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Reciprocal Influences of Temperature and Copper on Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas) (open access)

Reciprocal Influences of Temperature and Copper on Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Acclimation temperature had a significant effect on the lethality of copper to fathead minnows in replicated 96-hour lethality tests. Lowest median lethal copper concentrations (LC50) were recorded at 12 and 22°C, with LC50s at 5 and 32°C at least 140 μg/1 higher. This research found LC50 copper concentrations in the 300 to 500 μg/1 range and a polynomial relationship between LC50s and acclimation temperature. Following a 24-hour exposure to three sublethal concentrations of copper, critical thermal maxima (CTMax) were tested in minnows acclimated to four temperatures. Sublethal exposure to copper significantly decreased the CTMaxs relative to controls at three of the four temperatures. Control CTMaxs ranged from 28.6 to 40.4°C and increased 0.46°C for each 1°C increase in acclimation temperature.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Richards, Virginia L. (Virginia Lynn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Opera and the Galant Homme: Quinault and Lully's Tragedie en musique, Atys, in the Context of Seventeenth-Century Modernism (open access)

Opera and the Galant Homme: Quinault and Lully's Tragedie en musique, Atys, in the Context of Seventeenth-Century Modernism

The tragedie en musique of Quinault and Lully was a highly successful new genre, representative of contemporary Parisian life. However, it is still largely viewed in the negative terms of its detractors, the proponents of classical tragedy. The purpose of this study is to redefine the tragedie en musique in terms of seventeenth-century modernism. An examination of the society and poetry of the contemporary gallant world provides the historical framework for an analysis of both the libretto and music of Quinault and Lully's Atys (1676). This study attempts to bridge the historical and cultural distances that until now have hindered accessibility to this major new genre in seventeenth-century literature and music.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Browne, Marilyn K. (Marilyn Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Children's Perceived Contingency of Teacher Reinforcements Measured with a Specific Scale, Helplessness and Academic Performance (open access)

Children's Perceived Contingency of Teacher Reinforcements Measured with a Specific Scale, Helplessness and Academic Performance

A specifically oriented instrument was used to partially replicate a study by Dietz (1988) in an effort to compare the utility of the phi coefficient and Rescorla index measures of perceived contingency of reinforcement in children and examine the relationship of these measures to locus of control, teacher ratings of helplessness and academic performance.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Mayo, Albert Elton
System: The UNT Digital Library
Secret Schemes: Frequently There Must Be a Beverage (open access)

Secret Schemes: Frequently There Must Be a Beverage

Secret Schemes is a collection of four short stories and three chapters of a novel; all the stories are humorous and deal with young women and their struggles in romantic relationships.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Phillips, Laura Rachel
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bus Ride to Liberation: a Historical Video Documentary of the Acres Homes Transit Company in Houston, Texas (open access)

Bus Ride to Liberation: a Historical Video Documentary of the Acres Homes Transit Company in Houston, Texas

The Acres Homes Transit Company in Houston, Texas is Texas' first African American owned and operated bus company. Some say it is the first in the South. The company was developed during the height of the civil rights period. It serves as an establishment of economic empowerment during the oppressive civil rights era. The video is a historical visual documentation of the bus company from its beginning to its end. An accompanying written profile describes the research process, the pre-production, production and post-production stages, as well as future proposals for the documentary.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Childress, Doris (Doris Elaine)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Examination of Strain Among Community Police Officers in Northumbria, England (open access)

An Examination of Strain Among Community Police Officers in Northumbria, England

This paper examines some causes of strain and frustration among police officers. Previous research suggests that police officers sufferfromthe lack of communication and support from their community. The failure of communication has caused turmoil in the past between communities and their police. A possible solution is community policing. Community policing is supposed to establish communication between the public and the police. Causes of strain and frustration among the police are discussed along with the possible benefits of community policing. Research has shown that community police officers suffer less strain and frustration than their brethren. On this premise a quantitative examination a police force in Northumbria, England was conducted. The quantitative analysis focuses on two groups; community police officers and police officers not involved in community policing.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Humburg, Joel D. (Joel David)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multiple Regression Equations to Estimate Mean Nutrient Concentrations in Streams of North Central Texas from Landsat Derived Land Use (open access)

Multiple Regression Equations to Estimate Mean Nutrient Concentrations in Streams of North Central Texas from Landsat Derived Land Use

Nutrients are of critical concern in water quality assessment. The development of empirical models to estimate mean nutrient concentrations, based on satellite derived land use, could aid water resource managers. Models using land use acreages outperformed those using percentages, and discrete urban land uses were superior to lumped urban. Regressions of the combinations of two, three and four of the eight possible land use variables were investigated. Sensitivity analyses, with one stream deleted each series, identified robust combinations of variables at each level. Although uncertainty exists regarding the final regression coefficients, five of the six actual measured nitrate and total phosphorus mean concentrations were within the 95 percent confidence limits.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Kerr, Barry Douglas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of the Home Environment on Children's 10 Scores and the Influence of Family Socioeconomic Status (open access)

Effect of the Home Environment on Children's 10 Scores and the Influence of Family Socioeconomic Status

Contributions of home environment and family socioeconomic status (SES) on the intelligence test performance of 24 exceptional children aged five through seven years were investigated. It was hypothesized that higher SES would enrich the children's environment providing a more stimulating learning experience, and would reflect a positive correlation with measures of the home environment. Additional hypotheses were that both HOME scores and SES scales would show a positive correlation with intelligence test performance. The positive association found between SES and HOME Inventory scores suggests that families with a higher SES have the ability to direct more resources toward their children. However, according to the present study, this does not affect the intelligence test performance of exceptional children.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Singer, David D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Synthesis, structure and redox reactivity of Co₃(CO)₆(μ₂-η²,η¹-C(Ph)C=C(PPH₂)C(O)SC(O)) (μ₂-PPh₂) (open access)

Synthesis, structure and redox reactivity of Co₃(CO)₆(μ₂-η²,η¹-C(Ph)C=C(PPH₂)C(O)SC(O)) (μ₂-PPh₂)

The tricobalt cluster PhCCo₃(CO)₉ (1) reacts with the bidentate phosphine ligand 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic thioanhydride (bta) with added Me₃NO to yield PhCCo₃(CO)₇(bta) (2), which upon heating overnight yields Co₃(CO)₆(μ₂-η²,η¹-C(Ph)C=C(PPH₂)C(O)SC(O)) (μ₂-PPh₂) (3). Cluster (3) has been isolated and characterized by FT-IR and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. Structural determination of the cluster has been demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Cluster (3) is analogous to the cluster synthesized by Richmond and coworkers. The redox properties of (3) have been examined by cyclic voltammetry and the data are reported within.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Muñoz, Trinidad
System: The UNT Digital Library
Red Dresses for Funerals (open access)

Red Dresses for Funerals

Red Dresses for Funerals contains a scholarly preface concerning the nature of factuality versus credibility in the writing of fiction. Four original short stories are included in this thesis. "A Night With Lawrence Welk" explores the relationship between a patient and student intern psychologist. "Red Dresses for Funerals" is about a wedding that plays a significant role in a variety of the characters' lives. "Trace Elements" is the only story involving young children. "Trace Elements" explores the beginning of understanding of some of the grimmer aspects of reality. "Expectations, Great and Otherwise" addresses the issue of denial. These stories are linked by their setting, a small town in Texas.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Brooks, Michelle Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Texas Response to the Mexican Revolution: Texans' Involvement with U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Mexico During the Wilson Administration (open access)

The Texas Response to the Mexican Revolution: Texans' Involvement with U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Mexico During the Wilson Administration

The Mexican Revolution probably affected Texas more than any other state. As the Revolution intensified, Texans responded with increased efforts to shape the Mexican policies of the Woodrow Wilson administration. Some became directly involved in the Revolution and the U.S. reaction to it, but most Texans sought to influence American policy toward Mexico through pressure on their political leaders in Austin and Washington. Based primarily on research in the private and public papers of leading state and national political figures, archival sources such as the Congressional Record and the Department of State's decimal file, major newspapers of the era, and respected works, this study details the successes and failures that Texans experienced in their endeavors to influence Wilson's Mexican policies.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Snow, L. Ray (Livveun Ray)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Improving the Quality of Hotel Banquet Staff Performance: a Case Study in Organizational Behavior Management (open access)

Improving the Quality of Hotel Banquet Staff Performance: a Case Study in Organizational Behavior Management

The banquet staff at a north Texas hotel were responsible for setting up 11 different functions (e.g., buffet dinners) for conferences and meetings. The functions were often set up late and items were often omitted. An analysis suggested that performance problems were the result of weak antecedents, inefficient work procedures, inadequate training and a lack of motivating consequences. An intervention consisting of task checklists, feedback, goal setting, monetary bonuses, training and job aids was designed to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of function setups. Performance increased from an average of 68.8% on the quality measure (accuracy plus timeliness) in baseline, to 99.7% during the intervention phase. Performance decreased to 82.3% during a follow-up phase in which parts of the intervention were discontinued by hotel management. Performance increased to 99.3% with the reintroduction of the intervention phase.
Date: May 1994
Creator: LaFleur, Tobias C. (Tobias Christopher)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The President's Influence on Congress: Toward an Explanation of Senators' Support for Presidents Carter and Reagan (open access)

The President's Influence on Congress: Toward an Explanation of Senators' Support for Presidents Carter and Reagan

This study examines the possible effect of the president's vote totals in states on Presidents Carter's and Reagan's support among senators. Using senators' Congressional Quarterly (CQ) presidential support scores as the dependent variable, this paper hypothesizes that Carter and Reagan's support is significantly and positively related to their electoral success in that Senator's state for the years 1977 through 1988. Several control variables are included to help explain support. There is qualified corroboration for the hypothesis that senator's presidential support scores are significantly and positively related to the president's electoral success for specific administrations and for specific-party senators, although not for the original hypothesis that aggregated the period 1977 to 1988.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Endsley, Stephen C. (Stephen Craig)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Communist Party and Soviet Literature (open access)

The Communist Party and Soviet Literature

The Communist Party's control of Soviet literature gradually evolved from the 1920s and reached its height in the 1940s. The amount of control exerted over Soviet literature reflected the strengthening power of the Communist Party. Sources used in this thesis include speeches, articles, and resolutions of leaders in the Communist Party, novels produced by Soviet authors from the 1920s through the 1940s, and analyses of leading critics of Soviet literature and Soviet history. The thesis is structured around the political and literary developments during the periods of 1917-1924, 1924-1932, 1932-1941, and 1946-1949. The conclusion is that the Communist Party seized control of Soviet literature to disseminate Party policy, minimize dissent, and produce propaganda, not to provide an outlet for creative talent.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Clark, Rhonda (Rhonda Ingold)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of Firm Size on Female Earnings (open access)

Effect of Firm Size on Female Earnings

There are various factors effecting females' wage level such as marital status, occupation, education, and experience. This paper also includes firm size and answers the questions: What effect does firm size have on female earnings? Is that effect different for black than white females?
Date: May 1994
Creator: Cengizoglu, Gonca
System: The UNT Digital Library
Magical Contagion and AIDS Scale: Development and Validation (open access)

Magical Contagion and AIDS Scale: Development and Validation

A Magical Contagion and AIDS Scale was developed to address problems with existing Contagion and AIDS measures. Magical Contagion is an influence that exists after contact is terminated. It is comprised of Permanence, Holographic Effects, Moral Germ Conflation and Backward Action. Data from 280 undergraduates revealed low mean levels of Magical Contagion and AIDS. Contagion effects did not differ on demographic variables. Content validity, criterion-related validity, discriminate validity, and internal consistency were evaluated. Significant correlations were found between the Contagion Scale and Merging/Separation and Homophobia Scales. Negative correlations were found between the Contagion scale and the AIDS knowledge and social desirability scales. Alpha reliabilities were high (a > .93) for the Contagion scale and subscales. Factor analysis suggested the existence of a single factor and mixed support for three factors.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Oizumi, Joelle J. (Joelle Julienne)
System: The UNT Digital Library
SFE Fractionation and RP-HPLC Characterization of Aquatic Fulvic Acid (open access)

SFE Fractionation and RP-HPLC Characterization of Aquatic Fulvic Acid

The Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technique was used to fractionate Suwannee River reference fulvic acid (FA). The fractions were characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). A SFE fractionation method was developed using stepwise gradient of supercritical COâ‚‚ and methanol. Three FA fractions were separated. The average mass recovery was 102% with the coefficient of variation of 2.8%. The fractionation dynamics and the difference in the ratios of UV absorption to fluorescence emission indicate the real fractionation of the FA. The HPLC chromatographic peak patterns and the spectra of the corresponding peaks were almost indistinguishable. The overall results of this research support the argument that FA exhibits polymer-like molecular structure.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Shao, Peimin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Appropriating Language on the Usenet (open access)

Appropriating Language on the Usenet

The Usenet is a global computer conferencing system on which users can affix textual messages under 4500 different categories. It currently has approximately 4,165,000 readers, and these .readers have appropriated language by adapting it to the Usenet's culture and medium. This thesis conceptualizes the Usenet community's appropriation of language, provides insights into how media and media restrictions cause their users to appropriate language, and discusses how future media may further cause users to appropriate language. With the Usenet we have a chance to study a relatively new community bound by relatively new technology, and perhaps we can learn more about the appropriation process by studying the two.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Spinuzzi, Clay I. (Clay Ian)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Verbal and Graphic Feedback on Direct Care Trainers' Data-Tecording Behavior (open access)

The Effect of Verbal and Graphic Feedback on Direct Care Trainers' Data-Tecording Behavior

This study investigated the effects of verbal and graphic feedback alone and in combination with praise on the data-recording behavior of 12 direct care trainers (DCTs) who recorded their reinforcer deliveries as they interacted with mentally retarded clients. An additional variable examined was the effect of time of delivering feedback on subsequent data-recording behavior. Feedback was delivered by the experimenter. Correspondence checks were conducted and a three-phase multiple condition experimental design was used. All feedback conditions produced an observable difference in DCT data-recording behavior. Time of delivery of feedback also appeared to have an effect on the amount of data recorded by DCTs.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Morris, Timothy Jewlon
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessing Defensiveness with the PAI: a Cross Validational Study (open access)

Assessing Defensiveness with the PAI: a Cross Validational Study

The use of scales on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to detect defensiveness in criminal and nonclinical samples was evaluated. Forty-five male inmates of a county jail and 38 male undergraduate psychology students were provided with incentives to complete the PAI under two conditions: standard instructions and experimental instructions to feign a specific, positive role. The sequence of instructions was counterbalanced in both samples for the purpose of examining ordering effects. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed, yielding significant main effects of condition, group and order. Additionally, a step-wise discriminant function analysis significantly predicted group membership (i.e., subjects under honest and faking conditions) with a hit rate = 84.4%. Finally, a more effective cutting score for the Positive Impression scale was recommended.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Cashel, Mary Louise
System: The UNT Digital Library
Scam King (open access)

Scam King

"Scam King" is a full-length feature screenplay and follows standard script format. The idea behind "Scam King" came originally from the James Joyce short story "Two Gallants" in Dubliners. "Scam King" is, however, not an adaption of Joyce's story, but rather was inspired by the gaps in his story pertaining to the characters' way of life on the street.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Kopchick, Laura A. (Laura Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trapped in the Body of a Cheerleader: an Original Screenplay (open access)

Trapped in the Body of a Cheerleader: an Original Screenplay

Trapped in the Body of a Cheerleader is a feature-length comedic screenplay using juvenile witticisms and black-comedy to tell the story of a teenaged girl accepting her own identity. The introduction, a personal essay, offers the author's personal views towards screen writing, teen-oriented films, and contemporary screen comedy.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Croasmun, Jean M. (Jean Marie)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Content Analysis of ITAR-TASS's and the United Press International's Coverage of the Russian Referendum in April 1993 (open access)

A Comparative Content Analysis of ITAR-TASS's and the United Press International's Coverage of the Russian Referendum in April 1993

A comparative content analysis was conducted to determine whether the Russian (ITAR-TASS) and the American (UPI) wire service coverage of President Boris Yeltsin in the April 25, 1993, referendum was balanced and unbiased. Also, the amount of space dedicated to this topic was measured. Study results indicate that ITAR-TASS was more critical of Yeltsin prior to the referendum than UPI, and that there was no statistically important difference between the two wire services in their post referendum coverage. UPI articles were almost 30% longer than the ITAR-TASS articles. Each UPI article was on an average more than 220 words longer than were the ITAR-TASS articles.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Glad, Lotte Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Factors Affecting Post-Divorce Child Adjustment and the Impact of Family Financial Status (open access)

Factors Affecting Post-Divorce Child Adjustment and the Impact of Family Financial Status

Data from the National Survey of Households and Families were used to study the factors previous research identified as affecting post-divorce child adjustment. Responses from 358 divorced parents with custody of children under age 12 were analyzed. Special attention was paid to the effect of family financial status. The strongest predictor of problem behavior for both preschool children and school-aged boys was the amount of parent/child activity time. Older boys were also particularly sensitive to interparental conflict. Elementary-aged girls, however, were most affected by the presence of parental depression, which was found to be significantly associated with a decline in post-divorce family financial status. Only girls' problems showed a direct relationship with family income.
Date: May 1994
Creator: McGurk, Deborah W. (Deborah Williams)
System: The UNT Digital Library