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Culinary Indexers' Reference Sources (open access)

Culinary Indexers' Reference Sources

In this article, the author presents a bibliography of reference sources recommended by culinary indexers.
Date: December 1, 2014
Creator: Sassen, Catherine
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Designing a Library Data Service

Presentation for the Cross Timbers Library Collaborative (CTLC) Scholarly Communications and Digital Curation (SCDC) Affinity Group 2014 Winter Meeting. This presentation discusses designing a library data service.
Date: December 12, 2014
Creator: Gulliford, Brad
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 67, Number 4, December 2014 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 67, Number 4, December 2014

This publication of the Dallas-Fort Worth Section of the American Chemical Society includes information about research, prominent scientist, organizational business, and various other stories of interest to the community.
Date: December 2014
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library

Quality Assurance Practices in Web Archiving [Dataset]

This dataset contains the results of a survey of quality assurance practices within the field of web archiving and its practitioners. To understand current QA practices, the authors surveyed institutions engaged in web archiving, which included national libraries, colleges and universities, and museums and art libraries. The survey was administered online. It includes the completed responses of 54 participants. The data has been anonymized for privacy reasons. This dataset was used in the "Current Quality Assurance Practices in Web Archiving" paper, available from the UNT Digital Library.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Reyes Ayala, Brenda; Phillips, Mark Edward & Ko, Lauren
Object Type: Dataset
System: The UNT Digital Library

Customer Service in the Library

Presentation to the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries Access Services student assistants. This presentation discusses customer service in the library.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Keshmiripour, Setareh & Peebles, Emily
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Portal to Texas History, a DPLA Service Hub

Presentation at the University of Texas at Austin. This presentation discusses The Portal to Texas History as a Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).
Date: December 10, 2014
Creator: Phillips, Mark Edward
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Evolution of Publishing Agreements at the University of Michigan (open access)

The Evolution of Publishing Agreements at the University of Michigan

Article on the evolution of publishing agreements at the University of Michigan Library. Taking as an example an open-access journal with a single editor, this article discusses the various configurations of rights agreements used by the University of Michigan Library throughout the evolution of its publishing operation, the advantages of the various models, and the reasons for moving from one to another.
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Hawkins, Kevin S.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Contemporary Application of Boris Goldovsky’s Method for Training the Operatic Singer-actor: a Model for Today’s University Opera Workshop Instructor (open access)

A Contemporary Application of Boris Goldovsky’s Method for Training the Operatic Singer-actor: a Model for Today’s University Opera Workshop Instructor

Throughout the twentieth century, Boris Goldovsky (1908-2001) played a significant role in training the operatic singer-actor. One of his most significant contributions was integrating music and drama. He taught his students how to develop a character, how to find dramatic clues in the music, and to become expressive artists free from monotonous operatic gestures and posturing. As author of the first textbook for training the operatic singer-actor, his curriculum was developed from experience, acting traditions, and mentor-student relationships. A new forum, Opera Workshop, allowed him to experiment and test his methods. Although Goldovsky is known to some scholars as the “Father of Training the Operatic Singer-Actor,” his presence in modern day training material is almost non-existent. How can we understand the needs of educating today’s operatic singer-actor without knowing the very foundation upon which it was built? This paper applies Goldovsky’s method of training to a staging and performance of Act II scene I from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Providing this modern application of his training will demonstrate the relevance of his contributions for educators in a contemporary university setting. My findings suggest that Goldovsky’s approach and philosophy to training the young singer-actor provides practical and valuable knowledge that is …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Glidden, Jennifer
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reading Isang Yun’s Concerto No 3 Beyond Western Notational Norms (open access)

Reading Isang Yun’s Concerto No 3 Beyond Western Notational Norms

Korean-German composer Isang Yun received international recognition as one of the successful and leading twentieth-century composers. Despite Yun’s lasting fame, some of his works remain lesser known such as all three of his violin concerti. Yun’s main compositional techniques in his violin concerti are abundant ornamentations and articulations that imitate the sound of Korean folk instruments but played on the violin. Without acknowledging Korean folk music performance practices and folk instruments, a violinist cannot accurately deliver what Yun’s music expressed. The fact that Yun’s Violin Concerto No. 3 imitates Korean string instruments, haegeum or komungo, it must be explained how Korean ornamentations are played and can be incorporated on the violin. The purpose of this paper is to provide these answers as well as technical suggestions regarding abundant ornamentations, frequent dynamic and articulation changes, as well as fingerings and bowings. It is hoped that this study will help violin performers to understand Yun’s Concerto No. 3 and encourage more frequent performances of it.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Ro, Sophia M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Selected Operas of Isabelle Aboulker As Repertoire for the University Opera Studio (open access)

Selected Operas of Isabelle Aboulker As Repertoire for the University Opera Studio

Aboulker’s operatic works present an opportunity for opera workshop programs in the United States to perform contemporary operatic works in a foreign language, revitalizing the operatic repertoire and giving students the opportunity to prepare and perform roles without the weight and influence of significant performance history. Aboulker’s style, which has been called “effectively simple,” allows developing students to work on new French language repertoire without the burden of excessively difficult or atonal vocal lines. Aboulker’s works are tuneful and humorous and her longest operatic work lasts a mere hour and a half. These qualities also serve to mitigate the challenge presented to the student by the French language. Many of Aboulker’s works are conceived specifically to be performed with piano only, or have already been published in piano reduction. Most of her operatic works are very short or divide easily into scenes that could be performed separately where the performance of a longer work is either not feasible or not desired. All of these characteristics combine to make the operas of Isabelle Aboulker a viable repertoire option for the university opera studio.
Date: December 2014
Creator: O'Keefe, Patricia Beatrice
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resource Utilization of Salespeople and Prospecting Performance (open access)

Resource Utilization of Salespeople and Prospecting Performance

Every day, salespeople span boundaries, coordinate internal and external expertise, leverage social capital, mobilize the tangible and intangible resources of their firm, and try to create value for all stakeholders. Recognizing the important roles of salespeople, Evans et al. (2012) and Lassk et al. (2012) call for more research on the usage of skills, knowledge, people, strategies, expertise, and other resources of salespeople to produce the desired outcomes. Responding to their calls, this study specifically focuses on how salespeople utilize their available and finite resources across four types of customers (new customers, short term customers, long term customers, and win-back customers) to identify and qualify new sales opportunities during the prospecting stage. The dissertation focuses on seven types of resources (capturing both internal and firm related resources) available for salespeople: (1) firm tangible, (2) firm intangible, (3) firm market based, (4) present resources, (5) skills, (6) knowledge, and (7) accumulated successes. The study further explores the moderating roles of organizational identification, competitive intensity, and customer dependence on the relationship between resources utilized and performance during the prospecting stage. The resource utilization scale is developed and tested for robustness. Next, using a final dataset of 346 responses from salespeople, the results …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Nguyen, Thuy D.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resource Intensification of Small Game Use at Goodman Point, Southwestern Colorado (open access)

Resource Intensification of Small Game Use at Goodman Point, Southwestern Colorado

This analysis of faunal remains from eleven archaeological sites in the northern San Juan region, extensively occupied by the Ancestral Pueblo people until they leave the region by AD 1300, explores the effects of resource intensification of small wild and domestic resources leading up to this regional depopulation. By examining multiple lines of evidence, in addition to faunal abundance, causal factors are identified to address changes in abundances through time. In particular, age- and sex-based mortality are examined for lagomorphs (jackrabbits and cottontails) and domesticated turkey, respectively, to test hypotheses generated using the prey and patch choice models. Analyses of these resources follow a systematic paleontology which provides explicit identifications made of five sites from a large study area, Goodman Point Pueblo Unit. These data are integrated with those from large village sites from the encompassing central Mesa Verde region. The results of both analyses help clarify why the Ancestral Pueblo people left southwestern Colorado. During the final twenty-year occupation period, the results of this study support a shift from reliance on turkey husbandry to intense exploitation of locally available garden resources (i.e. cottontails).
Date: December 2014
Creator: Ellyson, Laura Jean
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electoral Rules, Political Parties, and Peace Duration in Post-conflict States (open access)

Electoral Rules, Political Parties, and Peace Duration in Post-conflict States

This dissertation examines the following research question: Which types of electoral rules chosen in post-conflict states best promote peace? And are those effects conditional upon other factors? I argue that the effects are conditional upon the types of political parties that exist in the post-conflict environment. Although this explanation is contrary to scholars that speak of political parties as products of the electoral system, political parties often predate the choice of electoral system. Especially in post-conflict states, political parties play an important role in the negotiation process and hence in the design of the electoral rules. I argue that the effects of electoral rules on peace duration are mitigated by the degree to which a party system is broad (nonexclusive) or narrow (exclusive). I develop a theoretical model that led to three hypotheses focusing on the independent role that political parties play in mitigating the effects of electoral rules on peace duration. To test these hypotheses, I use the Cox proportional hazard model on 57 post-conflict states from 1990 to 2009 and had competitive elections. The empirical results show support for the main argument of this study. First, the findings show that electoral rules alone do not increase or decrease …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Kisin, Tatyana Tuba Kelman
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Violetting Through August’s End (Or the Sunset in Water, the Carillon-chime in Square): an Original Chamber Opera and a Critical Essay on the Trajectory of American Minimalist Opera (open access)

Violetting Through August’s End (Or the Sunset in Water, the Carillon-chime in Square): an Original Chamber Opera and a Critical Essay on the Trajectory of American Minimalist Opera

When the dust settles, John Adams’s Nixon in China and Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach may stand as the most important operas of the latter twentieth century. The critical essay portion of this thesis examines the trajectory of minimalist opera, from its beginnings with Glass’s Einstein on the Beach through the more romantic operas of John Adams, Steve Reich’s multimedia opera The Cave, David Lang’s musical-influenced The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, and finally the post-minimalist operas currently being staged by young composer Nico Muhly. It examines the differences between the more abstract trajectory established by the early Glass operas and the plot driven trajectory established by operas more commonly associated with John Adams, most significantly Nixon in China. Additionally, the aforementioned pieces are compared and contrasted with the author’s newly composed chamber opera Violetting through August’s End (or the sunset in water, the carillon-chime in square).
Date: December 2014
Creator: Doyle, James Joseph
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kinetic Investigation of Atomic Hydrogen with Sulfur-Containing Species (open access)

Kinetic Investigation of Atomic Hydrogen with Sulfur-Containing Species

The reactions of atomic hydrogen with methanethiol and that of atomic hydrogen with carbon disulfide were studied experimentally using flash-photolysis resonance-fluorescence techniques. Rate constants were determined over a range of temperatures and pressures, and through analysis and comparison to theoretical work details of the reactions were ascertained.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Kerr, Katherine Elaine
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Non-homogeneous Population Distribution on Smoothed Maps Produced Using Kernel Density Estimation Methods (open access)

Effects of Non-homogeneous Population Distribution on Smoothed Maps Produced Using Kernel Density Estimation Methods

Understanding spatial perspectives on the spread and incidence of a disease is invaluable for public health planning and intervention. Choropleth maps are commonly used to provide an abstraction of disease risk across geographic space. These maps are derived from aggregated population counts that are known to be affected by the small numbers problem. Kernel density estimation methods account for this problem by producing risk estimates that are based on aggregations of approximately equal population sizes. However, the process of aggregation often combines data from areas with non-uniform spatial and population characteristics. This thesis presents a new method to aggregate space in ways that are sensitive to their underlying risk factors. Such maps will enable better public health practice and intervention by enhancing our ability to understand the spatial processes that result in disparate health outcomes.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Jones, Jesse Jack
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Still on the Sidelines: the Female Experience in Sports Media (open access)

Still on the Sidelines: the Female Experience in Sports Media

This qualitative study aims to analyze the lived reality of women working in sports media today. Through systematic analysis of 12 in-depth interviews, the findings of this study suggest that the adoption of technological advancements in news media and all associated outlets have created a leveling effect for women due to the demand for highly skilled individuals who can handle the digital demand of modern news production. This study suggests that longtime gender disparities in sports media are experiencing a bit of a reprieve due to the massive digital audience and the need for professionals who can deliver information quickly and efficiently and with accuracy. However, the persistent symbolic annihilation of women as well as hegemonic hiring practices that emphasize aesthetic appeal have created a difficult path for women to move off the sidelines and into roles with more creative and analytical breadth, even with a rapidly increasing demand for jobs in the media industry.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Blankenship, Sara K.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Academic Steroid: Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants at a North Texas University (open access)

The Academic Steroid: Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants at a North Texas University

The goal of this study was to determine the extent, motivations, and justifications of nonmedical prescription stimulant use among the population at a large public university in the North Texas region. Participants consisted of 526 undergraduate students enrolled at the studied university during the spring and summer 2014 semesters. The findings of the study suggest that the nonmedical use by students was higher than the findings in much of the current literature, but was within the parameters established in the literature. The primary motivation for nonmedical use was academic in nature and was justified by moderation of nonmedical use to strategic academic times.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Pennington, Cody W.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Behavioral Economics of Effort (open access)

The Behavioral Economics of Effort

Although response effort is considered a dimension of the cost to obtain reinforcement, little research has examined the economic impact of effort on demand for food. The goal of the present study was to explore the relationship between effort and demand. Three Sprague Dawley rats were trained to press a force transducer under a series of fixed-ratio schedules (1, 10, 18, 32, 56, 100, 180, 320, and 560) under different force requirements (5.6 g and 56 g). Thus, nominal unit price (responses / food) remained constant while minimal response force requirements varied. Using a force transducer allowed the measurement of responses failing to meet the minimal force requirement (i.e. “subcriterion responses”), an advantage over prior approaches using weighted levers to manipulate effort. Consistent with prior research, increasing the unit price decreased food consumption, and raising minimum force requirements further reduced demand for food. Additionally, increasing the force requirement produced subcriterion responses. Analysis indicated that subcriterion responses did not create incidental changes in unit price. Obtained force data revealed that including obtained forces in unit price calculations provided better predictions of consumption when compared to using criterion force requirements.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Nord, Christina M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Influence of Norwegian Folk Elements on Thomas Dyke Tellefsen’s Mazurkas Op 3 (1849) and Op 14 (1853) (open access)

The Influence of Norwegian Folk Elements on Thomas Dyke Tellefsen’s Mazurkas Op 3 (1849) and Op 14 (1853)

Although Thomas Dyke Tellefsen’s mazurkas have been considered mere imitations of Chopin’s musical idiom, his mazurkas are closely related to Norwegian folk elements. Tellefsen adopted Norwegian folkloric elements from his own country and infused Norwegian spirit into his works to create his own musical language. To trace the Norwegian folk influence, this study examines folk dance (the springar), folk instruments (the hardanger fiddle and the langeleik), and folk melodic and rhythmic motifs. As the result, this research demonstrates that Tellefsen’s mazurkas were influenced by a phrase structure of Norwegian springar dance music and the exact sound effect of folk instruments (the hardanger fiddle and the langeleik) as well as Norwegian folk rhythmic and melodic formulas which are frequently used in Norwegian folk tunes. Furthermore, the comparison between Tellefsen and Chopin’s mazurkas demonstrates that although their mazurkas seem to have a similar musical style, Tellefsen’s mazurkas include his own traditional Norwegian folk aesthetic, which present original contributions to the genre.
Date: December 2014
Creator: Lim, Mikyung
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Computer Assisted Instruction to Improve Theory of Mind in Children with Autism (open access)

Computer Assisted Instruction to Improve Theory of Mind in Children with Autism

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show significant deficits in communication, emotion recognition, perspective taking, and social skills. One intervention gaining increased attention is the use of computer assisted instruction (CAI) to teach social, emotional and perspective-taking skills to individuals with ASD with the purpose of improving theory of mind skills. This study evaluated the effectiveness of CAI for improving theory of mind skills in four children with high functioning autism ages 5 to 12 years. A single-subject multiple baseline research design across participants was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of CAI. The software contained 22 instructional scenarios that asked participants to identify emotions of characters based on situational cues displayed in line drawn pictures and audio feedback for correct and incorrect responses. Mind-reading skills were assessed using ten randomly selected scenarios for various emotions and no audio feedback. Visual analysis of the data revealed that all four participants increased mind-reading skills during the CAI condition. Additionally, this study evaluated levels of task engagement during experimental conditions. Three of the four participants showed an increase in task engagement during CAI compared to paper-based social stories used during baseline. Generalization of skills was assessed through the use of social scenarios acted …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Eason, Lindsey R.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Historical Study of the Paris Small Business Development Center in Paris, Texas: 1986-2006 (open access)

A Historical Study of the Paris Small Business Development Center in Paris, Texas: 1986-2006

This historical study chronicled events of the development and implementation of the Paris Small Business Development Center at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas from 1986-2006. Data was collected from primary and secondary sources and oral histories through personal interviews. The analysis included a brief history of higher education and the service mission and situated the study in the broader context as an extension program in higher education. This study provided a brief history of the U.S. Small Business Administration and America’s Small Business Development Center Network as a background for the study. This study is significant to scholars in the field of higher education for a number of reasons. It provides a historical analysis of a service program that extends the college to the community and demonstrates higher education and its role in economic development. It adds to the current body of research by advancing an understanding of a past to contemporary knowledge. Finally, by integrating historical perspectives from multiple disciplines in higher education, what happened and the context in which it happened can be more fully appreciated. This study also contributes to practical knowledge as it deepens the understanding of significant events and processes that contributed to the …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Smith, Donna Gayle
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluating the Feasibility of Accelerometers in Hand Gestures Recognition (open access)

Evaluating the Feasibility of Accelerometers in Hand Gestures Recognition

Gesture recognition plays an important role in human computer Interaction for intelligent computing. Major applications like Gaming, Robotics and Automated Homes uses gesture recognition techniques which diminishes the usage of mechanical devices. The main goal of my thesis is to interpret SWAT team gestures using different types of sensors. Accelerometer and flex sensors were explored extensively to build a prototype for soldiers to communicate in the absence of line of sight. Arm movements were recognized by flex sensors and motion gestures by Accelerometers. Accelerometers are used to measure acceleration in respect to movement of the sensor in 3D. Flex sensors changes its resistance based on the amount of bend in the sensor. SVM is the classification algorithm used for classification of the samples. LIBSVM (Library for Support Vector Machines) is integrated software for support vector classification, regression and distribution estimation which supports multi class classification. Sensors data is connected to the WI micro dig to digitize the signal and to transmit it wirelessly to the computing device. Feature extraction and Signal windowing were the two major factors which contribute for the accuracy of the system. Mean Average value and Standard Deviation are the two features considered for accelerometer sensor data …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Karlaputi, Sarada
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Diabetes Status of Mexican Americans: Impact of Country of Birth (open access)

Diabetes Status of Mexican Americans: Impact of Country of Birth

In order to better tailor treatment to specific populations, factors which contribute to health disparities among different racial/ethnic groups must be examined. Among Mexican American individuals, the high rate of diabetes represents a significant contributor to overall health. The present study focuses on factors affecting diabetes status among Mexican Americans born in either Mexico or the United States using the 2007 – 2008 NHANES data set. Comparisons were made between diabetes status based on self-report and clinical classification using HbA1c. Results indicated that within the diabetic subsample, Mexican Americans born in Mexico were twice as likely to be incorrectly classified as non-diabetic, when they actually were diabetic, when using a self-report method. In contrast, nativity did not result in differences in diabetes incidence using the HbA1c clinical cut-score diagnostic classification. Age, BMI, gender, nativity, and health insurance coverage were found to have varying relationships to diabetes prevalence and HbA1c levels, but time in the U.S. for Mexico-born individuals was not found to uniquely predict diabetes incidence. Analyses also demonstrated that Mexico-born males, as compared to the other groups, had significantly higher HbA1c levels. Further research is necessary to better understand the relationships among these factors. However, findings do demonstrate a …
Date: December 2014
Creator: Douglas, Megan E.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library