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Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction (open access)

Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction

This report examines wildfire biomass fuels. It discusses fuel characteristics and their relation to wildfire intensity and spread, and includes a description of actions proposed to reduce biomass fuel levels, their effectiveness for protecting property and resources from wildfires, and their impacts on other resource values. It concludes with an examination of the federal authorities for fuel reduction activities on federal and non-federal lands, together with data on the funding provided under each of these authorities.
Date: May 13, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Crime and Forfeiture (open access)

Crime and Forfeiture

This report provides an overview of federal forfeiture law. It sketches the origins and general attributes of forfeiture, describes the distribution of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates, and identifies some of the related constitutional issues.
Date: May 13, 2013
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress (open access)

Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress

This report discusses some of the commercial and federal radio frequency spectrum policy changes required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also summarizes new policy directions for spectrum management under consideration in the 112th Congress, such as the encouragement of new technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
Date: May 28, 2013
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
ImageMagick Workshop Handout (open access)

ImageMagick Workshop Handout

This handout accompanies a workshop presentation for the 2013 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries (TCDL). The workshop introduces command-line image manipulation using the open source software ImageMagick.
Date: May 8, 2013
Creator: Moore, Jeremy D.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The UNT Digital Library

Command-Line Image Manipulation with ImageMagick

Presentation slides from a workshop at the 2013 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries (TCDL). These workshop slides introduce command-line image manipulation to its participants using the open source software ImageMagick.
Date: May 8, 2013
Creator: Moore, Jeremy D.
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance Response Mechanisms (open access)

International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance Response Mechanisms

Report that examines U.S. humanitarian assistance in international crises and disaster situations. It considers the sources and types of U.S. government aid, the response mechanisms of key U.S. agencies and departments, and possible issues for Congress--including competing aid and budget priorities, burden sharing and donor-fatigue, the transparency and efficacy of U.S. humanitarian assistance, consequences of such assistance, and potential links to broader U.S. foreign policy goals.
Date: May 24, 2013
Creator: Margesson, Rhoda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Political Transition in Tunisia (open access)

Political Transition in Tunisia

Report that discusses Tunisia's pro-democracy movement; concerns over potential instability in a previously secure, pro-Western area; and U.S.-Tunisian relations.
Date: May 22, 2013
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues (open access)

Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues

Report that provides background information regarding the Immigration and Naturalization Service rules and regulations and discusses the "immigration detainer", a document by which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advises other law enforcement agencies that it seeks custody of individual aliens whom these agencies are detaining.
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Health, Workforce, Quality, and Related Provisions in ACA: Summary and Timeline (open access)

Public Health, Workforce, Quality, and Related Provisions in ACA: Summary and Timeline

Report containing reference material regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual provisions at the time of enactment. This report -- one in a series of CRS products summarizing ACA that were issued after the law's enactment -- describes the law's workforce, public health, quality, and related provisions.
Date: May 17, 2013
Creator: Redhead, C. S. & Heisler, Elayne J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure (open access)

FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure

Report that first reviews the legislative history surrounding the enactment of the 1968 and 1976 amendments to the appointment of the FBI Director, as well as information on the nominees to the FBI Directorship since 1972. The report also provides a legal overview of the extension of a Director's tenure.
Date: May 30, 2013
Creator: Chu, Vivian S. & Hogue, Henry B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile (open access)

Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile

Report that presents a profile of the membership of the 113th Congress (2013-2014). Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses (open access)

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Report that discusses the effects of economic sanctions against Iran, support to the Iranian democracy movement, and opposition against Iranian human rights violations and Iranian support for Syrian human rights violations.
Date: May 28, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Master's Recital: 2013-05-03 - Maggie Greenwood, clarinet

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.
Date: May 3, 2013
Creator: Greenwood, Maggie
Object Type: Sound
System: The UNT Digital Library

Riding Lucifer's Line: Ranger Deaths Along the Texas-mexico Border

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
The Texas-Mexico border is trouble. Haphazardly splashing across the meandering Rio Grande into Mexico is—or at least can be—risky business, hazardous to one’s health and well-being. Kirby W. Dendy, the Chief of Texas Rangers, corroborates the sobering reality: “As their predecessors for over one hundred forty years before them did, today’s Texas Rangers continue to battle violence and transnational criminals along the Texas-Mexico border.” In Riding Lucifer’s Line, Bob Alexander, in his characteristic storytelling style, surveys the personal tragedies of twenty-five Texas Rangers who made the ultimate sacrifice as they scouted and enforced laws throughout borderland counties adjacent to the Rio Grande. The timeframe commences in 1874 with formation of the Frontier Battalion, which is when the Texas Rangers were actually institutionalized as a law enforcing entity, and concludes with the last known Texas Ranger death along the border in 1921. Alexander also discusses the transition of the Rangers in two introductory sections: “The Frontier Battalion Era, 1874-1901” and “The Ranger Force Era, 1901-1935,” wherein he follows Texas Rangers moving from an epochal narrative of the Old West to more modern, technological times. Written absent a preprogrammed agenda, Riding Lucifer’s Line is legitimate history. Adhering to facts, the author is …
Date: May 15, 2013
Creator: Alexander, Bob
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Background and Funding (open access)

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Background and Funding

This report discusses the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which was created by Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). The mission of the COPS program is to advance community policing in all jurisdictions across the United States. Legislation introduced in the 111th Congress would reauthorize the COPS program through FY2014 and reestablish COPS as a multi-grant program. This report provides an overview and analysis of issues Congress might choose to consider when taking up legislation to reauthorize the COPS program.
Date: May 14, 2013
Creator: James, Nathan
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wildfire Damages to Homes and Resources: Understanding Causes and Reducing Losses (open access)

Wildfire Damages to Homes and Resources: Understanding Causes and Reducing Losses

This report focuses on options for protecting structures and for protecting wildlands and natural resources from wildfires. It begins with a brief overview of the nature of wildfires, followed by a discussion of protecting structures. Then, it discusses wildfire damages to wildlands and natural resources, fuel treatment options and their benefits and limitations, and public involvement in federal decisions.
Date: May 23, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Trends and Current Issues (open access)

U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Trends and Current Issues

This report provides a brief overview of how foreign investments can affect the U.S.
Date: May 17, 2013
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of Law Enforcement and the Court System in Texas: Perspectives of Adult Protective Services Case Managers (open access)

Evaluation of Law Enforcement and the Court System in Texas: Perspectives of Adult Protective Services Case Managers

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) case managers (CM) in regard to their relationships with the law enforcement community and area courts. The sample consisted of 138 Texas APS CMs. The survey measured respondents' perceived strengths and weaknesses of their relationships with both the law enforcement community and with area courts. Items also included respondents' interest in receiving additional training and their perceptions of level of job-readiness of newly hired APS CMs. Data were analyzed quantitatively using SAS. Findings of the survey revealed high ratings of perceived teamwork on the part of the CM are associated with high relationship ratings with both area courts and law enforcement. Findings also revealed that high ratings of perceived autonomy on the part of the CM are associated with lower relationship ratings with law enforcement personnel but not with area courts.
Date: May 2013
Creator: Weaver, Matthew S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Early and Current Family Environment Among Inpatient Trauma Survivors: Associations with Multi-type Abuse and Sexual Orientation (open access)

Early and Current Family Environment Among Inpatient Trauma Survivors: Associations with Multi-type Abuse and Sexual Orientation

The present study is an exploratory analysis of associations among sexual orientation, childhood abuse, and characteristics of both early and current family environment in a sample of 80 inpatient trauma survivors. Participants were administered a background information questionnaire, Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule, the Family Environment Scale and other instruments not analyzed in the current study. Multi-type abuse was significantly associated with low expressiveness and independence and high control in the early family, but no associations emerged with current family characteristics. Results suggest that the intergenerational transmission of family organization and moral-religious orientation occurred in the entire sample, and the transmission of family conflict patterns occurred only in the L/G/B group. Overall, participants perceived improvements in their current family environments compared to their early family environments. Findings yield support for the sexual minority stress model and mixed support for the intergenerational transmission of family characteristics.
Date: May 2013
Creator: Williams, Jennifer S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Girl Disappeared: the Prostitute of La Isla De Santa Flora (open access)

The Girl Disappeared: the Prostitute of La Isla De Santa Flora

The novella, The Girl Disappeared, focuses on the life of Emalia, a street kid from Mexico. She is taken from the streets of Veracruz and forced into a life of prostitution on the fictitious island of La Isla de Santa Flora. The primary conflict that drives the action of the story is her pending choice between escaping her life of slavery and saving another young woman who is on the verge of being forced into a life of prostitution as well. The novella, as a literary piece, dwells on the question of character agency and explores the multilayered nature of code switching. Language for these women becomes a tool in their struggle against their captives and a means of self-preservation, or sanctuary, as they use their growing bilingualism to foment a limited agency, to act in their own defense.
Date: May 2013
Creator: Winston, Michael
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analytical Model of Cold-formed Steel Framed Shear Wall with Steel Sheet and Wood-based Sheathing (open access)

Analytical Model of Cold-formed Steel Framed Shear Wall with Steel Sheet and Wood-based Sheathing

The cold-formed steel framed shear walls with steel sheets and wood-based sheathing are both code approved lateral force resisting system in light-framed construction. In the United States, the current design approach for cold-formed steel shear walls is capacity-based and developed from full-scale tests. The available design provisions provide nominal shear strength for only limited wall configurations. This research focused on the development of analytical models of cold-formed steel framed shear walls with steel sheet and wood-based sheathing to predict the nominal shear strength of the walls at their ultimate capacity level. Effective strip model was developed to predict the nominal shear strength of cold-formed steel framed steel sheet shear walls. The proposed design approach is based on a tension field action of the sheathing, shear capacity of sheathing-to-framing fastener connections, fastener spacing, wall aspect ratio, and material properties. A total of 142 full scale test data was used to verify the proposed design method and the supporting design equations. The proposed design approach shows consistent agreement with the test results and the AISI published nominal strength values. Simplified nominal strength model was developed to predict the nominal shear strength of cold-formed steel framed wood-based panel shear walls. The nominal shear …
Date: May 2013
Creator: Yanagi, Noritsugu
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cold-formed Steel Framed Shear Wall Sheathed with Corrugated Sheet Steel (open access)

Cold-formed Steel Framed Shear Wall Sheathed with Corrugated Sheet Steel

Incombustibility is one important advantage of the sheet steel sheathed shear wall over wood panel sheathed shear wall. Compared to shear wall sheathed with plywood and OSB panel, shear wall sheathed with flat sheet steel behaved lower shear strength. Although shear wall sheathed with corrugated sheet steel exhibited high nominal strength and high stiffness, the shear wall usually behaved lower ductility resulting from brittle failure at the connection between the sheathing to frames. This research is aimed at developing modifications on the corrugated sheathing to improve the ductility of the shear wall as well as derive practical response modification factor by establishing correct relationship between ductility factor ? and response modification factor R. Totally 21 monotonic and cyclic full-scale shear wall tests were conducted during the winter break in 2012 by the author in NUCONSTEEL Materials Testing Laboratory in the University of North Texas. The research investigated nineteen 8 ft. × 4 ft. shear walls with 68 mil frames and 27 mil corrugation sheet steel in 11 configurations and two more shear walls sheathed with 6/17-in.OSB and 15/32-in. plywood respectively for comparison. The shear walls, which were in some special cutting arrangement patterns, performed better under lateral load conditions according …
Date: May 2013
Creator: Yu, Guowang
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Geoarchaeological Analysis of Two New Test Pits at the Dmanisi Site, Republic of Georgia (open access)

Geoarchaeological Analysis of Two New Test Pits at the Dmanisi Site, Republic of Georgia

This thesis presents the results of geoarchaeological investigations conducted at two new test pits, M11 and M12, at the paleoanthropological site of Dmanisi during the 2012 field season. This research is important for understanding the site formation processes occurring along the north-south axis of the Dmanisi site and how that affects the chronostratigraphic sequence and interpretation of archaeological materials here. With these excavations we can build a stronger interpretation for how broader areas of this site formed and changed both geologically and archaeologically. The geologic results of this study indicate that changes in sediment deposition and development episodes can affect interpretations of how long these sediments accumulated, how likely bones are to preserve, as well as how secondary gravel deposition can influence several archaeological interpretations. The archaeological results suggest that there could have been changes in occupation intensity between the stratum A and B phases although different rates of sediment deposition and surface stability could affect such artifact accumulations. In addition, during the stratum B phase there appears to be little change in artifact procurement behaviors and reduction characteristics by these hominins. The overall results of this research indicate that geologic factors should be addressed and cautions should be taken …
Date: May 2013
Creator: Zack, Winston S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Layout-accurate Ultra-fast System-level Design Exploration Through Verilog-ams (open access)

Layout-accurate Ultra-fast System-level Design Exploration Through Verilog-ams

This research addresses problems in designing analog and mixed-signal (AMS) systems by bridging the gap between system-level and circuit-level simulation by making simulations fast like system-level and accurate like circuit-level. The tools proposed include metamodel integrated Verilog-AMS based design exploration flows. The research involves design centering, metamodel generation flows for creating efficient behavioral models, and Verilog-AMS integration techniques for model realization. The core of the proposed solution is transistor-level and layout-level metamodeling and their incorporation in Verilog-AMS. Metamodeling is used to construct efficient and layout-accurate surrogate models for AMS system building blocks. Verilog-AMS, an AMS hardware description language, is employed to build surrogate model implementations that can be simulated with industrial standard simulators. The case-study circuits and systems include an operational amplifier (OP-AMP), a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), a charge-pump phase-locked loop (PLL), and a continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (DSM). The minimum and maximum error rates of the proposed OP-AMP model are 0.11 % and 2.86 %, respectively. The error rates for the PLL lock time and power estimation are 0.7 % and 3.0 %, respectively. The OP-AMP optimization using the proposed approach is ~17000× faster than the transistor-level model based approach. The optimization achieves a ~4× power reduction for the OP-AMP …
Date: May 2013
Creator: Zheng, Geng
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library