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The Effects of Project PACE on Adolescent Females' Physical Activity Readiness (open access)

The Effects of Project PACE on Adolescent Females' Physical Activity Readiness

This study evaluated the effects of Project PACE, a program designed to increase physical activity, on the physical activity level and selected psychosocial variables of sedentary adolescent females ages 12 to 18. Psychosocial variables included self efficacy, attitude, perception of barriers, perceived social support, and knowledge. Of the 69 participants, 40 were enrolled in the treatment group and 29 were enrolled in the control group at the start of the study. The only significant differences were found for attitudes towards physical activity at base line. Findings from this study suggest that implementation of Project PACE protocol in school settings may produce some positive effects, but no significant findings were detected.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Williams, Christy Nicole
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Non-Academic Institutional Variables Related to Degree Completion of Non-Traditional Age Undergraduate Students (open access)

Non-Academic Institutional Variables Related to Degree Completion of Non-Traditional Age Undergraduate Students

A study was conducted at The University of Texas at Arlington to obtain measurements of non-traditional age undergraduate students using the Mattering Scales for Adult Students in Higher Education (MHE). The MHE is designed to assess the perceptions of adult students on how much they matter to the institution they are attending. The study also sought to determine if "mattering" and other selected nonacademic variables associated with the university environment are perceived by nontraditional age students to effect their likelihood of completing their baccalaureate degree. Of the five subscales surveyed by the MHE, significant statistical differences were found to exist in the Administration, Interaction With Peers, Multiple Roles, and Faculty subscales denoting an interaction between gender and minority status. Significant statistical differences were also found by gender on the Advising subscale and by minority status on the Faculty subscale.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Walts, Rebecca Ann.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
N-Acylethanolamines and Plant Phospholipase D (open access)

N-Acylethanolamines and Plant Phospholipase D

Recently, three distinct isoforms of phospholipase D (PLD) were identified in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLD α represents the well-known form found in plants, while PLD β and γ have been only recently discovered (Pappan et al., 1997b; Qin et al., 1997). These isoforms differ in substrate selectivity and cofactors required for activity. Here, I report that PLD β and γ isoforms were active toward N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), but PLD α was not. The ability of PLD β and γ to hydrolyze NAPE marks a key difference from PLD α. N-acylethanolamines (NAE), the hydrolytic products of NAPE by PLD β and γ, inhibited PLD α from castor bean and cabbage. Inhibition of PLD α by NAE was dose-dependent and inversely proportional to acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation. Enzyme kinetic analysis suggested non-competitive inhibition of PLD α by NAE 14:0. In addition, a 1.2-kb tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cDNA fragment was isolated that possessed a 74% amino acid identity to Arabidopsis PLD β indicating that this isoform is expressed in tobacco cells. Collectively, these results provide evidence for NAE producing PLD activities and suggest a possible regulatory role for NAE with respect to PLD α.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Brown, Shea Austin
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of How Interest Groups Influence the Policy-making Process for the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (open access)

An Analysis of How Interest Groups Influence the Policy-making Process for the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1997

This study examined the policy letters and verbal testimony transcripts submitted by interest groups to the United States Department of Education (USDE) in response to the proposed regulations pertaining to the implementation of the 1997 reauthorization of P. L. 105-17, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Specifically, this study analyzed the emerging themes in the area of discipline. Responses were received from the following interest groups: (a) school administrators, (b) parents, (c) teachers, (d) state educational agencies (SEAs), (e) national educational organizations, and (f) members of the United States Congress. In addition to analyzing the emerging themes, the study compared these themes to ones found in the current literature and court cases.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Price, Laura Black
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trust and Governance in Hybrid Relationships: An Investigation of Logistics Alliances (open access)

Trust and Governance in Hybrid Relationships: An Investigation of Logistics Alliances

Transaction cost economics (TCE) theorists traditionally have classified transactions between firms as governed by either market or hierarchy. By assessing characteristics of the transaction - asset specificity, uncertainty, and frequency - firms choose the governance form which minimizes transaction costs, the costs of administering the business deal. During the 1980s, however, TCE has found itself unable to explain the proliferation of strategic alliances. These hybrid relationships seek the benefits of both markets and hierarchies, including quasi-integration, the control of assets without actual ownership. Further, hybrids tend to prefer trust-based relational contracting. TCE's acknowledgment of hybrids, however, raises other questions surrounding the behavioral assumptions which supposedly influence the transaction characteristic governance linkage. Various dissenting researchers have theorized that (1) trust is more dominant in business than opportunism (2) the behavioral assumptions actually function as variables in different contexts, and (3) trust offers an integration mechanism for behavioral variables.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Orr, John Patrick, 1950-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Wedding Ceremony: Processional, Kyrie, Alleluia!, Hosanna!, Recessional (open access)

A Wedding Ceremony: Processional, Kyrie, Alleluia!, Hosanna!, Recessional

A Wedding Ceremony is a composition of approximately 17 minutes in duration and is scored for horn in F, two trumpets in B-flat, trombone, two percussionists (timpani, roto toms, chimes, snare, triangle, suspended cymbal), 2-part boys choir, female soprano, and organ. The work consists of five parts of a mass, the Processional, Kyrie, Alleluia!, Hosanna!, and Recessional, with texted sections being taken from the Latin mass. The work is intended for a sacred wedding service of any denomination. The work was composed with the traditional aspects of the Latin mass in combination with a contemporary setting.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Cieminski, Theresa
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Alcohol Use, Violence, and Psychological Abuse in Intimate Relationships (open access)

Alcohol Use, Violence, and Psychological Abuse in Intimate Relationships

Women in distressed relationships who had sustained severe psychological abuse and either no, moderate, or severe violence from their partner were included (N = 93). Men's and women's alcohol use did not differ with level of violence. Different patterns were found in the moderate violence group regarding women's beliefs about their partner's substance problem, men's psychological abuse, and the relationship of men's and women's quantity of alcohol use and times intoxicated. Uncertainty resulting from moderate violence may strengthen the emotional impact of psychological abuse. Even when psychological abuse is exacerbated by violence, women may use active coping techniques rather than drinking to cope with abusive relationships. The findings suggest that an inordinate focus on alcohol abuse may be ineffective in combating the problem of domestic violence.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Falla, Karen M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analysis of Thermoplastic Polyimide + Polymer Liquid Crystal Blends (open access)

Analysis of Thermoplastic Polyimide + Polymer Liquid Crystal Blends

Thermoplastic polyimides (TPIs) exhibit high glass transition temperatures (Tgs), which make them useful in high performance applications. Amorphous and semicrystalline TPIs show sub-Tg relaxations, which can aid in improving strength characteristics through energy absorption. The a relaxation of both types of TPIs indicates a cooperative nature. The semicrystalline TPI shows thermo-irreversible cold crystallization phenomenon. The polymer liquid crystal (PLC) used in the blends is thermotropic and with longitudinal molecular structure. The small heat capacity change (ACP) associated with the glass transition indicates the PLC to be rigid rod in nature. The PLC shows a small endotherm associated with the melting. The addition of PLC to the semicrystalline TPI does not significantly affect the Tg or the melting point (Tm). The cold crystallization temperature (Tc) increases with the addition of the PLC, indicating channeling phenomenon. The addition of PLC also causes a negative deviation of the ACP, which is another evidence for channeling. The TPI, PLC and their blends show high thermal stability. The semicrystalline TPI absorbs moisture; this effect decreases with the addition of the PLC. The absorbed moisture does not show any effect on the degradation. The addition of PLC beyond 30 wt.% does not result in an improvement …
Date: May 1998
Creator: Gopalanarayanan, Bhaskar
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Polycarbocyclic Compounds (open access)

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Polycarbocyclic Compounds

Part I. Diels-Alder cycloadditions of 1,2,3,4,9,9-hexachloro-1α,4α,4aα,8aβ-tetrahydro-l,4-methanonaphthalene (32) and 1,2,3,4,9,9-hexachloro-lα,4α,6,7- tetrahydro-l,4-methanonaphthalene (33) to 4-methyl- and 4-phenyl-l,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione [MTAD and PTAD, respectively] and to N-methylmaleimide (NMM) have been studied. The structures of several of the resulting cycloadducts were determined by X-ray crystallographic methods. The observed stereoselectivity of each of these Diels-Alder reactions was further investigated via application of theoretical methods. Thus, semiempirical (AMI) and ab initio molecular orbital calculations were used to calculate relative energies. Ab initio calculations were employed to perform frontier molecular orbital analyses of diene-dienophile interactions.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Shukla, Rajesh, 1964-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship between Parental Empathy and Parental Acceptance and the Effect of Filial Therapy Training on this Relationship (open access)

The Relationship between Parental Empathy and Parental Acceptance and the Effect of Filial Therapy Training on this Relationship

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between parental empathy (PE) and parental acceptance (PA) and the effect of filial therapy training (FTT) on this relationship. Filial therapy training is a parent education program in which the goal is the development of PE and PA. The Measurement of Empathy in Adult-Child Interaction (MEACI) and the Porter Parental Acceptance Scale (PPAS) are two widely used instruments in filial therapy studies to measure PE and PA, respectively. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between parental empathy and parental acceptance, and the effect of filial therapy training on this relationship. Specifically, this study was designed to investigate the correlations between the MEACI and the PPAS.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Poon, Wai-Chi Samuel
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Organizational Support Systems for Team-Based Organizations: Employee Collaboration through Organizational Structures (open access)

Organizational Support Systems for Team-Based Organizations: Employee Collaboration through Organizational Structures

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between organizational support and Effectiveness, Empowerment, and team characteristics. Support was operationalized by nine systems: Executive Management, Direct Supervision, Group Design, Performance Definition, Performance Review, Training, Rewards, Information, and Integration. Support was rated in two ways: how important is support for performing work (Importance scales), and how does support describe work environments (Presence scales).
Date: August 1998
Creator: Hall, Christopher Aaron, 1964-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Application of an Assessment Protocol for Watershed Based Biomonitoring (open access)

Development and Application of an Assessment Protocol for Watershed Based Biomonitoring

With numerous bioassessment methodologies available, a regional protocol needs to be developed to ensure that results are comparable. A regional assessment protocol was developed that includes collecting five benthic macroinvertebrate samples, identifying organisms to genus, and calculating the following metrics: Number of Taxa, Total Number of Individuals, Simpson's Diversity Index, Shannon's Diversity Index, Percent Contribution of Dominant Taxa, Hilsenhoffs Biotic Index, and Percent Contribution of Dipterans. Once the protocol was developed, it was used to assess the Bayou Chico tributaries and watershed. All three tributaries had been significantly impacted by human activity as had the watershed as a whole. This study indicates that a regional protocol could be developed and is appropriate for biomonitoring at the watershed scale.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Schwartz, Joseph Howard
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Process of Ritual: a Twenty-Year Survey of Literature (open access)

The Process of Ritual: a Twenty-Year Survey of Literature

Use of the term "ritual" in PsycLit from 1975-1995 was examined through an archival study. Abstracts identified as including any form of the term were coded for valence, target population, study type, and differential area of interest. Valence was predominantly positive, consistent across time, with a growing negative trend. Interest in ritual has increased. Key elements of adaptive ritual were identified as recurrence across time, shared symbolism and volitional participation. A Dynamic Process of Ritual is proposed which includes the individual, society, and chaos in a fluctuating relationship, all operating within an additional dimension of a continuum of ritualization in which the individual's position is determined by personal and societal complexity and individual response to crisis.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Emmett, Gloria J.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Quantum-Confined CdS Nanoparticles on DNA Templates (open access)

Quantum-Confined CdS Nanoparticles on DNA Templates

As electronic devices became smaller, interest in quantum-confined semiconductor nanostructures increased. Self-assembled mesoscale semiconductor structures of II-VI nanocrystals are an especially exciting subject because of their controllable band gap and unique photophysical properties. Several preparative methods to synthesize and control the sizes of the individual nanocrystallites and the electronic and optical properties have been intensively studied. Fabrication of patterned nanostructures composed of quantum-confined nanoparticles is the next step toward practical applications. We have developed an innovative method to fabricate diverse nanostructures which relies on the size and a shape of a chosen deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) template.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Rho, Young Gyu
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nutrient Effects on Autofragmentation of Myriophyllum Spicatum L. (open access)

Nutrient Effects on Autofragmentation of Myriophyllum Spicatum L.

A 2 x 2 factorial design investigated effects of sediment nitrogen and water potassium levels on autofragment production. Reduced nitrogen levels significantly increased autofragment production whereas potassium levels did not significantly alter production. Up to 50% of autofragment production abscised from parent plants grown under low nitrogen conditions compared to 12% or less under high nitrogen conditions.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Smith, Dian H. (Dian Helen)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Perceived Barriers to the Implementation of Site Based Management (open access)

Perceived Barriers to the Implementation of Site Based Management

The purpose of this study was to identify perceived barriers to the implementation of site-based management for administrators in the Region XII Service Center area in Texas.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Hancock, Don G. (Don Gaylon)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Masculine Role Conflict in Gay Men: Mediation of Psychological Well-Being and Help-Seeking Behaviors (open access)

Masculine Role Conflict in Gay Men: Mediation of Psychological Well-Being and Help-Seeking Behaviors

Gender role issues have been an integral part of psychology since the 1970s. More recently, theories and research have surfaced concerning the issues of maleness in our society. Most of these theories focus on masculine gender role and how it affects men in various ways, e.g., their psychological well-being, substance use, relational abilities, and help-seeking behaviors. One area of maleness that has consistently been left out of the Masculine Role Conflict (MRC) debate is that of homosexuality. As a gay man develops, he finds himself at odds with society over something that he experiences biologically as normal and appropriate. It is the contention of this paper that MRC is an issue related to psychological distress among gay men and not psychological weakness in gay men, per se.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Simonsen, Gregory
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interactions of Clean and Sulfur-modified Reactive Metal Surfaces with Aqueous Vapor and Liquid Environments : A Combined Ultra-high Vacuum/electrochemistry Study (open access)

Interactions of Clean and Sulfur-modified Reactive Metal Surfaces with Aqueous Vapor and Liquid Environments : A Combined Ultra-high Vacuum/electrochemistry Study

The focus of this research is to explore the molecular-level interactions between reactive metal surfaces and aqueous environments by combined ultra-high vacuum/electrochemistry (UHV-EC) methodology. The objectives of this work are to understand (1) the effects of sulfate ions on the passivity of metal oxide/hydroxide surface layer, (2) the effects of sulfur-modification on the evolution of metal oxide/hydroxide surface layer, and (3) the effects of sulfur adsorbate on cation adsorption at metal surfaces.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Lin, Tien-Chih, 1966-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
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
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Validation of a Two Factor Model of Adult Career Orientation (open access)

Development and Validation of a Two Factor Model of Adult Career Orientation

Subjects in this study were 5,523 respondents from a survey which was sent to households throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine two basic components of career orientation: career indecision and career insight. Correlational analyses found relationships between career indecision and average job tenure, industry leaving intentions, industry staying intentions, and job satisfaction. Correlational analyses found relationships between career insight, industry staying intentions and job satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses were run using both career indecision and career insight as independent variables found that they had useful levels of incremental validity in predicting industry leaving intentions and job satisfaction. Potential uses of the two-dimensional career indecision - career insight model are discussed.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Toofanian, Maryam
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Culture and Anxiety: a Cross-Cultural Study (open access)

Culture and Anxiety: a Cross-Cultural Study

By measuring interactions among and between anxiety and the independent variables of country of origin, gender, level of education, and age, this study attempted to gain insight into how students from different countries experience anxiety on a U.S. college campus. Results of the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and the univariate test(ANOVA) indicated that the gender and level of education of the subjects made no significant difference. However, when it came to country of origin, there were significant differences between two of the cultural groups and respective anxiety level. Findings also support a positive correlation between age and anxiety levels, with the youngest participants having the lowest anxiety levels.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Abbassi, Amir
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Studies in Bank Contagion: Three Regulatory Events (open access)

Studies in Bank Contagion: Three Regulatory Events

This research describes an analysis, using event-study methodology, of the reaction of the stock returns of a sample, drawn from the one-hundred largest bank holding companies, to certain actions of regulatory agencies. The first part of the analysis examines the reaction of the bank stocks to the closure of the Bank of New England, using cross-sectional variables not previously examined by other investigators. The second event considers the invalidation of interest-rate swap contracts by the British Law Lords, the highest court in Britain. The third case is an examination of the effects of actions taken to enforce the Community Reinvestment Act. All three events have significant abnormal returns in at least one sub-sample and event window. The results of the cross-sectional analysis and the lack of response to later events are consistent with market efficiency in the semi-strong form. The results are also consistent with the hypothesis that regulatory policies that emphasize consistency and banking system safety are desirable.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Springstube, Woodard R. (Woodard Rex)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Convergence of Self and Other Ratings of Personality: a Structural Equation Analysis (open access)

Convergence of Self and Other Ratings of Personality: a Structural Equation Analysis

Recently, multi-source feedback has been a popular way of providing performance-related feedback to individuals in many organizations. Many who use multi-source feedback consider Rating Convergence, others seeing target individuals as they see themselves, to be a positive outcome of this process. However, the variables that account for Rating Convergence are not known. This study investigated whether the personality factor Extroversion and Behavioral Consistency, acting as a moderator variable, could account for Self-other Rating Convergence, particularly the Convergence between self and peer Ratings. The sample consisted of 235 mid-level managers from a variety of industries who were participants in individual career development workshops. Using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that a model consisting of a single Extroversion factor could account for the convergence of self-peer ratings. This finding calls into question the significance of Rating Convergence when using multi-source rating instruments that provide feedback on trait characteristics since it may be heavily influenced by a single personality factor rather than observers' comprehensive understanding of the ratee's performance.
Date: May 1998
Creator: McElhenie, Michael K. (Michael Keith)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment and Treatment of Multiple Topographies and Functions of Self-injury (open access)

Assessment and Treatment of Multiple Topographies and Functions of Self-injury

Results of a functional analysis indicated that the self-injurious behavior (SIB) of an adult female with profound mental retardation occurred primarily in the alone and demand conditions. Graphs of the separate topographies (head slaps and head bangs) showed that head banging occurred in the alone condition and that both head banging and head slapping occurred in the demand condition. A data analysis procedure to identify within-session trends across sessions and fluctuations in rates of SIB by topography revealed that most of the demands escaped were escaped by head slaps and that over 80% of all head slaps were associated with escape, compared to less than 1%of all head bangs, indicating that head banging and head slapping were members of separate functional response classes. Treatment consisted of noncontingent availability of preferred leisure materials, and produced substantial decreases of both head banging and head slapping. Interpretation of the results are discussed, as well as some implications and limitations of the study.
Date: December 1998
Creator: Gonzalez, Angela M. (Angela Maria), 1970-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library