Degree Level

Symmetrical Features of Nikolai Medtner's Language: The Grzovaya Sonata, Opus 53 No. 2

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Nikolai Medtner's works evidence an intense interest in symmetrical designs. This concern is manifest at all levels, from the large scale proportions of his numerous ingenious sonata forms to the symmetrically constructed themes and motives. Medtner's works include several instances of palindromic themes and periods. Some palindromic contours are achieved through immediate inversion, creating expansive, symmetrical waves. One of Medtner's thumbprints, symmetrical contrary voice-leading, consists of two or more voices which systematically expand or contract in exact mirror fashion. The contrary movement is usually stepwise, and may be either chromatic or diatonic. Occasionally even larger intervals, such as thirds and fourths, are subjected to this favourite mirroring technique. Such symmetrical expansion and contraction often controls the harmonic progression of several consecutive bars. One of the most striking aspects of Medtner's music is his sophisticated harmonic language. He was fascinated with symmetrical harmonic designs, such as the tritone, the French sixth chord, and the octatonic scale, and made endless and increasingly intricate explorations into these stuctures and the ways in which these apparently nontonal, non-hierarchical forms could be coordinated with the fundamental hierarchy of asymmetrical tonal forms, including triads, major and minor scales, and tonic-dominant relations. Medtner's late work, the Grozovaya …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Pitts, James L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Afro-British Slave Narrative: The Rhetoric of Freedom in the Kairos of Abolition

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The dissertation argues that the development of the British abolition movement was based on the abolitionists' perception that their actions were kairotic; they attempted to shape their own kairos by taking temporal events and reinterpreting them to construct a kairotic process that led to a perceived fulfillment: abolition. Thus, the dissertation examines the rhetorical strategies used by white abolitionists to construct an abolitionist kairos that was designed to produce salvation for white Britons more than it was to help free blacks. The dissertation especially examines the three major texts produced by black persons living in England during the late eighteenth centuryIgnatius Sancho's Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho (1782), Ottobauh Cugoano's Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery (1787), and Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789)to illustrate how black rhetoric was appropriated by whites to fulfill their own kairotic desires. By examining the rhetorical strategies employed in both white and black rhetorics, the dissertation illustrates how the abolitionists thought the movement was shaped by, and how they were shaping the movement through, kairotic time. While the dissertation contends that the abolition movement was rhetorically designed to provide redemption, …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Evans, Dennis F.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Qualitative Study of the Use and Value of Financial Performance Indicators in Selected Community Colleges in the State of Texas as Perceived by their Chief Executive Officers

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Throughout the United States, colleges and universities are faced with an increasing need for financial funding, while at the same time resources continue to diminish. With the limitations of available funds, community colleges must exhibit efficiencies in the operations of their institutions. External interests, such as governing boards and legislatures, require demonstration of efficient financial management. This evidence is then used to make decisions concerning future financial support for the community college. This study determined if community college chief executive officers use financial performance indicators as provided by the State Auditor's Office and if the chief executive officers of the community colleges value the compilation and the distribution of the financial performance indicators. In the selected colleges, many of the chief executive officers depend on their chief financial officer for understanding and application of financial performance indicators. The performance indicators distributed by the Auditor's Office captured only a snapshot of the college's performance, and failed to fully describe the whole college performance or specific financial events captured by the indicators. Though the indicators had flaws, either through incorrect data or lack of explanation, the CEOs did value their compilation because they provided a means for ‘getting the community college story' …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Hase, Karla Luan Neeley
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Personality Characteristics of Counselor Education Graduate Students as Measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Bem Sex Role Inventory

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This study was designed to investigate the correlation of the variables of gender, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality preferences, and androgyny as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) in Counselor Education graduate students. Instruments were administered to Counselor Education graduate students at nine institutions in five national regions. A total of 172 participants (18 males and 154 females) who were enrolled in Master's level theories courses or practicum courses completed a student information sheet, informed consent, MBTI, and BSRI. Instruments were hand scored and chi-square test was used to determine significance of the hypotheses; the saturated model of log linear analysis was the statistic used for the research question. As predicted, of the sixteen MBTI types, the most common for Counselor Education graduate students emerged as ENFP: extraversion, intuition, feeling, and perception. Additionally, this MBTI type was found to be significantly more common among the population of Counselor Education graduate students than is found among the general population. The expectation that more male Counselor Education graduate students would score higher on the androgyny scale of the BSRI was unsupported; low sample size for male Counselor Education graduate students prevented use of chi-square; however, it was apparent through the …
Date: December 1999
Creator: VanPelt-Tess, Pamela
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Sensory Tour of Cape Cod: Thoreau's Transcendental Journey to Spiritual Renewal

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Predominantly darker than his other works, Cape Cod depicts Henry David Thoreau's interpretation of life as a struggle for survival and a search for salvation in a stark New England setting. Representing Thoreau's greatest test of the goodness of God and nature, the book illustrates the centrality of the subject of death to Thoreau's philosophy of life. Contending that Thoreau's journey to the Cape originated from an intensely personal transcendental impulse connected with his brother's death, this study provides the first in-depth examination of Thoreau's use of the five senses in Cape Cod to reveal both the eccentricities inherent in his relationship with nature and his method of resolving his fears of mortality. Some of the sense impressions in Cape Cod--particularly those that center around human death and those that involve tactile sensations--suggest that Thoreau sometimes tried to master his fears by subconsciously altering painful historical facts or by avoiding the type of sensual contact that aggravated the repressed guilt he suffered from his brother's death. Despite his personal idiosyncrasies, however, Thoreau persisted in his search for truth, and the written record of his journey in Cape Cod documents how his dedication to the transcendental process enabled him to surmount …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Talley, Sharon
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Descriptive Study of Students Who Were Accepted for Admission at West Texas A&M University But Did Not Enroll

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Each year, institutions of higher education devote valuable financial and personnel resources in the hope of enhancing student recruitment and matriculation. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic characteristics, the factors that influenced students’ decisions to apply for admission to a university, their educational intentions, and their reasons for not enrolling after they had been admitted. The subjects of the study were first-time freshmen accepted for admission to a mid-size, public, southwestern university who did not enroll for the fall 1997 semester. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing no-shows and enrolled students by gender, ethnicity, age, ACT/SAT score, and distance of their hometown from the university. There were more female no-shows, and more males enrolled than females; a greater percentage of no-shows reported the distance of their hometown to be more than 200 miles; and the mean test score for no-shows was higher. Factors important in the college selection process found to be statistically significant among the groups were: a greater percentage of Minorities than Caucasians reported the importance of the financial aid award or a scholarship offer; students living within 100 miles of the campus reported the proximity of the university as important, advice received …
Date: December 1999
Creator: Barton, Mary Edna
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Factors Affecting Household Disaster Preparedness: A Study of the Canadian Context

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This study addresses the issue of household disaster preparedness. This work contributes two elements to disaster research. The first contribution improve the knowledge of the factors that affect household disaster preparedness. The review of literature yielded three categories of variables that can jointly explain household disaster preparedness: household structure, demographics, and risk-perception factors. In this study 19 variables compose these factors. A second contribution constitutes a theoretical exploration of the concept of disaster preparedness. In this work, four different constructs of disaster preparedness were tested. These constructs include material preparedness, preparedness activities, a combined index, and a weighted and combined index. The study presents the logic and methodology of the index construction and validation. The data used in this study came from households in the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) in Canada. A random sample of 1,003 English- and French-speaking heads of households adequately represents the 1.8 million persons within the MUC. An independent survey firm conducted the interviews in 1996. Results show that the weighted combined household disaster preparedness index constitutes the best construct to represent the concepts under study. Study results also reveal that risk-perception variables (attitudinal factors) offered the strongest explanatory power. Household structure and demographic variables collectively …
Date: December 2000
Creator: Doré, Michel C
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Academic Dishonesty: Attitudes and Behaviors of Fundamentalist Christian College Students

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This study was designed to examine: (1) the extent to which cheating occurs in fundamentalist Christian colleges; (2) the attitudes of fundamentalist Christian college students toward cheating; (3) attitudes of fundamentalist Christian college students toward cheating among their peers; (4) the kinds of cheating practices of fundamentalist Christian college students; (5) the degree to which students engage in neutralizing behavior to justify cheating; (6) differences in cheating behaviors according to gender; (7) differences in cheating behaviors according to ethnicity; and (8) differences in cheating behaviors according to the length of duration of Christian commitment. Based upon the responses of 337 students attending 3 different Christian colleges, it was concluded that: (1) most Christian fundamentalist students do not engage in cheating; (2) respondents believe that each of 17 self-reported cheating behaviors are serious forms of cheating; (3) respondents are unlikely to report cheating among peers; (4) plagiarism is the most common cheating behavior; (5) most respondents justify cheating on the basis of the workload at school and the pressure to obtain good grades; (6) there are no differences in cheating behavior according to gender; (7) there are differences in cheating behavior according to groups; and (8) most respondents do not cheat …
Date: December 2000
Creator: Sunday, William G.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Alternative Information Processing Formats for Overcoming Information Processing Deficits in Senior Adults

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The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of alternative advertising presentation formats, and the quantity of information presented in advertisements in overcoming possible information-processing deficits in senior adults that could affect their recall of ad attributes and brand name, the cognitive responses generated, and attitude toward the ad. In addition, the study examined the effectiveness of retirement status as a classification or segmentation variable in comparison with the use of the more traditional classification variable, chronological age. A convenience sample of senior adult volunteers from church groups, social clubs, and civic organizations from the local area were randomly assigned to one of nine experimental conditions. The experiment utilized a simulated magazine to test the effects of presentation formats (3 levels), and quantity of information (3 levels) on senior adult's recall, cognitive responses and attitude toward the test ads. Covariates (gender, wealth, education, activity level, health, and income) were used to reduce variance. The findings clearly indicate that the presentation format of the can ad adversely affected the memory of some senior adults. In addition, the results were significantly different across the different age levels. Retirement status was less beneficial than chronological age in the current study, but …
Date: December 2000
Creator: Muller, Lynn F.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Work in the calling in Max Weber's Protestant ethic thesis

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Objectives. Scholars have debated Max Weber's theory of the relationship between religion and capitalism for almost 100 years. Still, the debate is clouded by confusion over Weber's claims about religious doctrine and over the supporting evidence. The purpose of this study is to clarify Max Weber's claims regarding the concept of the calling and the related "anti-mammon" injunction and concept of "good works" and substantiate with historical evidence the religious doctrine Weber describes. Methods. Comparative analysis of early Protestant Lutheran and Calvinist documents from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was used to flesh out a history of ideas to determine whether evidence exists to support Weber's claims related to religious doctrine. Results. Historical analyses revealed that the concept of the calling pre-dated Luther in the Bible. Luther's innovation was not in his use of the word beruf but in his application of the concept of the calling to the common people and his teaching of that idea. The idea of sanctified work was key in both Lutheran and Calvinist documents. There was an increased emphasis on work and encouragement to accumulate wealth in Calvinist documents. Conclusion. Weber's etymological evidence surrounding Martin Luther's use of the word beruf in his German …
Date: December 2000
Creator: Schindley, Wanda Beatrice Higbee
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Diphosphine Ligand Activation Studies with Organotransition-Metal Compounds

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Thermolysis of CoRu(CO)7(m -PPh2) (1) in refluxing 1,2-dichloroethane in the presence of the diphosphine ligands 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride (bma) and 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (bpcd) furnishes the new mixed-metal complexes CoRu(CO)4(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2) [where P-P = bma (3); bpcd (6)], along with trace amounts of the known complex CoRu(CO)6(PPh3)(μ -PPh2) (4). The requisite pentacarbonyl intermediates CoRu(CO)5(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2) [where P-P = bma (2); bpcd (5)] have been prepared by separate routes and studied for their conversion to CoRu(CO)4(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2). The complexes 2/3 and 5/6 have been isolated and fully characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The kinetics for the conversion of 2→3 and of 5→6 were measured by IR spectroscopy in chlorobenzene solvent. On the basis of the first-order rate constants, CO inhibition, and the activation parameters, a mechanism involving dissociative CO loss as the rate-limiting step is proposed. The solid-state structure of CoRu(CO)4(μ -bma)(μ -PPh2) (3) reveals that the two PPh2 groups are bound to the ruthenium center while the maleic anhydride π bond is coordinated to the cobalt atom. Thermolysis of the cluster Ru3(CO)12 with the bis(phosphine)hydrazine ligand (MeO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OMe)2 (dmpdmh) in toluene at 75°C furnishes the known clusters Ru4(CO)12[μ -N(Me)N(Me)] (9) and Ru3(CO)11[P(OMe)3] (10), in addition to the new …
Date: December 2000
Creator: Wang, Jiancheng
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A meta-analysis of service learning research in middle and high schools.

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This study examines the relationship between service learning innovations and improved academics, self-concept, and social or personal growth in middle and high school students. Meta-Analysis is employed to arrive at effect-size estimates for each construct. A historical overview of service learning is presented and a detailed description of the study selection process is provided. The data revealed a moderate relationship between service learning participation and academics, self-concept and social or personal growth in middle and high school students. The findings are presented, and some appropriate conclusions are drawn. A discussion of the implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are also provided.
Date: December 2001
Creator: White, Amy E.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Teacher Practice, Curriculum, and Children's Moral Development in Buddhist Temple Preschools in Thailand

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This study investigated what constitutes a moral development program in Buddhist temple preschools in Thailand. The researcher employed three qualitative methods: structured, in-depth interviews, observations of teachers' instruction, and document analysis of curriculum guides. Four Buddhist temple preschools were selected as the sites. Participants for interview included three abbots and one head nun, four principals, and twelve teachers. Participants for observations included four teachers of third year classes in each preschool. The study concentrated on four research questions: (a) what are the elements of the character education curriculum? (b) How do teachers teach moral development concepts and skills? (c) What are the teachers' perceptions of the moral development of third year preschoolers? (d) How do teachers assess their pupils' moral development? Key findings for the research questions were: character education was not a subject in the National Preschool Curriculum which was implemented in the Buddhist temple preschools. Core morality was integrated into every topic. The moral behaviors emphasized in the curriculum and the lesson plans included discipline, mindfulness, kindness, helpfulness, patience, honesty, respect, thriftiness, and politeness. The Buddhist concept of the process of moral development includes character education and meditation. The preschoolers were trained to pay respect to teachers and …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Phisalaphong, Rathdow
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Topological uniqueness results for the special linear and other classical Lie Algebras.

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Suppose L is a complete separable metric topological group (ring, field, etc.). L is topologically unique if the Polish topology on L is uniquely determined by its underlying algebraic structure. More specifically, L is topologically unique if an algebraic isomorphism of L with any other complete separable metric topological group (ring, field, etc.) induces a topological isomorphism. A local field is a locally compact topological field with non-discrete topology. The only local fields (up to isomorphism) are the real, complex, and p-adic numbers, finite extensions of the p-adic numbers, and fields of formal power series over finite fields. We establish the topological uniqueness of the special linear Lie algebras over local fields other than the complex numbers (for which this result is not true) in the context of complete separable metric Lie rings. Along the way the topological uniqueness of all local fields other than the field of complex numbers is established, which is derived as a corollary to more general principles which can be applied to a larger class of topological fields. Lastly, also in the context of complete separable metric Lie rings, the topological uniqueness of the special linear Lie algebra over the real division algebra of quaternions, …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Rees, Michael K.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Comparative Morphology of Sensilla Styloconica on the Proboscis of North American Nymphalidae and Other Selected Taxa: Systematic and Ecological Considerations.

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Sensilla styloconica on the proboscis of 107 species of North American and tropical butterflies were comparatively studied using the scanning electron microscope. Focus was on 76 species of North American Nymphalidae representing 45 genera and 11 subfamilies. Nomenclature for generalized and specific types of nymphalid sensilla is proposed. Written descriptions and micrographs are presented for each species studied. Morphological features were generally consistent for all or most species within genera and sometimes within subfamilies, with specified exceptions. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences for six of eight variables tested between two distinct feeding guilds of North American Nymphalidae. Average number, density, extent of proboscis coverage with sensilla, their total length, and shoulder spine length were all significantly greater in the non-nectar feeding guild than in nectar feeders, and may indicate adaptation for greater efficiency in feeding on flat surfaces. The greater frequency of apical shoulder spines in non-nectar feeders may represent adaptation for protection of sensory pegs from mechanical abrasion during feeding, or for anchoring the flexible proboscis tip to the surface. Correlation analysis revealed 9 out of 28 positive correlations in nectar feeders and 5 out of 28 in non-nectar feeders. Results of preliminary cladistic analysis were not considered to …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Petr, Daniel
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Novel Phytoestrogen that Acts as an Agonist for Human Estrogen Receptors.

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Estrogen is the natural agonist of the estrogen receptor (ER). However, certain plant-derived compounds or phytoestrogens have been identified that mimic estrogens and act as agonists and/or antagonists of ERs, depending on subtype and target tissue. Understanding how phytoestrogens interact with ERs, and therefore effect the estrogenic response, may prove beneficial in hormone replacement therapy and in the prevention and treatment of hormone-related diseases. Using Thin Layer Chromatography, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and proton nuclear nagnetic resonance (HNMR), I identified 4-ethoxymethylphenol (4EM) found in Maclura pomifera. While most phytoestrogens are heterocyclic compounds, 4EM is a simple phenol that acts as an agonist of ER-alpha and -beta in HeLa and MCF-7 cells. To study the effect of 4EM on ER-alpha and -beta activity, I performed transient transfection assays and showed that 4EM activates ER dependent gene transcription in a dose dependent manner in both ER subtypes. Further, 4EM- mediated transcription in ER-alpha, like estrogen, was enhance in the presense of co-activators, SRC-1 (steroid receptor coactivator-1), CBP (CREB binding proteins), and E6-AP (E6-associated protein) and inhibited by trans-4- hydroxytamoxifen (4HT). I found that 4EM was specific for ER and did not activate transcription of the progesterone receptor in HeLa cells.
Date: December 2001
Creator: Pearce, Virginia
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Mechanisms of Methoxide Ion Substitution and Acid- Catalyzed Z/E Isomerization of N-Methoxyimines

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The second order rate constants for nucleophilic substitution by methoxide of (Z)- and (E)-O-methylbenzohydroximoyl fluorides [C6H4C(F)=NOCH3] with various substituents on the phenyl ring [p-OCH3 (1h, 2h), p-CH3 (1g, 2g), p-Cl (1f, 2f), p-H (1e, 2e), (3,5)-bis-CF3 (1i, 2i)] in 90:10 DMSO:MeOH have been measured. A Hammett plot of these rate constants vs σ values gave positive ρ values of 2.95 (Z isomer) and 3.29 (E isomer). Comparison of these rates with methoxide substitution rates for Omethylbenzohydroximoyl bromide [C6H4C(Br)=NOCH3] and Omethylbenzohydroximoyl chloride [C6H4C(Cl)=NOCH3] reveal an element effect for the Z isomers of Br:Cl:F(1e) = 2.21:1.00:79.7 and for the E isomers of Cl:F(2e) = 1.00:18.3. With the p-OCH3-imidoyl halides the following element effects are found: Br:Cl:F(1h) = 2.78:1.00:73.1 for the Z isomer and Br:Cl:F(2h) = 1.97:1.00:12.1 for the E isomer. Measurement of activation parameters revealed ∆S≠ = -17 eu for 1e and ∆S≠ = -9.9 eu for 2e. Ab initio calculations (HF/6-31+G*, MP2/6-31+G*//HF/6-31+G*, B3LYP/6- 31+G*//HF/6-31+G*, HF-SCIPCM/6-31+G*//HF/6-31+G*) were performed to define the reaction surface. These calculations demonstrate a relatively large barrier for nucleophilic attack in relation to halogen loss and support the experimental findings that this reaction proceeds by an addition-elimination mechanism (AN# + DN). The imidoyl fluorides have been used to synthesize …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Dolliver, Debra D.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Music preferences, music and non-music media use, and leisure involvement of Hong Kong adolescents.

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The study sought to determine the relationships of preference responses to grade, gender, familiarity, musical training, peers'/parents' listening habits, music media use, and listening contexts. Grade six through nine Hong Kong students (N = 310) completed the audio preference test followed by verbal responses to training, peers'/parents' preferences, leisure/music media involvement, and listening context. Results indicated: The preferred genres, in descending order, were Western pop/rock, Cantopop/rock, Western classical; the disliked genres were jazz, Chinese, and non- Western/non-Chinese. Preference correlated strongly with genre familiarity. Pop genres were the most familiar to all adolescents. The students' preference toward Western pop/rock and Cantopop/rock associated with several listening contexts: solitary listening, having great freedom to choose one's desired music for listening, listening to music in one's room, and listening to music as background activity. The adolescents expressed that their leisure activities were spent with their family and friends. However, they made it clear that music listening was a personal activity that very likely was listened to alone. On all listening occasions, the girls exhibited a more positive response than the boys did. With four to five hours daily leisure time, the adolescents watched TV for three to four hours while spending less than two …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Hui, Viny Wan-Fong
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Effects of Web-Based Learning Versus Traditional Instructor-Based Learning on Student Knowledge and Satisfaction Based on Student Learning Styles

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The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Web-based learning (WBL) versus those of traditional instructor-based learning (IBL) on student knowledge and satisfaction based on student learning styles. Other goals were to determine if WBL is more effective for those with a particular learning style. The study examined a sample of undergraduate students who were enrolled in the college algebra offered as both oncampus instructor-based (traditional) and Web-based at the university of North Texas (UNT). A total of 36 Web-based students and 58 instructor-based students participated in this study. This study utilized a posttest-only intact group. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) measured the learning styles of students. This study used learning methods (Web-based learning (WBL), instructor-based learning (IBL)), and learning styles (Diverger, Converger, Assimilator, and Accommodator) as independent variables. Student knowledge and student satisfaction was measured at the end of the course as independent variables. Based upon the results of the LSI, post-learning exam, and satisfaction a series of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA 4x2) techniques and independent variable tests was used for each of the dependent variables, knowledge and satisfaction, based on a student's learning styles. The results revealed that students' learning styles were statistically …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Manochehri, Naser
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Selected Songs for Chamber Winds and Soprano: Rediscovering a Forgotten Repertoire of John Philip Sousa

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For over one hundred years, the music-going public has reflected on the life and influence of America's “March King,” John Philip Sousa. His popularity as a bandleader was unprecedented, and his reputation as an entertainer captivated the imagination and intrigue of a nation. Sousa's fame was attained through the high standards showcased by his unparalleled concert organization, the Sousa Band. He is interminably linked to the march, and for his seventy-seven years he proved to be its prolific and outspoken champion. Sousa's songs, however, were among his favorite works, and their presence on concert programs reinforced a variety of programming that was the hallmark of his success. The Sousa Band served as a cultural and musical ambassador, and annual transcontinental tours brought music to people where they lived. Sousa's songs were highly anticipated concert features, and were presented by soprano soloists known as the “Ladies in White.” A chamber winds instrumentation, rather than employment of the full-forces of the Sousa Band, allowed for an appropriate musical balance between instruments and voice. The “Forgotten Songs of John Philip Sousa Project” involved the research, editing, and performance of songs housed in the Sousa Archives for Band Research at the University of Illinois. …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Hemberger, Glen J.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Stopping of Energetic Si, P and S Ions in Ni, Cu, Ge and GaAs Targets

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Accurate knowledge of stopping powers is essential for these for quantitative analysis and surface characterization of thin films using ion beam analysis (IBA). These values are also of interest in radiobiology and radiotherapy, and in ion- implantation technology where shrinking feature sizes puts high demands on the accuracy of range calculations. A theory that predicts stopping powers and ranges for all projectile-target combinations is needed. The most important database used to report the stopping powers is the SRIM/TRIM program developed by Ziegler and coworkers. However, other researchers report that at times, these values differ significantly from experimental values. In this study the stopping powers of Si, P and S ions have been measured in Ni, Cu, Ge and GaAs absorbers in the energy range ~ 2-10 MeV. For elemental films of Ni, Cu and Ge, the stopping of heavy ions was measured using a novel ERD (Elastic Recoil Detection) based technique. In which an elastically recoiled lighter atom is used to indirectly measure the energy of the incoming heavy ion using a surface barrier detector. In this way it was possible to reduce the damage and to improve the FWHM of the detector. The results were compared to SRIM-2000 predictions …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Nigam, Mohit
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Quantization Dimension for Probability Definitions

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The term quantization refers to the process of estimating a given probability by a discrete probability supported on a finite set. The quantization dimension Dr of a probability is related to the asymptotic rate at which the expected distance (raised to the rth power) to the support of the quantized version of the probability goes to zero as the size of the support is allowed to go to infinity. This assumes that the quantized versions are in some sense ``optimal'' in that the expected distances have been minimized. In this dissertation we give a short history of quantization as well as some basic facts. We develop a generalized framework for the quantization dimension which extends the current theory to include a wider range of probability measures. This framework uses the theory of thermodynamic formalism and the multifractal spectrum. It is shown that at least in certain cases the quantization dimension function D(r)=Dr is a transform of the temperature function b(q), which is already known to be the Legendre transform of the multifractal spectrum f(a). Hence, these ideas are all closely related and it would be expected that progress in one area could lead to new results in another. It would …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Lindsay, Larry J.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback treatment for children with attention deficit disorders in a school setting.

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The purpose of this study was to explore the use of EEG biofeedback in a school setting to assist students who had attentional challenges. The equipment for implementing biofeedback was relatively inexpensive and was easily integrated into the school setting. Twenty students ranging in age from 7 to 17 were recruited for this study. Data was used from 14 subjects, 12 males (2 Hispanic, 1 African American, and 10 Caucasian) and 2 females (1 Hispanic, 1 Caucasian.) The subject pool was reduced due to non-compliance or the students. moving from the school district. Significant effect size was obtained in the treatment group in areas pertaining to visual perception and motor coordination. However, significant effect sizes in other areas were obtained when the control group scores worsened. The inclusion of student subjects who, perhaps, did not meet stringent criterion of attention deficit may have skewed the results. The small number of students in the study may have hindered accurate measures of statistical significance. Conversely, the information obtained from this study may offer insight to school districts in providing their students an alternate/adjunct to psychopharmacological medication and a non- invasive method of helping students with psycho-social challenges.
Date: December 2001
Creator: Mosse, Leah Kathryn
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Development, Validation, and Evaluation of a Continuous, Real-time, Bivalve Biomonitoring System

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A biological monitoring tool to assess water quality using bivalve gape behavior was developed and demonstrated. The purpose of this work was to develop methodologies for screening water quality appropriate to the goals of the watershed paradigm. A model of bivalve gape behavior based on prediction of behavior using autoregressive techniques was the foundation of the bivalve biomonitoring system. Current technology was used in developing the system to provide bivalve gape state data in a continuous real-time manner. A laboratory version of the system, including data collection and analysis hardware and software, was developed for use as a toxicological assay for determination of effective concentrations of toxicant(s) or other types of stress on bivalve gape behavior. Corbicula fluminea was monitored and challenged with copper, zinc, and chlorpyrifos using the system. Effective concentrations of 176±23µg/L copper, 768±412µg/L zinc, and 68µg/L chlorpyrifos were observed using a natural water with high dissolved organic carbon concentrations. A rugged field version of the bivalve biomonitoring system was developed and deployed in two locations. The field systems were fitted with a photovoltaic array, a single board computer, and a CDPD telemetry modem for robust remote operation. Data were telemetered at a time relevant rate of once …
Date: December 2002
Creator: Allen, H. Joel
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library