Dynamic Assessment as an Approach to French Pronunciation Instruction (open access)

Dynamic Assessment as an Approach to French Pronunciation Instruction

This thesis is focused on dynamic assessment (DA), an instructional approach based on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, applied to French pronunciation instruction, which can be neglected or inconsistent in the foreign language curriculum. DA aims to combine instruction and assessment into a cooperative, mediated approach in which the mediator works with the learner to identify and develop emergent abilities. These emergent abilities can appear in what is often referred to as the zone of proximal development (ZPD), or the difference between what a learner can do independently and what he/she can do with mediation, which in the present study was the difference between what the participant could pronounce correctly with or without mediation. In carrying out an individual DA session with a learner, the author aimed to find suggestions of potential benefits by applying DA to French pronunciation instruction and gain a more detailed understanding of the learner's performance than is generally possible from a traditional assessment, which is totally devoid of mediation for the sake of validity and reliability. The study includes a discussion of some potential benefits and limitations related to the use of DA for teaching French pronunciation to intermediate L2 learners based on what was observed in …
Date: May 2021
Creator: Center, Sarah M
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Computational Techniques for Accelerated Materials Discovery (open access)

Computational Techniques for Accelerated Materials Discovery

Increasing ubiquity of computational resources has enabled simulation of complex electronic systems and modern materials. The PAOFLOW software package is a tool designed to construct and analyze tight binding Hamiltonians from the solutions of DFT calculations. PAOFLOW leverages localized basis sets to greatly reduce computational costs of post-processing QE simulation results, enabling efficient determination of properties such as electronic density, band structures in the presence of electric or magnetic fields, magnetic or spin circular dichroism, spin-texture, Fermi surfaces, spin or anomalous Hall conductivity (SHC or AHC), electronic transport, and more. PAOFLOW's broad functionality is detailed in this work, and several independent studies where PAOFLOW's capabilities directly enabled research on promising candidates for ferroelectric and spintronic based technologies are described. Today, Quantum computers are at the forefront of computational information science. Materials scientists and quantum chemists can use quantum computers to simulate interacting systems of fermions, without having to perform the iterative methods of classical computing. This dissertation also describes a study where the band structure for silicon is simulated for the first time on quantum hardware and broadens this concept for simulating band structures of generic crystalline structures on quantum machines.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Cerasoli, Franklin
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Adult Attachment Anxiety and Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Dedication and Constraint Commitment

Adult attachment has been found to play an important role for romantic relationship satisfaction. Specifically, the existent literature generally suggests that attachment anxiety is negatively related to relationship satisfaction. However, the underlying mechanism for this link still needs further exploration. The present study examined the direct and indirect effect of attachment anxiety on relationship satisfaction via two distinct relationship commitment variables: constraint commitment and dedication commitment. The final sample included 146 unmarried participants who were in a romantic relationship for at least three months. Results of multiple regression analyses on the indirect effect model indicated that attachment anxiety had a significant direct effect on relationship satisfaction as well as a significant indirect effect on relationship satisfaction via constraint commitment. However, the hypothesized indirect effect through dedication commitment was not supported. Findings are discussed from the adult attachment perspective. Counseling implications, limitations, and future research directions are outlined.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Chao, Wan Ju
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The First Movements of Sergei Bortkiewicz's Two Piano Sonatas, Op. 9 and Op. 60: A Comparison including Schenkerian Analysis and an Examination of Classical and Romantic Influences (open access)

The First Movements of Sergei Bortkiewicz's Two Piano Sonatas, Op. 9 and Op. 60: A Comparison including Schenkerian Analysis and an Examination of Classical and Romantic Influences

The purpose of this study is to analyze the first movements of Sergei Bortkiewicz's two piano sonatas and compare them with works by other composers that may have served as compositional models. More specifically, the intention is to examine the role of the subdominant key in the recapitulation and trace possible inspirations and influences from the Classical and Romantic styles, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. The dissertation employs Schenkerian analysis to elucidate the structure of Bortkiewicz's movements. In addition, the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 545, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, and the first movement of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet in A, D. 667, are examined in order to illuminate the similarities and differences between the use of the subdominant recapitulation by these composers and Bortkiewicz.
Date: August 2021
Creator: Chen, Yi Jing
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Introduction to the Piano Works of William Mason (1829-1908) and a Performance Guide to Selected Repertoire for Intermediate Students (open access)

An Introduction to the Piano Works of William Mason (1829-1908) and a Performance Guide to Selected Repertoire for Intermediate Students

William Mason (1829–1908) was a well-known American composer, pianist, and pedagogue. Researchers have mainly focused on Mason's career as a pedagogue in the United States and his pedagogical treatises, which are widely considered and used as the conceptual core of teaching materials on the nineteenth century. However, there has been only an annotated catalogue of Mason's music works, and no performance guide to his piano compositions. This dissertation is designed to be the first performance guide to his solo piano repertoire and act as an introduction to his music through an examination of selected works suitable for the intermediate student. This study provides instruction for students on how to practice these works through the analysis of the elements of practice – pedaling, phrasing, technique practice, touch, and musical expression – which were all considered as essential by Mason himself for a good performance. The five piano works selected are: Three Preludes, Op. 8, No. 1; Ballade et Barcarole, Op. 15; Valse Caprice, Op.17; Spring-Dawn, Mazurka–Caprice, Op. 20; and Spring Flower–Impromptu, Op. 21.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Chen, Ying-Chieh
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Embedded Sensing Textiles for Corrosion Detection

Corrosion in underground and submerged steel pipes is a global problem. Coatings serve as an impermeable barrier or a sacrificial element to the transport of corrosive fluids. When this barrier fails, corrosion in the metal initiates. There is a critical need for sensors at the metal/coating interface as an early alert system. Current options utilize metal sensors, leading to accelerating corrosion. In this dissertation, a non-conductive sensor textile as a viable solution was investigated. For this purpose, non-woven zinc (II) oxide-polyvinylidene fluoride (ZnO-PVDF) nanocomposite fiber textiles were prepared in a range of weight fractions (1%, 3%, and 5% ZnO) and placed at the coating/steel interface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) testing was performed during the immersion of the coated samples to validate the effectiveness of the sensor textile. In the second part of this dissertation, an accelerated thermal cyclic method has been applied to determine sensor's reliability in detecting corrosion under actual service condition. The results suggested that the coating is capable of detecting corrosion under harsh conditions. Moreover, the addition of ZnO decreases the error in sensor textile and improved coating's barrier property. In the next phase, experiments were conducted to detect the type of corrosion (pitting or uniform) underneath …
Date: August 2021
Creator: Chowdhury, Tonoy
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navigating Musical Tensions: African American Themes against Western Structure in Florence B. Price's (1887-1953) Piano Sonata in E minor (open access)

Navigating Musical Tensions: African American Themes against Western Structure in Florence B. Price's (1887-1953) Piano Sonata in E minor

Florence Price (1887–1953) was one of the most important African American woman composers of the early twentieth century. Price's music is known for combining techniques of Western art music with elements of the African American musical heritage. Although Price composed many works for piano, from large virtuoso pieces to characteristic miniatures, this study will address only her Piano Sonata in E minor. The purpose of this study is to analyze this sonata and discuss her compositional techniques and musical style as a combination of African American elements and Classical European procedures, combined and coordinated yet remaining in tension. Traditional European harmony, tonality, and form are successfully combined with African American characteristics: pentatonic scale, spirituals, syncopations, repetition, and dance rhythms. Indeed, Price's work is a considerable achievement, and she is one of the important African American women composers who should be better recognized today.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Chun, Yeo Hun
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Abraham Solvation Model Used for Prediction of Solvent-Solute Interactions and New Methods for Updating Parameters (open access)

The Abraham Solvation Model Used for Prediction of Solvent-Solute Interactions and New Methods for Updating Parameters

The Abraham solvation model (ABSM) is an experimentally derived predictive model used to help predict various solute properties. This work covers various uses for the ABSM including predicting molar enthalpies of vaporization, predicting solvent coefficients for two new solvents (2,2,5,5-tetramethyloxolane and diethyl carbonate), predicting values for multiple new ionic liquids (ILs). This work also introduces a novel method for updating IL ABSM parameters by updating cation- and anion-specific values using linear algebra and binary matrices.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Churchill, Brittani N.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Well Dressed Menagerie: Defining and Teaching Courtliness with Animals and Clothing in the Lais of Marie de France

In this dissertation, I explore how the twelfth-century poet Marie de France combines animals and clothing to define and teach noble conduct in her Lais collection. I suggest that the nexus she creates between animals, dress, and virtue is chimeric but consistent, appearing differently in each narrative situation but recurring as a means of demonstrating moral conduct. My chapters explore three of her lais that combine beasts and attire to address the unique way Marie features the animal-clothing combination in each to teach distinctive lessons in virtuous behavior. My chapter on Guigemar argues that Marie uses the magical hind and the exchange of a knotted shirt and a belt to rework Ovidian anti-love themes to teach the value of being tightly bound in loyal love. Chapter 3 analyzes the eponymous knight's removal of his clothing as the mechanism that triggers his appearance as a werewolf in Marie's lai Bisclavret. I show that Bisclavret's werewolf form is like a sartorial skin under which his selfhood remains unaltered rather than a true transformation, and I argue that Marie uses the knight's appearance as a wolf so that the loyalty he demonstrates to his king and his homosocial community becomes voluntary and therefore …
Date: August 2021
Creator: Clark, C. Natalie Massie
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Wrong Feast

A collection of poems with a preface.
Date: August 2021
Creator: Clifton, Brian
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Effects of Surface Texture and Porosity on the Corrosion Behavior and Biocompatibility of Pure Zinc Biomaterials for Orthopedic Applications

In this dissertation, small and large NaCl particle-derived surfaces (Ra > 40 microns) were generated on 2D Zn materials, and the surfaces were carefully studied concerning topography, corrosion behavior, and bone cell compatibility. Increases in surface roughness accelerated the corrosion rate, and cell viability was maintained. This method was then extended to 3D porous scaffolds prepared by a hybrid AM/casting technique. The scaffolds displayed a near-net shape, an interconnected pore structure, increasing porosity paralleled to an increased corrosion rate, an ability to support cell growth, and powerful antibacterial properties. Lastly, nano/micro (Rz 0.02–1 microns) topographies were generated on 2D Zn materials, and the materials were comprehensively studied with special attention devoted to corrosion behavior, biocompatibility, osteogenic differentiation, immune cell response, hemocompatibility, and antibacterial performance. For the first time, the textured nonhemolytic surfaces on Zn were shown to direct cell fate, and the micro-textures promoted bone cell differentiation and directed immune cells away from an inflammatory phenotype.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Cockerill, Irsalan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Trans Accessible Libraries Initiative

Presentation with speakers' notes describing the Trans Accessible Libraries Initiative at the University of North Texas Libraries. This initiative uses findings documented in recent studies addressing information seeking behaviors of transgender persons and their perceptions of the library to provide more equitable access to their services and collections. The presentation shares the needs assessment, collection development process, promotion and outreach, and next steps related to this initiative in hopes that other libraries can modify them to serve marginalized populations in their communities.
Date: July 23, 2021
Creator: Condrey, Coby & Leuzinger, Julie
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library
CO2 Transport and Acid-Base Status during Fluctuations in Metabolic Status in Reptiles (open access)

CO2 Transport and Acid-Base Status during Fluctuations in Metabolic Status in Reptiles

Reptiles can often experience perturbations that greatly influence their metabolic status (e.g., temperature, exercise, digestion, and ontogeny). The most common cause of fluctuations in metabolic status in post-embryonic reptiles is arguably digestion and physical activity (which will be further referred to as exercise). The objective of this thesis is to determine the mechanisms involved in CO2 transport during digestion, determine the mechanisms that allow for the maintenance of acid-base homeostasis during digestion, and observing the effect of an understudied form of exercise in semi-aquatic reptiles on the regulation of metabolic acidosis and base deficit. This dissertation provided evidence for potentially novel and under investigated mechanisms for acid-base homeostasis (e.g., small intestine and tissue buffering capacity; Chapters 3 & 4), while also debunking a proposed hypothesis for the function of an anatomical feature that still remains a mystery to comparative physiologist (Chapter 2). This thesis is far from systematic and exhaustive in its approach, however, the work accomplished in this dissertation has become the foundation for multiple distinct paths for ecologically relevant investigations of the regulation of metabolic acidosis/alkalosis in reptiles.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Conner, Justin Lawrence
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
King of the Merchandise: How Showa Era Paratexts Forever Changed the Godzilla Franchise (open access)

King of the Merchandise: How Showa Era Paratexts Forever Changed the Godzilla Franchise

The Godzilla media franchise is one of the longest running media franchises, which means the character himself has gone through many changes throughout the years. However, in American pop culture, the characters of Godzilla is perceived as a hero, a friend of humanity and defender of Earth. This reputation comes from the Showa Era, where Godzilla often fought on the side of humanity, rather than trying to destroy them as depicted in the original Gojira. In recent years, Toho, Godzilla's corporate owners, have been steering the King of the Monsters back into the villain role. Despite this tone shift by Godzilla's owners, American Godzilla paratexts still generally depict Godzilla as a hero. These depictions of Godzilla are used to maintain his status as a family friendly heritage brand and keep a door open for parents to introduce their children to the brand. Such a strategy allows Godzilla to survive into the modern day as an international powerhouse franchise.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Cooper, Dalton
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. [56], Ed. 1 July 2021 (open access)

South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. [56], Ed. 1 July 2021

Quarterly newspaper from Corpus Christi, Texas published by the Diocese of Corpus Christi that includes news of interest to Diocese members along with advertising.
Date: July 2021
Creator: Cottingham, Mary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 1, Ed. 1 Spring 2021 (open access)

South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 1, Ed. 1 Spring 2021

Quarterly newspaper from Corpus Christi, Texas published by the Diocese of Corpus Christi that includes news of interest to Diocese members along with advertising.
Date: Spring 2021
Creator: Cottingham, Mary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 2, Ed. 1 Summer 2021 (open access)

South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 2, Ed. 1 Summer 2021

Quarterly newspaper from Corpus Christi, Texas published by the Diocese of Corpus Christi that includes news of interest to Diocese members along with advertising.
Date: Summer 2021
Creator: Cottingham, Mary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 3, Ed. 1 Fall 2021 (open access)

South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 3, Ed. 1 Fall 2021

Quarterly newspaper from Corpus Christi, Texas published by the Diocese of Corpus Christi that includes news of interest to Diocese members along with advertising.
Date: Autumn 2021
Creator: Cottingham, Mary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 4, Ed. 1 Winter 2021 (open access)

South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 4, Ed. 1 Winter 2021

Quarterly newspaper from Corpus Christi, Texas published by the Diocese of Corpus Christi that includes news of interest to Diocese members along with advertising.
Date: Winter 2021
Creator: Cottingham, Mary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fractography and Mechanical Properties of Laminated Alumina and Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (open access)

Fractography and Mechanical Properties of Laminated Alumina and Yttria Stabilized Zirconia

Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is a polymorph with possible phase transformation toughening occurring during impact. The fractography and mechanical properties of laminated alumina and YSZ were studied in this thesis. Five sample types were studied in this thesis: (5:5) Al2O3/YSZ (a sequence of 5 alumina tapes stacked on 5 YSZ tapes), (5:5) Al2O3/YSZ (1 wt.% Pure ZrO2), (7:3) Al2O3/YSZ, Al2O3, and YSZ. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray microscopy (XRM) were used to study morphology and crack propagation with three-point tests performed to study the flexural strength. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra of all samples pre and post three-point tests were examined to determine if a change in monoclinic zirconia occurred. The combination of SEM and XRM data found microcracks in the YSZ layers of Al2O3/YSZ laminates with none present on YSZ laminates, leading to the conclusion tensile stress was performed on YSZ during sintering with Al2O3. Fracture patterns show a curving of cracks in Al2O3 layers and abrupt, jagged breaks in YSZ layers with crack forking at major YSZ microcrack regions. YSZ laminates were found to have the highest average flexural strength, but a very high standard deviation and low sample count and Al2O3 laminates having the second highest flexural …
Date: December 2021
Creator: Cotton, Shomari Johnny
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
"I disappear in this whole big world": Re-storying the Bearers of Music Culture in the U.S. Academy (open access)

"I disappear in this whole big world": Re-storying the Bearers of Music Culture in the U.S. Academy

Current practices in music education parallel the expansion of globalization and cross-cultural contact. However, the multicultural music education movement—referred to by some as "world music education"—has been primarily about the diversity of musical experiences and less about the circumstances and processes of the music itself. As a result, Western music educators often neglect inseparable learning pathways and unintentionally distort the meaning and value of diverse musics from around the world. While there is considerable research examining the teaching and learning of diverse music cultures, significant portions of that literature only represent the observed accounts of cultural outsiders. In this study, I examined the lived experiences of world music culture bearers who teach in Western university institutions in the Southwest region of the United States. I used narrative inquiry to learn more about their pedagogical experiences and documented their storied accounts of interactions with university students. I based the theoretical framework in this study on Clandinin and Connelly's narrative inquiry three-dimensional space model and Schippers' twelve continuum transmission framework. My primary findings revealed that teaching in a cross-cultural setting involves several musical and contextual choices. Moreover, the perceived authenticity of the research participants' transmission processes was often a byproduct of their …
Date: December 2021
Creator: Crawford, Michael O.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Character Strengths in High School Choir: Students' Perceptions of Their Choral Experience (open access)

Character Strengths in High School Choir: Students' Perceptions of Their Choral Experience

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of character strengths that high school students reported to develop while participating in choir. I created the Character Strengths in Choir Scale (CSCS) to explore the degree to which students believed they exercised 18 character strengths. Local choir students in the pilot study (n = 44) and the main study (n = 114) completed the CSCS and revealed that gratitude, teamwork, and honesty were among the most prevalent strengths while bravery, creativity, and spirituality were among the least prevalent strengths. Student responses were also investigated by subgroups according to gender and years of experience. Results indicated that there were statistically significant differences for the ranking of various character strengths in each subgroup. Aggregately, high school choir students viewed themselves as above average on all assessed strengths.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Critchfield, Jared B., II
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flipping Scripts: Mentoring for Secondary Readers (open access)

Flipping Scripts: Mentoring for Secondary Readers

Researchers have reported that a variety of socio-cultural interventions can be used to increase positive attitudes toward reading for secondary students. A socially constructed reading intervention could add learning growth for a reluctant reading population. This study examines whether secondary students experience a measurable increase in positive attitudes toward reading after engaging in modeling and mentoring sessions with a much younger student and whether there is a perceivable difference in the secondary students' attitude following this mentoring activity. A variation of the one-way ANOVA, the Mann-Whitney U test, was completed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between these groups of students after participating in the reading intervention plan. It was determined that a small increase was found in one of the domains. The measurement survey is divided into four measured components that align with Albert Bandura's model for self- efficacy. The results from this study indicated growth in only one of the measures, however, some of the outcomes in the other measures suggested potential growth in attitudes with a relaxation of these necessary experimental strictures. A limitation of this research was the change from face-to-face tutoring completed by the secondary student with elementary students in an afterschool …
Date: August 2021
Creator: Cross, Terry
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Analysis of the Integration of LEO Satellite Constellations into 5G Networks

Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems have been proposed as a resource for combating the challenges in 5G network coverage and expanding connectivity to a global realm. This research focuses on the current architecture of LEO satellite constellations, with an emphasis on satellite coverage, visibility patterns and coordination schemes. Key-elements of integrating LEO satellites into the eMBB component of 5G are presented and a breakdown of potential link channel characteristics and physical layer performance metrics are described. The produced information allows for a justified analysis on the conceptualized integration.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Cruz Vazquez, Martin
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library