Abraham Lincoln and the American Romantic Writers: Embodiment and Perpetuation of an Ideal (open access)

Abraham Lincoln and the American Romantic Writers: Embodiment and Perpetuation of an Ideal

The American Romantic writers laid a broad foundation for the historic and heroic Abraham Lincoln who has evolved as our national myth. The writers were attracted to Lincoln by his eloquent expression of the body of ideals and beliefs they shared with him, especially the ideal of individual liberty and the belief that achievement of the ideal would bring about an amelioration of the human condition. The time, place and conditions in which they lived enhanced the attraction, and Lincoln's able leadership during the Civil War strengthened their estimation of him. His martyrdom was the catalyst which enabled the Romantic writers to lay the foundation of the Lincoln myth which has made his name synonymous with individual freedom everywhere even today.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Hicks, Mary G. (Mary Geraldine)
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
System: The UNT Digital Library
Alternative Funding Models for Financing Construction of Public School Facilities and Debt Retirement (open access)

Alternative Funding Models for Financing Construction of Public School Facilities and Debt Retirement

The main purpose of this study was to examine the various finance models that are presently being used to finance facilities and to provide information for the Texas legislature, the Texas Education Agency, and local school districts concerning facilities funding models that might be used in Texas. Based on the information gathered and analyzed, several conclusions are drawn and recommendations regarding state funding of capital projects in the State of Texas are made. The model recommended for Texas is one that provides for an equalized grant and includes formulas for the distribution of state money.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Rambo, Jack (Jack Howard)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Factors in the Adoption or Non-Adoption of Videodisc Technology in North American Academic and Special Libraries (open access)

An Analysis of Factors in the Adoption or Non-Adoption of Videodisc Technology in North American Academic and Special Libraries

The researcher identified 37 independent variables to study their effect on the two dependent variables, the acquisition of videodiscs and the functions for which videodisc programs were acquired. The literature of the applications of videodisc technology in libraries, museums, education and industry, as well as related issues concerning interactive video, were presented in Chapter 2. Using the diffusion of innovation theory of Everett Rogers as a guide, the researcher constructed a questionnaire. Valid responses totaled 462 from management of all types of academic libraries and from special libraries other than non-academic law, military, veterans' hospital, and church libraries. The following conclusions were made from the results: there were significant correlations between having videodiscs and perceptions of greater benefits than costs, appropriateness of videodisc programs for libraries' objectives or curricula, seeing videodiscs as an enhancement of an existing library technology, collection of videocassettes, and ability to raise funds from slack resources. The size of the libraries' materials and equipment budgets had some significance, but it was not consistently significant, as it was for the above-mentioned factors, at the p < .01 level. Lack of in-house recording ability did not impose a barrier on adoption of discs among respondents. Full--motion, full-screen video …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Kelley, Robert E. (Robert Emmett)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of the Accounting System of the Quincy Mining Company: 1846-1900 (open access)

An Analysis of the Accounting System of the Quincy Mining Company: 1846-1900

This historical study examines the evolution of the accounting system of the Quincy Mining Company between 1846 and 1900. The external financial reporting practices and internal accounting procedures of the firm are defined and interpreted in the context of three time periods that portray the formation, growth and maturation of the firm. Each period reflects unique economic and social conditions that are associated with changes in the firm's accounting system. A cross temporal analysis of these changes highlights three factors: the relationship between the accounting system and the labor force, the emergence of accounting as a control mechanism and the diminishing informational content of the firm's annual reports. Primary sources are used to document the perspectives of the Quincy management and to assess the motivations for accounting processes such as internal control, auditing procedures, responsibility centers and other managerial practices. This study addresses the inherent nature of accounting information and its relationship to the economic and social environment of an individual firm in the nineteenth century.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Michael, Rodney R. (Rodney Richard)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anger and Hostility Measures: Effects of Social Desirability (open access)

Anger and Hostility Measures: Effects of Social Desirability

Individuals responding in a socially desirable (SD) fashion, rather than in a manner that reflects their true behavior, has been a problem for self-report questionnaires since their inception. The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that the probability an item is endorsed on a self-report measure of anger is directly proportional to the rated SD of that item. Eighty-two subjects completed the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the Profile of Moods State (POMS), and the State- Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). A probability of endorsement was computed for each of the measures' items. Twenty additional subjects rated the measures' items for SD. Each item's SD rating was paired with the probability the item was endorsed to produce a correlation coefficient for each measure. Results strongly support the stated hypothesis. Directions for future research are discussed.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Coffey, Scott F. (Scott Franklin)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Attributional Analysis of the Causes Cited by Junior High School Band Directors for Success and Failure at U.I.L. Concert/Sightreading Contest and Their Attitudes Towards Contest (open access)

An Attributional Analysis of the Causes Cited by Junior High School Band Directors for Success and Failure at U.I.L. Concert/Sightreading Contest and Their Attitudes Towards Contest

The reasons given by thirty-three junior high school band directors for success and failure at the University Interscholastic League Concert/Sightreading Contest were studied using the methodology of Attribution Theory. All of the subjects attended the same contest and were members of a region which included urban and suburban schools. The subjects responded to a questionnaire which evaluated their attitudes towards the contest, allowed them to make judgments about other directors in hypothetical contest situations, and finally asked them to list the five most important reasons for their success or failure at the contest in an open-response format.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Williams, Richard (Richard S.), 1958-2001
System: The UNT Digital Library
Beneath the Dancing Moon: A Composition for Woodwind and Percussion Ensemble (open access)

Beneath the Dancing Moon: A Composition for Woodwind and Percussion Ensemble

The composition is scored for the following instruments: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and a large percussion section requiring 7 performers. Beneath the Dancing Moon is a programmatic piece in one movement form composed of 5 continuous sections. It depicts a night scene when the elves begin to dance beneath the moon. Later, the moaning ghosts from the dark forest and the witches with brooms come to join them. They dance furiously until the moon disappears, the sea stops dead and all the dancers suddenly vanish. The approximate performance time is 17 minutes.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Pang, Law Ma Rome Anne
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Canticles of Solomon (open access)

The Canticles of Solomon

The Canticles of Solomon , a musical drama written for tenor, mezzo soprano, chamber orchestra, and full chorus, is a three movement piece, 25 minutes in length. It is intended for performance without scenery, costume, or action. The fundamental element is text. The source text is The Song of Solomon from the Ryrie Study Bible. The text is cross referenced and used in the formal structure of the work. Each time a cross-referenced entry of text is reached, the melodic theme or rhythmic motive is found according to the appropriate theme category in which the specific text is placed. There are twelve theme categories. The melodic themes have differing levels of tonality. The formal structure is cyclically through-composed.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Shell, Joseph Scott
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cardiorespiratory Responses to Graded Levels of Lower-body Positive Pressure During Dynamic Exercise in Man (open access)

Cardiorespiratory Responses to Graded Levels of Lower-body Positive Pressure During Dynamic Exercise in Man

Cardiorespiratory responses to incremental dynamic exercise were assessed across four different levels of lower-body positive pressure (LBPP) and, as a separate study, during constant load (i.e constant work rate) exercise below and above each subject's ventilatory threshold (VT), both with and without 45 torr of LBPP.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Williamson, Jon W. (Jon Whitney)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characterization of Pyrimidine Biosynthesis in Acinetobacter Calcoaceticus Using Wild Type and Mutant Strains (open access)

Characterization of Pyrimidine Biosynthesis in Acinetobacter Calcoaceticus Using Wild Type and Mutant Strains

Pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis was studies in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus ADP-1. Pyrimidine auxotrophic mutants were isolated and characterized for this purpose. One such Pyr mutant, strain ADP-1-218 was chosen for further study.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Entezampour, Mohammad
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cognitive Processing Bias in Sexually Aggressive College Men (open access)

Cognitive Processing Bias in Sexually Aggressive College Men

The study of cognitive factors in sexual aggression has, for the most part, been limited to beliefs and attitudes. The present study sought to detect a rape-supportive schema of sexual relationships that organizes and guides information processing in several cognitive domains: cognitions arising in the context of a simulated sexual situation, memory, person perception, and social reasoning.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Porter, James F. (James Franklin)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community College Collaboration with Business and Industry in Providing Workplace Literacy Programs: a Modified Case Study of Five Corporate Programs in a Metropolitan Area (open access)

Community College Collaboration with Business and Industry in Providing Workplace Literacy Programs: a Modified Case Study of Five Corporate Programs in a Metropolitan Area

The purpose of this study was to provide both businesses and institutions of higher education with a descriptive analysis of the programs of five companies that have utilized community colleges in their basic skills programs. The five companies represented included Texas Instruments Defense Systems Corporation and SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (electronics companies), Abbott Laboratories (a pharmaceutical company), J & E Die Casting (a small die casting firm), and Company X, a semiconductor company that requested anonymity. The community colleges included were Richland College, Brookhaven College, and North Lake College. Modified case studies were used to obtain data collected through individual interviews with representatives from the community colleges and the companies. The syntheses of documentaries provided details of how the five community college-directed workplace literacy programs met, or failed to meet, their literacy challenges. Descriptions of the curriculum and structure of each program were also included. Numerous factors contributed to the success or demise of the programs studied. Elements that served as powerful assets when adequately supported were detrimental when neglected. Factors common to all of the programs were financial support, management philosophical support, confidentiality, adequate testing instruments, class schedule flexibility, instructor capability, physical classroom facilities, and work-related documentation integrated into the curriculum. …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Kutilek, Janis G. (Janis Gayle)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparison of the Attitude and Achievement in Mathematics of Algebra I Students Using Computer-based Instruction and Traditional Instructional Methods (open access)

A Comparison of the Attitude and Achievement in Mathematics of Algebra I Students Using Computer-based Instruction and Traditional Instructional Methods

This study investigated the use of computer-based instruction as a means of teaching Algebra I, compared to the teaching of the same topics using traditional methodologies. The achievement level of the two groups, and three aspects of attitude toward mathematics were considered. Achievement and attitude differences by gender were also analyzed.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Wohlgehagen, Kathleen Shannon
System: The UNT Digital Library
Creation and Characterization of an Escherichia Coli and Pseudomonas Putida Hybrid Aspartate Transcarbamoylase (open access)

Creation and Characterization of an Escherichia Coli and Pseudomonas Putida Hybrid Aspartate Transcarbamoylase

Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) is encoded by the pyrBI genes in E. coli. Expression of these genes is reduced four-fold by attenuation when grown on uracil. Using plasmid, pRO1727. the pyrB and the pyrBI genes from E. coli were cloned into a P. putida pyrB auxotroph. A recombinant pyrB gene was recovered that encoded a functional hybrid ATCase with a molecular weight of 470 kDa.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Ruley, Jill R. (Jill Rosanne)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Cross-National Study of the Effects of Direct Foreign Investment on the Developmental Process of Developing Countries (open access)

A Cross-National Study of the Effects of Direct Foreign Investment on the Developmental Process of Developing Countries

Using the assumptions of various schools of thought on development as the theoretical framework, an attempt is made to examine the effects of foreign investment on the socioeconomic growth of 50 developing countries by means of multiple regression models that utilize some external and internal variables assumed to affect the growth rate of GNP. Results from these models indicate that new inflows of foreign investments and amounts of domestic investments are positively related to growth while accumulated stocks of foreign investments have no effect on growth. This suggests that development funds, designed specifically for increased domestic investments, would be the most effective way to increase GNP.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Inyang, Ambrose
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Cross-Sectional Age Comparison of the Self-System Between Younger and Older Adults (open access)

A Cross-Sectional Age Comparison of the Self-System Between Younger and Older Adults

One of the most perplexing problems in the psychology of aging is whether there are characteristic changes in aspects of personality over the life course. This study attempts to address issues relating to changes in the self-system believed to take place as individuals grow older. Of particular interest is what age differences exist in the four components of the objective self described by Atchley (1982): the ideal self, self-concept, self-esteem, and self-evaluation. In order to examine the differences in these components of the self between younger and older adults the following predictions are made: 1) the ideal self for older adults will be more highly interrelated to their present self-concept than will that of younger adults, 2) issues of self-esteem will be more salient in older versus younger adults, and 3) issues of self-evaluation will be more salient in older than in younger adults. A questionnaire developed by Dittmann-Kohli, (1990) containing 30 incomplete sentences asking for fears, desires, goals, time perspective, self-evaluation, and self-description was given to 110 individuals ranging in age from 17-43 and 89 persons ranging in age from 61-96. Results indicate only partial support for age changes in the self-system.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Warner, Laura J. (Laura Jan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dependence of the Kinetic Mechanism of Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate Dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit in the Direction of Magnesium Adenosine 5'-Diphosphate Phosphorylation on pH and the Concentration of Free Magnesium Ions (open access)

Dependence of the Kinetic Mechanism of Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate Dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit in the Direction of Magnesium Adenosine 5'-Diphosphate Phosphorylation on pH and the Concentration of Free Magnesium Ions

To define the overall kinetic and chemical mechanism of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, the mechanism in the direction of MgADP phosphorylation was determined, using studies of initial velocity in the absence and presence of dead-end inhibitors. The kinetic mechanism was determined as a function of uncomplexed Mg^2+ (Mg_f) at pH 7.2 and as a function of pH at low (0.5 mM) Mg_f. At pH 7.2 data are consistent with a random kinetic mechanism in the direction of MgADP phosphorylation with both pathways allowed: the pathway in which MgADP binds to enzyme prior to phosphorylated peptide (PSP) and that in which PSP binds before MgADP. One or the other pathway predominates, depending on Mg_f concentration. At 0.5 mM Mg_f, the mechanism is steady-state ordered with the pathway where PSP binds first preferred; at 10 mM Mg_f, the mechanism is equilibrium ordered, and the pathway in which MgADP binds first preferred. This change in mechanism to equilibrium ordered is due to an increase in affinity of enzyme for MgADP and a decrease in affinity for PSP. There is also a pH-dependent change in mechanism at 0.5 mM Mg_f. At pH 6 the mechanism is equilibrium ordered with the pathway …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Qamar, Raheel
System: The UNT Digital Library
Design and Evaluation of a Staff Development Program for Technology in Small Schools (open access)

Design and Evaluation of a Staff Development Program for Technology in Small Schools

Technology experts suggest that one barrier in implementing technology has been a lack of appropriate training for teachers. Past efforts have been few in number, poor in quality, and uncoordinated. Some large school districts are developing comprehensive programs. However, few models exist and none are suitable for small school districts. The purposes of this study were: (1) to survey 53 small school districts in Texas to identify hardware and software configurations, patterns of recent technology staff development, and needs for future technology staff development; (2) to design a staff development program which addresses these technology needs; and (3) to evaluate the program in a small school district.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Halderman, Cheri Floyd
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Development of a Management Training Program Using Adlerian Theoretical Principles (open access)

The Development of a Management Training Program Using Adlerian Theoretical Principles

This study was designed to determine whether participation in an eight hour training program based on Adlerian theoretical principles would influence managerial attitudes. The effects of the training curriculum on three attitudinal dimensions were investigated: leadership style, acceptance of self and others and level of dogmatism. It was hypothesized that Adlerian training would increase the development of managerial human relations competence. Eighty-one managers participated in the study. The experimental group, comprised of 40 line managers, received eight hours of Adlerian training conducted in two one-half day sessions. The training was both didactic and experiential in content and contained modules on lifestyles/management styles, conflict resolution, effective communication strategies and understanding personality dynamics. The control group, comprised of 41 managers, did not receive training but participated in the pre-testing and post-testing process. Managers completed The Leadership Opinion Questionnaire, The Acceptance of Self and Others Questionnaire, and The Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, prior to the first training session and again two weeks after the final training session. A one-way analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups on both the Consideration and Structure dimensions of the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire. This suggests that managers in the experimental group demonstrated a …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Preiss, Amy E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Developmental Characteristics of Young Children Prenatally Substance-exposed (open access)

The Developmental Characteristics of Young Children Prenatally Substance-exposed

The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental characteristics of young children (ages 11-60 months) with prenatal substance-exposure. A developmental rating scale, the Developmental Checklist (DC) of the Developmental Observation Checklists (DOCs) was utilized. The DC measures the domains of language, motor, social/behavioral, and cognition, as well as overall developmental status.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Taylor, Diane L. (Diane Louise)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Dimension of Risk and its Relationship to Effective School Leaders (open access)

The Dimension of Risk and its Relationship to Effective School Leaders

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between teachers' or principals' effectiveness and their risk tendency. The population consisted of 57 principals and 115 teachers from the state of Texas from average and exemplary campuses. The exemplary campuses were those nominated by Texas Education Agency to participate in the National Exemplary School Recognition Program for the past four years. Data was generated by sending a survey packet to the 57 campuses requesting that the principal and two teachers (one who had been recently been recognized as teacher of the year and one who had never been so honored) complete the instruments. Teachers responded to a 16 item Risk Tolerance Questionnaire and principals responded to the Risk Tolerance Questionnaire and a Styles of Leadership Survey. The hypothesis that exceptional teachers will not take more risks was not upheld. It was determined that exceptional teachers do take more risks; however, there was no significant difference in scores on the Risk Tolerance Questionnaire of principals from average and exemplary campuses. The findings were that 1) exceptional teachers do take more risks, 2) age and years of experience of teachers was not significant, 3) principals from average and exemplary …
Date: December 1992
Creator: Krohn, Betty June Burns
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Different Percentages of Incentive Pay to Base Pay on Work Productivity (open access)

The Effects of Different Percentages of Incentive Pay to Base Pay on Work Productivity

This experiment investigated how different percentages of incentive pay affected performance on a number-entering task. It was hypothesized that the critical factor in incentive pay systems was the absolute amount of money that could be earned in an incentive pay paradigm. A counterbalanced single-subject reversal design was employed to examine effects of incentives on performance. Twelve subjects were used in the experiment with three subjects assigned to one of four experimental paradigms. Two of the experimental paradigms incorporated 10% and 100% incentive pay conditions, while the other two experimental paradigms incorporated absolute pay conditions equal to the 10% and 100% incentive pay conditions. Results indicated that similar trends in productivity occurred across subjects in all four experimental paradigms.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Gruenberg, Joel S. (Joel Sanborn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Interactions with IRS Employees on Tax Practitioners' Attitudes toward the IRS (open access)

The Effects of Interactions with IRS Employees on Tax Practitioners' Attitudes toward the IRS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of interactions with IRS employees on tax practitioners' attitudes toward the IRS. The mission of the IRS is to inspire the highest degree of public confidence as it collects the proper amount of tax revenues at the least cost to the public. The IRS believes it must project a favorable image to tax practitioners in order to foster a high level of support for its mission. Prior surveys of tax practitioners found that practitioners have generally unfavorable attitudes toward the IRS and its employees. This study examined whether the unfavorable attitudes result from interactions with IRS employees, and provides empirical evidence of the effects of interactions with IRS employees on tax practitioners' attitudes toward the IRS.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Gutierrez, Theresa Kay
System: The UNT Digital Library