispanics in the South has yet to be documented. Specifically, no one has studied the kind of English that Hispanics in Texas are acquiring. The present study investigates this issue through research in an inner-city area of Dallas: Oak Cliff. During the past twenty-five years, the population of Oak Cliff has changed from a largely African American community to include a substantial number of Hispanics. Though their neighborhoods remain fairly separate, sports and gangs provide an arena for extended contact. This study investigates the extent to which AAVE grammatical features are being acquired by bilingual Hispanic adolescents who hang out with African Americans. The analysis for this paper focuses on the relationship between contact and depth of acquisition of AAVE syntactic constraints on the use the copula (is/are, be). Preliminary results show that be+V+ing as an habitual form has been incorporated into the grammar of these subjects, suggesting fundamental changes towards an AAVE grammatical system.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Coleman, Jeffrey Alan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iranian Access Television of Dallas: Cultural Issues, Preservation, and Community Formation (open access)

Iranian Access Television of Dallas: Cultural Issues, Preservation, and Community Formation

This study focused on the televisual and cultural practices of Iranians via public access television in Dallas, Texas. It includes analysis of format and content. It combines demographic, structural, and statistical information with a culturalist and interpretive viewpoint in examining the efforts of Iranians, via access television programs, in preserving their culture and the formation of a coherent and active community in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Karimi, Mohammad, 1959-
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Survey of the Social, Mental, and Economic Status of a Group of Adamson High School Boys and Girls Who Come From Broken Homes (open access)

A Survey of the Social, Mental, and Economic Status of a Group of Adamson High School Boys and Girls Who Come From Broken Homes

A study to gather information on living conditions of boys and girls in Adamson High School who come from broken homes, in order to discover the individual needs of the students in order to promote greater interest and develop better citizenship.
Date: August 1939
Creator: Noah, Winton Eugene
System: The UNT Digital Library
Influences on the Hispanic Woman's Selection of Work and Social Activity Apparel (open access)

Influences on the Hispanic Woman's Selection of Work and Social Activity Apparel

This study investigated significant influences including Hispanicness, traditionalism and demographic characteristics on Hispanic women's purchase behavior when selecting work and social activity apparel. A sample of 114 Hispanic women from a Hispanic professional organization or businesses in the Dallas and El Paso, Texas areas. Surveys were collected by mail or administered to subjects. Analyses included frequencies, percentages, t-tests, and Pearson's product-moment correlations. For both situations, mean scores indicated the most influential information sources were: clothing displays, friends, and female family members, while the most used acquisition sources were: department and specialty stores. In both situations, these women had very feminine appearance attributes and very feminine and fashionable clothing style. Hispanicness, traditionalism, and demographic characteristics made some difference when selecting work and social activity apparel.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Sifuentes, D. Ileana
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Design and Function of the Interior Space of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center of Dallas, 1980-1989 (open access)

The Design and Function of the Interior Space of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center of Dallas, 1980-1989

This thesis investigates how the interior of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center of Dallas accommodates the three groups which use the space: the patron, the musicians, and the administration. Following the Draft Brief of 1981 prepared by the Dallas Symphony Association's Concert Hall Building Committee, each area is discussed as to what was actually built and what concerns were met. The primary data were the symphony center and interviews with I.M. Pei, architect; Russell Johnson, acoustician of the concert hall; Charles Young, associate of Pei, Cobb, Freed & Associates, interior architect of the concert hall; Carolyn Miller, Trisha Wilson & Associates, designer of the Green Room, Richard Trimble, designer of the musicians' areas, and Joe Pereira, designer of the Administrative area.
Date: May 1990
Creator: McNair, Gay E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Symptom Based Classification of Environmentally Ill Patients: an Exploratory Study (open access)

Symptom Based Classification of Environmentally Ill Patients: an Exploratory Study

The purpose of the present study was to discern a symptom pattern for environmentally ill patients and provide evidence of the uniqueness of the resultant pattern to this population. Patients' environmental exposure was confirmed by the presence of toxins in the blood serum. All patients were administered psychological and physical symptom checklists, the Clinical Analysis Questionnaire, and a standardized intermediate neuropsychological examination. Results indicate a response pattern of symptoms including fatigue, low energy, weakness, poor concentration, poor memory, poor comprehension, headaches, aches and pains, clumsiness, sinus discomfort, mucus, eye problems, restlessness, and present performance inferior to prior level of functioning. Presence of these symptoms, as well as the uniqueness of this symptom pattern was supported by comparisons of the patient and standardization groups on the two standardized tests.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Flanagan, William Joseph, 1963-
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Visual Arts Philosophy of Roman Catholicism as Manifested in the Works of Four Commissioned Artists Completed for the 1987 Sanctuary of St. Rita's Catholic Church (open access)

The Visual Arts Philosophy of Roman Catholicism as Manifested in the Works of Four Commissioned Artists Completed for the 1987 Sanctuary of St. Rita's Catholic Church

This thesis investigates how the visual arts philosophy promulgated in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council of Roman Catholic Churches is manifested by commissioned artists for a particular parish. The primary data were the new sanctuary and the artworks, which include stained glass by Lyle Novinski, a carved-glass Marian Shrine by Claire Wing, bronze Stations of the Cross by Heri Bartscht, and wooden medallions depicting two saints carved by Don Schol. This paper reviews pertinent ecclesiastical doctrines along with interpretational publications, physically and iconographically describes the sanctuary and artwork, and considers aspects of the relationship between patron churches and the artists they commission.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Siber, Elizabeth G. (Elizabeth Gaye)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Organochlorine Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Fish From the Trinity River, Texas (open access)

Organochlorine Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Fish From the Trinity River, Texas

The Trinity River passes through the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex receiving point and non-point source contaminant loadings. Lepomis spp. were collected at twelve sampling locations in the Trinity River in August 1987 and September 1988 and analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals. Results from the study were compared to existing U.S. FDA action and tolerance levels, LC50s, and historical data. Various longitudinal trends and some concentration patterns were observed. Continual study of pesticide and metal body burdens in fish allow testing for trends, and thereby, lead to a better understanding of the distribution of contaminants in the Trinity River.
Date: May 1990
Creator: Martinez, Maria L., 1960-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Edward Larrabee Barnes's Dallas Museum of Art: An Architectural Development Study (open access)

Edward Larrabee Barnes's Dallas Museum of Art: An Architectural Development Study

This study examines the development of Edward Larrabee Barnes's design concepts for the Dallas Museum of Art, from preliminary concepts and program statements by Director Harry Parker and Dallas Museum trustees, through initial planning and architect selection, to site selection, the Program and Space Study, Barnes's early conceptual plans, and his Dallas Arts District master planning. Influences on Barnes's work and his career development leading to the Dallas commission, his most ambitious museum to date, are examined. Discussion and documentation of design development is based on schematic studies, presentation drawings, models, and trustees' minutes. Design changes during construction and all phases of expansion planning are also discussed. The conclusion summarizes historical influences on the design and Barnes's fulfillment of program concepts.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Koerble, Barbara Lee
System: The UNT Digital Library
Production Trends in the Utilization of Commercial Multi-Image Presentations Produced in Dallas During the High Growth Years 1979-1981 (open access)

Production Trends in the Utilization of Commercial Multi-Image Presentations Produced in Dallas During the High Growth Years 1979-1981

This study was designed to determine the general volume of multi-image production in Dallas County, Texas from 1979 through 1981 as categorized by: the presentation, number of projectors utilized, and by relevant aspects of presentation with analysis of 85 respondents. The questionnaire yielded 633 variables in the computer analysis. The study revealed significant growth in multi-image production with the 1981 total being more than twice the 1979 total. 1988 consensus indicates that the multi-image use is dictated by the business climate. Having been adopted initially, it is retained by those who find it effective and a suitable medium for larger screens.
Date: May 1989
Creator: McCracken, Bruce (Bruce Edward)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rorschach Assessment of Object Relations Development in Sexually Abused Children (open access)

Rorschach Assessment of Object Relations Development in Sexually Abused Children

Sexual abuse of children has profound negative effects on psychological development. This study examined the effects of sexual abuse on object relations functioning by using the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MAS, Urist, 1977) to score Rorschach protocols of 63 abused children and 60 non-abused clinical controls. The hypothesis that abused children would have less developed object relations than their non-abused counterparts was not supported. Neither was the hypothesis that children who experienced greater severity of sexual abuse would exhibit more malevolent object relations. The hypothesis that mean and modal MAS scores would be highly intercorrelated and interchangeable as research variables was supported. Comparisons of this sample to a normative sample are discussed.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Isler, Diane E. (Diane Evelyn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Representations of Women in The Dallas Morning News During the Feminist Movement (open access)

Representations of Women in The Dallas Morning News During the Feminist Movement

Content analysis of The Dallas Morning News focuses on sources, bylines, photographs, and main characters to determine the quantity and quality of portrayals of women. The study included front pages and main local news pages during one week each from 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. Change was charted by year for both sexes. In 1950, few representations of women were included and many were stereotypical. Some stereotyping persisted in 1990, and men outnumbered women more than 3 to 1 as story sources, nearly 3 to 1 in front-page bylines, more than 2 to 1 in photographs, and more than 2 to 1 as main characters. Women still lag behind men, despite feminists' efforts to improve coverage.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Lambiase, Jacqueline
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dallas Barrio Women of Power (open access)

Dallas Barrio Women of Power

This thesis discusses Mexican immigration into Texas, and the communities in which the immigrants settled. The focus is on Dallas, with particular emphasis placed upon the women of Little Mexico, a specific barrio there. Sources include interviews with the subjects and their descendants, newspaper articles, journals, unpublished theses about Little Mexico, and books.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Guzman, Jane Bock
System: The UNT Digital Library
Five Buildings in the Dallas Central Business District by I.M. Pei and Partner Henry N. Cobb: A Stamp on the City's Direction (open access)

Five Buildings in the Dallas Central Business District by I.M. Pei and Partner Henry N. Cobb: A Stamp on the City's Direction

The purpose of this study is to examine I. M. Pei and his partner Harry Cobb's downtown Dallas architecture within the context of their overall stylistic development. This paper explores the structure of five buildings within the framework of the city, and addresses their possible influence on the city's future architectural direction. The thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter I introduces and states the problem as it discusses the fabric of Dallas architecture. Chapter II outlines a brief biography of I. M. Pei, looking to those who have influenced him, while discussing the key public buildings of his stylistic development. Chapter III is devoted to Pei's first structure in the city, the Dallas Municipal Administration Center. Chapter IV explores the concepts of his planned Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Chapter V outlines a brief biography and focuses on the work of Harry N. Cobb: One Dallas Centre, ARCO Tower, and the Allied Bank Tower. Chapter VI summarizes the contributions of Pei and Cobb by placing them within the context of twentieth century architecture, and pointing out their specific achievements with their additions to the fabric of Dallas architecture.
Date: December 1986
Creator: Malesky, J. Barney (James Barney)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Public Relations Structures and Activities at Selected Dallas Hotels (open access)

A Study of the Public Relations Structures and Activities at Selected Dallas Hotels

The study was designed to identify the public relations structures at eight Dallas hotels, their functions and activities, and if public relations effectiveness is evaluated. Findings were based on sixteen interviews with senior management and public relations coordinators. The study concluded that public relations programs are structured by either separate public relations department, public relations activities combined with other department, or an external agency. The public relations functions range from image-building to participation in sales and marketing with primary responsibility of promotion and publicity dominated by economic considerations. One weakness is the lack of formal research methods to discern public opinion. There is a lack of understanding by hotel management of the potential and scope of public relations programs.
Date: May 1981
Creator: Milacek, Barbara J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Factors Influencing the Selection of Apparel Worn to Work by Women in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex (open access)

Factors Influencing the Selection of Apparel Worn to Work by Women in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex

This study investigated factors influencing the selection of apparel worn to work by women who attended fashion and wardrobe seminars in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Clothing selection factors were analyzed by computer according to age, marital status, work status and education. The majority most frequently wore suits and separates to work. Single participants preferred separates. Most wore sizes considered average. Respondents most frequently purchased apparel from department stores. Brand name and designer apparel were occasionally purchased. Though interested, few respondents had taken advantage of personal consultant services. It was recommended that retailers make wardrobe services known to the public.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Russell, Jean, 1958-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Knowledge Level of Sales Personnel Employed by a Ladies' Apparel Manufacturer in Dallas, Texas, and the Need for Training (open access)

Knowledge Level of Sales Personnel Employed by a Ladies' Apparel Manufacturer in Dallas, Texas, and the Need for Training

The purposes of this study were to measure and compare the knowledge level of sales personnel employed by a ladies' apparel manufacturer and to examine the need for a training program for sales managers, sales secretaries, and sales representatives. The data were gathered through a four-part questionnaire developed by the researcher. Sales personnel were rated as having low, medium, or high knowledge. The majority rated as having medium knowledge. No significant differences in knowledge level were evident relative to sales position or length of employment. Training needs tended to have little variance among respondents.
Date: August 1981
Creator: Smith, Lucy (Lucy Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Survey of Singers: Is Mental Imagery Used in the Conceptualization of Pitch and Vowel? (open access)

A Survey of Singers: Is Mental Imagery Used in the Conceptualization of Pitch and Vowel?

Mental imagery is a common theme in research that clarifies how musical thought relates to musical performance. Unfortunately, minimal information exists regarding mental imagery and singers. The purpose of this study was to probe the role, if any, mental imagery plays in the conceptualization of pitch and vowel. By interviewing singers at differing levels of expertise, basic information was obtained about the mental processes used by singers. Through evaluations of the singers' mental processes, it was concluded that 95% of the singers in the study employed mental imagery. All singers described using kinesthetic imagery, while the majority implemented sensory and auditory imagery. Viso-spatial imagery was implemented among the more experienced singers. The majority of singers also reported: imaging pitch and vowel interactively; imaging from an internal perspective; and utilizing mental rehearsal. Less than half of the singers described using methods other than mental imagery to conceptualize pitch and vowel.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Moyer, Karen E. (Karen Elizabeth)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Estimated Extent and Fate of Chlorinated Solvent Contamination in the Soil of the Naval Air Station, Dallas, Texas (open access)

Estimated Extent and Fate of Chlorinated Solvent Contamination in the Soil of the Naval Air Station, Dallas, Texas

This thesis estimates the spatial extent of chlorinated solvent contamination of the soil at the Naval Air Station, Dallas, then estimates the fate and transport of these contaminants, over time, using the Soil Transport and Fate database and the Vadose-Zone Interactive Processes (VIP) modeling software. Geostatistical analysis identifies two areas with serious chlorinated solvent contamination. Fate and transport modeling estimates that this contamination will degrade and disperse from the soil phase to below regulatory limits within one year, although there is a risk of groundwater contamination. Contaminants are estimated to persist in the water and air phases of the soil. Further sampling is recommended to confirm the results of this study.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Trescott, Jill V. (Jill Virginia)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sediment Bound Trace Metals in the White Rock Creek Watershed, Dallas and Collin Counties (open access)

Sediment Bound Trace Metals in the White Rock Creek Watershed, Dallas and Collin Counties

Areas were sampled in the White Rock Creek Watershed to examine sediment bound trace metal distributions and sorption relationships. A Kruskal-Wallis AOV found significant among area differences for most metals, and SNK-like multiple comparisons were used to group these areas. Kruskal-Wallis AOVs similarly found among area differences for sediment components that bind trace metals (Fe and Mn oxides and organic carbon) and physicochemical conditions that influence metal sorption (particle size and pH). Multiple correlation found numerous relationships among trace metals, sediment components, and physicochemical conditions. Statistical relationships indicate that metal partitioning to various sorption factors is metal specific. White Rock Creek Watershed trace metal concentrations are comparable to those in many urban watersheds.
Date: May 1990
Creator: Combest, Kyle B. (Kyle Bryan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Helping Among Children (open access)

Helping Among Children

This study investigated the effect of cost-of-escape on helping among children. Forty-four children between the approximate ages of six and twelve served as subjects. The experiment was performed in a natural setting using an ice cream truck. The driver (experimenter) manipulated the cost-of-escape and then had an "accident." The easy-to-escape group received their ice cream before the driver spilled 300 spoons on the ground. The difficult-to-escape group had paid for their ice cream but had not received it before the "accident" occurred. The number of spoons picked up by each condition and the lapse time before a member of each group began to help was recorded. No differences were found between the groups (all ps > .05). Implications for cost-of-escape were discussed.
Date: December 1984
Creator: Russell, Sue Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History of Bonton and Ideal Neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (open access)

Oral History of Bonton and Ideal Neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas

The Bonton and Ideal neighborhoods in Dallas Texas, developed in the early 1900s, experienced physical and social decay throughout the 1980s. Neighborhood organizations and resident activism were vital to the rebirth of the community in the 1990s. Current revitalization efforts taking place there have been a source of contention as the neighborhood continues to overcome inequalities created by decades of racialized city planning initiatives. This thesis focuses on how the structuring structure of whiteness has historically affected, and continues to affect, the neighborhoods of Ideal and Bonton, as well as acts to identify how black residents have navigated their landscape and increased their collective capital through neighborhood activism.
Date: December 2015
Creator: Payne, Briana
System: The UNT Digital Library