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
First-Time Parenthood: Attachment, Family Variables, Emotional Reactions, and Task Responsibilities as Predictors Of Stress (open access)

First-Time Parenthood: Attachment, Family Variables, Emotional Reactions, and Task Responsibilities as Predictors Of Stress

The purpose of this study was to explore factors which are predictive of parenting stress for first-time parents. Based on attachment theory and empirical research, the factors investigated were the responsibility for child care and housework, the current and retrospective relationship with the family of origin, the change in emotions related to parenthood, the marital relationship, and attachment and individuation.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Abbott, Donna Christine
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Corporate Accounting and Reporting Practices in Bahrain (open access)

An Analysis of Corporate Accounting and Reporting Practices in Bahrain

The primary objective of this dissertation is to determine the factors that have shaped the corporate financial reporting practices in Bahrain. Prior researchers have offered two explanations, environmental factors and cultural importation, for the emergence of financial reporting practices in developing countries. The environmental explanation suggests that a nation's financial reporting practices will be shaped by its socioeconomic structure. The cultural importation explanation states that the desire for international legitimacy creates incentives for developing nation to adopt Western financial reporting practices. Bahrain provided an excellent environment in which to examine the two explanations since its public and closed corporations have similar economic characteristics. Only public corporations are legally required to publish financial reports. I posited that public corporations would try to gain legitimacy for their published reports by adopting Western standards, while closed corporations would not have a similar incentive. I used an interpretive framework to analyze the Bahrain socioeconomic environment and to examine the general financial reporting practices of Bahraini corporations. I found that closed corporations provided data responsive to the Bahraini environment. Public corporations, however, adopted International Accounting Standards. My analysis supported prior researchers7 findings that colonialism, the need for international legitimacy, and international audit firms were important …
Date: December 1993
Creator: Abdul-Rahim, Hassan M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Someone to Talk to: Conversations Between Friends in a Junior High Lunch Room (open access)

Someone to Talk to: Conversations Between Friends in a Junior High Lunch Room

Quantitative studies dominate early adolescence research, a field which also lacks an understanding of communication behaviors between early adolescents. This study uses the qualitative methods of participant observation and informal interviews to observe conversations between girls in a junior high lunch room. Friendship characteristics and group socialization are discussed as they emerged from the field data. First, friendship hierarchies (best friend, close friend, and friend) may be adult-imposed structures. Hierarchies are not prominent in the minds of friends as they relate to each other in daily conversation. Second, friendship groups serve to socialize early adolescent girls.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Adams, Brenda Inglis
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting (open access)

Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting

The role of exposure to a human-made disaster and the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress reactions were examined. Subjects included 49 males and 30 females who were variously exposed to the Luby's shooting incident in Killeen, Texas in October of 1991. Post-traumatic stress symptomatology was measured by the SCL-90R. Exposure was operationalized by using a scenario-rating scheme with independent raters estimating each subject's level of exposure. A regression and commonality analysis revealed that exposure is an important predictor in post-traumatic symptomatology. Premorbid functioning and gender were also found to play important roles, with females expressing higher levels of symptomatology.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Adams, Pam, 1964-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bias in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gay Males (open access)

Bias in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gay Males

The purpose of this study was to explore heterosexual bias in the diagnosis and treatment of gay males. Two hundred-fifty (134 males and 116 females) mental health professionals from the Division of Psychotherapy (29) of the American Psychological Association participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two case history conditions, which presented a 35-year-old male seeking therapy. Both conditions were equivalent with regards to the presenting problem (i.e., diagnostic symptoms) with the exception of his significant other (i.e., gay vs. non-gay condition). Potential bias was measured through a diagnostic rating Likert scale and a treatment plan questionnaire. Other independent variables that could potentially have an effect on diagnostic ratings were explored, such as gender, year of graduation, and theoretical orientation of the respondents. Results of the statistical analyses failed to confirm evidence of heterosexual bias. Implications for further research and training are discussed.
Date: December 1996
Creator: Adams, Pamela (Pamela Ann)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identification of College Freshmen According to Scholastic and Persistence Potential (open access)

Identification of College Freshmen According to Scholastic and Persistence Potential

This study was designed to develop a procedure for the identification of freshman students at risk in the academic and social integration process at Texas Christian University. The data for the study were collected from the Student Information Form (SIF) and student records system at Texas Christian University. The data included demographic, attitudinal, educational background and one-year persistence indicators (retain and drop) as well as one-year cumulative grade point averages for the fall 1990 entering freshman class.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Adams, William F. (William Franklin)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southern Genre Painting and Illustration from 1830 to 1890 (open access)

Southern Genre Painting and Illustration from 1830 to 1890

The purpose of this thesis is to give a concise view of stylistic, iconographical, and iconological trends in Southern genre paintings and illustrations between 1830 and 1890 by native Southern artists and artists who lived at least ten years in the South. Exploration of artworks was accomplished by compiling as many artworks as possible per decade, separating each decade by dominant trends in subject matter, and researching to determine political and/or social implications associated with and affecting each image. Historical documents and the findings of other scholars revealed that many artworks carried political overtones reflecting the dominant thought of the white ruling class during the period while the significance and interpretation of other artworks was achieved by studying dominant personal beliefs and social practices.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Akard, Carrie Meitzner
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Perceptions of Student Affairs Services by Students and Student Affairs Personnel at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (open access)

Perceptions of Student Affairs Services by Students and Student Affairs Personnel at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students and student affairs personnel of student affairs services at Andrews University's main campus in Berrien Springs, Michigan. A modified questionnaire, based on the work of Selgas and Blocker (1974) and Glenister (1977), was developed for this study. Eleven student services found in the Council for the Advancement of Standards for Student Services/Development Program's guidelines were included. A random sample of 280 students at Andrews University received surveys, with 165 (59%) responding. The 30 full-time student affairs personnel also received surveys, with 20 (67%) responding. Students and student affairs personnel rated their perceptions of student services, using 77 statements associated with these services. Services were rated on a 6-point scale in the categories of status of knowledge, relative importance, and effectiveness. Respondents were asked to include additional comments concerning the services and to provide biographical data. The following are some of the main findings: Significant differences between students' and student affairs personnel's status of knowledge of student services were found in career planning/employment, commuter programs/services, counseling services/substance abuse education, religious programs/services, student activities, and wellness/health. Significant differences between the two groups' perceptions of relative importance of student services were …
Date: December 1995
Creator: Akos, Hosea Dodo
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The State of Democracy in the Arab World (open access)

The State of Democracy in the Arab World

This comparative study assesses the state of democracy and examines the process of democratization in the Arab World between the years 1980-1993. It addresses shortcomings in the mainstream democracy literature that excluded the Arab World from the global democratic revolution on political cultural grounds. To fulfil the objectives of this study, I employ both the qualitative and quantitative research approaches to test a number of hypothesized relationships. I hypothesize that transition to democracy is negatively associated with economic development, militarism, U.S. foreign policy, the political economy of oil, and dependency. I contend that emerging civil society institutions so far have had no significant effect on democratization in the Arab World. Finally, I hypothesize that the level of democracy in the Arab World is influenced greatly by the issue of civil rights. In order to investigate the hypothesized relationships, the following data sets have been used: Gastil's Freedom House Data set, "Repression and Freedom in the 1980s" data set, and Vanhanen's 1990 data set. The findings of this study support the aforementioned hypothesized relationships. I find that Arab countries, in general have made modest progress toward democracy, making the Arab World part of the global revolution.
Date: December 1995
Creator: Al-Olimat, Muhamad S. (Muhamad Salim)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anomalous Behavior in the Rotational Spectra of the v₈=2 and the v₈=3 Vibrations for the ¹³C and ¹⁵N Tagged Isotopes of the CH₃CN Molecule in the Frequency Range 17-95 GHz (open access)

Anomalous Behavior in the Rotational Spectra of the v₈=2 and the v₈=3 Vibrations for the ¹³C and ¹⁵N Tagged Isotopes of the CH₃CN Molecule in the Frequency Range 17-95 GHz

The rotational microwave spectra of the three isotopes (^13CH_3^12C^15N, ^12CH_3^13C^15N, and ^13CH_3^13C^15N) of the methyl cyanide molecule in the v_8=3, v_8=2, v_7=1 and v_4=1 vibrational energy levels for the rotational components 1£J£5 (for a range of frequency 17-95 GHz.) were experimentally and theoretically examined. Rotational components in each vibration were measured to determine the mutual interactions in each vibration between any of the vibrational levels investigated. The method of isotopic substitution was employed for internal tuning of each vibrational level by single and double substitution of ^13C in the two sites of the molecule. It was found that relative frequencies within each vibration with respect to another vibration were shifted in a systematic way. The results given in this work were interpreted on the basis of these energy shifts. Large departure between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted frequency for the quantum sets (J, K=±l, ϑ=±1), Kϑ-l in the v_8=3 vibrational states for the ^13c and ^15N tagged isotopes of CH_3CN showed anomalous behavior which was explained as being due to Fermi resonance. Accidently strong resonances (ASR) were introduced to account for some departures which were not explained by Fermi resonance.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Al-Share, Mohammad A. (Mohammad Abdel)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Alcoholism and the Family: The Destructive Forces in Hardy's Tess of the D'urbervilles (open access)

Alcoholism and the Family: The Destructive Forces in Hardy's Tess of the D'urbervilles

This study examines the forces which shaped the main character--Tess Durbeyfield--in Hardy's novel in terms of the effects which her alcoholic family had upon her mental and emotional potential and which ultimately become the determining factors in her self-destruction. Using the elements and patterns set forth in the literature regarding the dynamics of the alcoholic family, I attempt to show that Hardy's novel may best be understood as the story of a woman whose life and destiny are controlled by the consequences of her father's alcoholism. This interpretation seems to account best for many elements of the novel, such as Tess's destruction, and provides a rich appreciation of Hardy's technique and vision.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Alexander, Elizabeth Chenoweth
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Rise and Fall of Military Regimes in the Sudan, 1956-1989 (open access)

The Rise and Fall of Military Regimes in the Sudan, 1956-1989

This study attempts to explore the factors that contributed to the rise and fall of military regimes in the Sudan from independence in 1956 to 1989. Further, the study tries to identify the factors that led to the collapse of either or both civilian and military regimes. Most of the studies on military politics have focused their research on either military coups or, more recently, on military withdrawal from politics. This work tries to synthesize the study of military coups and military withdrawal from politics into a single theoretical framework.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Ali Ahmed, Hassan Elhag
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Uniqueness of Positive Solutions for Elliptic Dirichlet Problems (open access)

Uniqueness of Positive Solutions for Elliptic Dirichlet Problems

In this paper we consider the question of uniqueness of positive solutions for Dirichlet problems of the form - Δ u(x)= g(λ,u(x)) in B, u(x) = 0 on ϑB, where A is the Laplace operator, B is the unit ball in RˆN, and A>0. We show that if g(λ,u)=uˆ(N+2)/(N-2) + λ, that is g has "critical growth", then large positive solutions are unique. We also prove uniqueness of large solutions when g(λ,u)=A f(u) with f(0) < 0, f "superlinear" and monotone. We use a number of methods from nonlinear functional analysis such as variational identities, Sturm comparison theorems and methods of order. We also present a regularity result on linear elliptic equation where a coefficient has critical growth.
Date: December 1990
Creator: Ali, Ismail, 1961-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Model for Long-range Correlations in DNA Sequences (open access)

Model for Long-range Correlations in DNA Sequences

We address the problem of the DNA sequences developing a "dynamical" method based on the assumption that the statistical properties of DNA paths are determined by the joint action of two processes, one deterministic, with long-range correlations, and the other random and delta correlated. The generator of the deterministic evolution is a nonlinear map, belonging to a class of maps recently tailored to mimic the processes of weak chaos responsible for the birth of anomalous diffusion. It is assumed that the deterministic process corresponds to unknown biological rules which determine the DNA path, whereas the noise mimics the influence of an infinite-dimensional environment on the biological process under study. We prove that the resulting diffusion process, if the effect of the random process is neglected, is an a-stable Levy process with 1 < a < 2. We also show that, if the diffusion process is determined by the joint action of the deterministic and the random process, the correlation effects of the "deterministic dynamics" are cancelled on the short-range scale, but show up in the long-range one. We denote our prescription to generate statistical sequences as the Copying Mistake Map (CMM). We carry out our analysis of several DNA sequences, …
Date: December 1996
Creator: Allegrini, Paolo
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interpersonal Perception and Communication within Marital Dyads (open access)

Interpersonal Perception and Communication within Marital Dyads

The present study examined the relationships among similarity, interpersonal perception and communicative behaviors in marriage. It was hypothesized that greater understanding, feelings of being understood, and realization of understanding would be associated with greater self-disclosure, use of more direct person control strategies, and use of less attention control strategies. It was further hypothesized that measuring feelings of being understood and realization of understanding, in addition to measuring understanding, would improve prediction of behavior. Finally, it was hypothesized that the contextual measure of understanding would better predict self-disclosure and interpersonal control than would global measures of understanding.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Allen, Bruce W. (Bruce Wayne), 1958-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of Diet, Water, and Culture Size for Ceriodaphnia Dubia Laboratory Culturing (open access)

Evaluation of Diet, Water, and Culture Size for Ceriodaphnia Dubia Laboratory Culturing

Six reagent waters, eleven diets, and two culture sizes were evaluated for culturing C. dubia. Different filtration techniques were used to prepare the reagent waters. The eleven diets were comprised of two algae augmented with eight supplements. Reproduction and growth were assessed to discern differences among C. dubia raised in mass cultures and cultured in individual cups, during which, bacterial population densities, lipid, protein, and carbohydrate concentrations of the diets were measured. Results showed that a glass-distilled, carbon filtered, deionized reagent water and a Selenastrum capricornutum- Cerophyl® diet were optimum for culturing. Mass culturing supported the highest reproduction and growth, while no correlation was found between nutritional measurements and production.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Allen, Jerry D. (Jerry Dee)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Jasmine's Secret: Narrative Cantata for Five Solo Voices, Narrator, and Orchestra (open access)

Jasmine's Secret: Narrative Cantata for Five Solo Voices, Narrator, and Orchestra

Since Jasmine's Secret contains elements of cantata and follows a dramatic story or program, the work may be classified as a narrative or dramatic story or program, the work may be classified as a narrative or dramatic cantata employing five solo voices, narrator and orchestra. This work attempts a revival of these two genres as a combined entity due to the decreased popularity of both cantata and programmatic music in the 20th century.
Date: December 1994
Creator: Alley, Candace P.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Tent and its Contents: a Study of the Traditional Arts of Weaving by the Otaibah Tribe in Saudi Arabia (open access)

The Tent and its Contents: a Study of the Traditional Arts of Weaving by the Otaibah Tribe in Saudi Arabia

This was an ethnographic study of the woven tent objects produced by the Bedouin Otaibah tribe in Najd, central Saudi Arabia; the study examines origin, techniques, character and significance of their weavings. A major objective of the researcher was to discern the relationship between the weavers' development of traditions and the factors of technique, medium and perceived meaning. The method used was investigative fieldwork that included techniques of face to face interviews and participant observation. Interviews with 50 Bedouin female weavers in Najd were conducted for 8 months. Background information on the Otaibah tribe and their traditional way of life was provided. The review of the literature of traditional arts, folk arts and art education illustrates that there is limited accessible information concerning the general history of traditional arts in Saudi Arabia. A discussion of the aesthetic value, definitions and roles of traditional art, tribal art and the differences between art and crafts was included. Analysis of data answered the study's questions through a presentation of the findings of the fieldwork. The Otaibah tribe has its own unique style of weaving. Information gathered from participant observation and documents from the Haifa Faisal Collection of Saudi Arabian Traditional Arts in Chicago …
Date: December 1998
Creator: Alruwais, Bader A.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Implementation of Transition from Spanish Reading to English Reading Programs in Bilingual Classrooms (open access)

The Implementation of Transition from Spanish Reading to English Reading Programs in Bilingual Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to describe the actual implementation of the transition process as observed in bilingual classrooms, and in particular, to examine the critical components (policy, curricular, and instructional characteristics) of the Spanish-to-English reading transition policies implemented in bilingual education programs in elementary schools in the Denton Independent School District in Texas. Four research questions drove this study. To investigate these questions, a multidimensional, descriptive research design was employed. The researcher used questionnaires, interviews, and field observations. The 11 educators, 6 bilingual teachers, 2 school-site principals, 2 school-site coordinators, and 1 district bilingual coordinator, were asked several types of questions (open response and closed response) using different types of instruments (questionnaires and interviews). Also, the six bilingual teachers were observed using two types of instruments (field notes and video tapes).
Date: December 1994
Creator: Amaya, Jesús, 1956-
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 44, Number [9], December 1990 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 44, Number [9], December 1990

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 1990
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 45, Number 4, December 1991 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 45, Number 4, December 1991

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 1991
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 46, Number 4, December 1992 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 46, Number 4, December 1992

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 1992
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 47, Number 4, December 1993 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 47, Number 4, December 1993

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 1993
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library