The marimba is rapidly achieving greater importance as a solo percussion instrument. Solo compositions for the marimba have been commissioned and performed only in the last sixty years. The 1986 National Endowment for the Arts Solo Marimba Commission is considered one of the most important commissioning projects in the history of marimba literature. Two compositions created through this project, Velocities by Joseph Schwantner and Reflections on the Nature of Water by Jacob Druckman have become two of the most influential works in contemporary marimba music. This thesis will focus on a historical perspective of the project, as well as theoretical aspects and performance issues related to these two compositions. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) issued a consortium commissioning grant through the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) in 1986 to three internationally renowned marimbists, William Moersch, Leigh Howard Stevens and Gordon Stout. Three Pulitzer Prize winners were brought together to compose three new works for the marimba. The resulting pieces were: Reflections on the Nature of Water by Jacob Druckman, Velocities by Joseph Schwantner, and Islands from Archipelago: Autumn Island by Roger Reynolds. A brief history of the classical concert marimba and the development of solo marimba literature is provided …

Photograph of a veterans memorial located on the Comanche County Courthouse grounds. It is Sponsored by Amvets Post 43 and Ladies Auxiliary, and was dedicated May 28, 1989. It reads "Dedicated in memory of all veterans who served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States of America."

The No Child Left Behind Act and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Principles and Standards both had a significant impact on the format and content of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) math test. Content analysis of the 2004 TAKS eighth grade math test identified the prevalence of linguistic complexity, mathematical rigor, and visual presentation factors and explored their relationship to student success on individual test items. Variables to be studied were identified through a review of literature in the area of reading comprehension of math word problems. Sixteen variables of linguistic complexity that have been significantly correlated with student math test performance were selected. Four variables of visual presentation were identified and ten variables of mathematical rigor. An additional five variables of mathematical rigor emerged from preliminary study of the 2003 TAKS math test. Of the 35 individual variables, only four reached a significant level of correlation with the percent of students correctly answering a given test item. The number of digits presented in the problem statement and number of known quantities both exhibited a significant positive correlation with the dependent variable. The number of times a student had to perform a multiplication operation had a …

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of play materials on the interactions between a child with autism and her sibling. Three conditions were assessed: open choice, materials chosen by the child with autism, and materials chosen by the typically developing sibling. Within each activity, measures of social interactions were assessed. Results of the assessment showed that more interactions occurred with a material chosen by the child with autism. After sibling training (targeting specific teaching skills), social interactions remained highest in the condition with materials chosen by the child with autism. The results are discussed in terms of a material assessment to optimize sibling training conditions and the importance of sibling relationships.

During the spring 2004 a pilot school recycling program was implemented within Robert E. Lee Elementary. The primary goal of the program was to determine how recycling education in the school would affect curbside recycling rates within the surrounding community. The program was a cooperative effort between the University of North Texas, City of Denton Solid Waste Department and Keep Denton Beautiful. Throughout the first months of the study during the spring 2004, an increase in curbside recycling within the Robert E. Lee Elementary attendance zone was observed, with a dramatic decrease in participation over the summer and a rapid increase once again during the second full semester of the study. In a survey conducted with 3rd and 5th grade students at the pilot project school, most students expressed positive attitudes about recycling. Students whose survey responses indicated a high level of knowledge about what could be recycled were 37% more likely to claim to recycle regularly, than those students that scored low on the knowledge portion of the survey. Although the total amount of waste generation (recyclable and non-recyclable) at Robert E. Lee Elementary did not decrease during the study, the campus was able to divert recyclable material from …

Although Turkey is a country with strong social cohesion, figures of runaway children in Turkey are increasing dramatically. This research focused on the factors that cause children to run away and on interaction programs to intervene and/or prevent this problem. Until recently, Turkish family life was able to avoid such problems, but with the effect of westernization and social mobility in Turkey, the basic family structure has become more like the family structure in the western countries. Studies reveal that runaway episodes happen in all families regardless of such factors as economic, race, or geographic situations. Teenagers run away for several reasons; however, early intervention is highly suggested by studies to mitigate the problem. Although, parent-child conflict plays a significant role as a reason for youth leaving home, on the other hand family interaction still remains the best alternative to the problem.

Photograph of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (A.T.S.F.) Train Engine, #1080. The words "Safety First A.T. & S.F." are written in white paint on the side of the black train locomotive.

Bad Poetry and Other Short Stories is a collection of social, political, and religious commentary. The last three stories are also commentary from a non-fiction perspective.

Photograph of a monument with a bell. The plaque on the monument says, "Allison Bros. Ranch Bell - 1896 in memory of C. G. - E. C. - S. N. Allison." There are stone benches to the right and behind the monument.

Pat M. Neff served as governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925, a period marked by political conflict between rural conservatives and urban progressives. Neff, a progressive, found himself in the middle of this conflict. Neff supported prohibition, declared martial law in the oil boomtown of Mexia, and faced the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a political force in Texas. Though often associated with the Klan, Neff did not approve of the organization and worked against it whenever possible. During the Railroad Shopmen's Strike of 1922, Neff stalled the federal government in its demand he send troops to Denison just long enough to win re-nomination. William Jennings Bryan mentioned Neff as a possible candidate for the presidency in 1924, but he pursued a back-door strategy that alienated his political base among Texas Democrats.

Photograph of the Brown County Museum of History, housed in the former Brown County Jail. There is a sign that says "Brown County Museum of History" outside the building. An orange cherry picker and a ladder lead up to a man standing on the roof.

Photograph of a historic plaque for the Brownwood Harvey House. It says: "Built in 1914 immediately east of Brownwood Sante Fe railroad depot, this was one of a series of restaurants operated along the Santa Fe line by the Fred Harvey Company, products of railroad agent Fred Harvey's idea to provide superior food and lodging for travelers. The Harvey House was popular from its opening day. The restaurant and hotel closed in 1937, but reopened to serve military personnel when Camp Bowie was established in World War II. It closed permanently in 1945 as passenger railroad travel declined in the era of prosperity following the war. Typical of railroad structures built in the southwest during this period by the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Railroad, the structure features elements of Spanish mission revival style with its red tile hipped roof and decorative brackets." There is another plaque above the historic marker, which says: "Santa Fe Railroad Harvey House has been listed in the national register of historic places by the United States Department of the Interior. 1976."

Photograph of the Brownwood Sante Fe Train depot. It is a white and brown building, with green windows and doors. There is a large yard with small trees in front of the building.

Photograph of a historic plaque at the Brownwood Sante Fe Passenger Depot. It reads: "Railroad construction began in Brown County in 1884, and the first train arrived in Brownwood in 1885. This depot was designed by Jarvis Hunt of Chicago and built in 1909 by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company. It accommodated traffic from a major rail junction between California and Texas and led to increased regional development. Passenger train usage peaked during World War II as 15 trains came through here daily. Architectural features include solid red brick construction with stucco finish. Broad round arches, a 7-bay primary facade and a hipped red tile roof." Another plaque above the historic one reads: "Santa Fe Railroad Depot has been listed in the national register of historic places by the United States Department of the Interior, 1976."

Ecological restoration is quickly becoming a major approach to how humans interact with the natural world. Some view restoration as another land management technique on par with conservation and preservation. Others view it as a way to make reparations for our misdeeds and to reincorporate humans into the natural world. Ideas regarding restoration from key academics and restorationists are evaluated here. Their views have set the stage for the contemporary paradigm. Values that may be attributed to restoration and received from it are evaluated. I discuss my own reservations regarding potential problems with the product and practice of restoration. What is at stake regarding the involvement of people in restoration is examined, focusing on the different impacts volunteers and paid workers have on the value of the practice and outcome of the product.

The de Broglie-Bohm (BB) approach to quantum mechanics gives trajectories similar to classical trajectories except that they are also determined by a quantum potential. The quantum potential is a "fictitious potential" in the sense that it is part of the quantum kinetic energy. We use quantum trajectories to treat quantum chaos in a manner similar to classical chaos. For the kicked rotor, which is a bounded system, we use the Benettin et al. method to calculate both classical and quantum Lyapunov exponents as a function of control parameter K and find chaos in both cases. Within the chaotic sea we find in both cases nonchaotic stability regions for K equal to multiples of π. For even multiples of π the stability regions are associated with classical accelerator mode islands and for odd multiples of π they are associated with new oscillator modes. We examine the structure of these regions. Momentum diffusion of the quantum kicked rotor is studied with both BB and standard quantum mechanics (SQM). A general analytical expression is given for the momentum diffusion at quantum resonance of both BB and SQM. We obtain agreement between the two approaches in numerical experiments. For the case of nonresonance the …

Photograph of the Charles H. Noyes Monument, Runnels County. It is a statue of a man standing beside a horse.

Photograph of the Charles H. Noyes monument plaque, located on the Runnels County Courthouse grounds. It says, "Charles H. Noyes (1896-1917). Charles H. Noyes, 21, died when his horse fell while rounding up cattle on the Noyes Ranch. His father and mother, Gus and Lula Noyes, erected monument in 1919 as a tribute to their son and all Texas cowboys. Pompeo Coppin of Chicago studied horses two years before sculpting statue."

Photograph of a plaque at the rear of the Charles H. Noyes monument. It says, "Erected in memory of Chas. H. Noyes by his parents, Lula and Gus Noyes. Chas. H. Noyes. Born in Texas December 30, 1895. Died from an accidental fall with his horse at his father's ranch in Concho County, Texas, February 11, 1917. Gone from us but not forgotten. Never shall thy memory fade, sweetest thoughts shall ever linger around the spot where thou art laid. Is death an eternal sleep or shall we meet again?"

Photograph of the Charles H. Noyes Monument, Runnels County, rear view. The horse is fully visible, but only the top of the man's hat can be seen.

Photograph of the Cheapo Depot in Brownwood, Texas. An old rusty truck and another car are parked in front of it.

This study evaluated the utility of a structured descriptive assessment (SDA) as an alternative method of functional assessment. Initially, an analogue functional analysis, conducted to assess the problem behavior of two adults with developmental disabilities, produced inconclusive results. Subsequently, SDAs was conducted in the individuals' natural environment with the direct-contact caregivers acting as therapists. This assessment manipulated antecedent variables similarly to the analogue functional analysis but allowed for consequences to occur naturally. The results from SDAs suggested that problem behaviors, for both participants, were occasioned by removal of personal items and maintained by their return. Treatments based on the results of SDAs were implemented in a reversal design and resulted in a notable reduction in the occurrences of problem behavior for both participants. These outcomes suggest that SDA procedures may be useful when results from the analogue functional analysis are inconclusive.

Photograph of the Coleman County Courthouse. A sign reading "Welcome to Coleman" stands to the right of the sidewalk leading to the front entrance, and a car is parked to the left.

Photograph of the Coleman County Courthouse Bell Memorial. The bell hangs in an open brick structure. There is a plaque on the left brick column, and a place where a plaque was removed on the right side.