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Post-Civil War Democratization: Domestic and International Factors in Movement Toward and Away from Democracy (open access)

Post-Civil War Democratization: Domestic and International Factors in Movement Toward and Away from Democracy

Post-civil war democratization is a critical element of building sustainable peace in the post-civil war states. At the same time, studies of democratic transition and survival suggest that the post-civil war environment is not hospitable to either the transition to or survival of democracy. The post-civil war environment is contentious. Former protagonists are fearful about their security and at the same time they want to protect their political and economic interests. The central argument of this study is that former rivals can agree to a transition toward democracy to the extent that a stable balance of power exists between the government and rebel groups, a balance that eliminates the sort of security dilemma that would encourage one or both to resume armed conflict. And the balance should ensure access to political power and economic resources. This study identifies factors that contribute to the establishment of such a balance of power between former protagonists and factors that affects its stability. These factors should affect the decision of former protagonists on whether or not they can achieve their political and economic interests if they agree to a transition toward democracy once civil war ends. Factors that are conducive to a transition toward …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Joshi, Madhav
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Présentations de la Grammaire et Représentations du Discours Dans les Manuels de Français Publiés aux États-Unis: une Étude Diachronique (open access)

Présentations de la Grammaire et Représentations du Discours Dans les Manuels de Français Publiés aux États-Unis: une Étude Diachronique

This study partially replicates and re-explores specific dimensions of a textbook analysis of the presentation and use of specific grammatical elements and sociolinguistic variants in textbooks published in the United States for learners of French. Authenticity is situated as a central construct in the analysis of interrogatives, relative pronouns, and the negative particle ne in selected textbooks and ancillary materials. The findings reveal that little progress has been made over the past twenty years in integrating authentic representations of discourse into French-as-a-foreign-language textbooks.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Grall, Christophe
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Providing for Backyard Wildlife: A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Feeders, Houses and Plants (open access)

Providing for Backyard Wildlife: A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Feeders, Houses and Plants

Brochure containing information "to assist people wanting to create habitat and features that will attract wildlife to their backyards" (About the Author). The table of contents lists sections for: platform bird feeder, platform butterfly feeder, simple squirrel and dove feeder, suet feeder, solitary bees, pollinator box, general use nesting box, nesting platform, butterfly attracting plants, and hummingbird plants for Texas.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Brown, Walter
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The UNT Digital Library
QEEG and LORETA findings in children with histories of relational trauma. (open access)

QEEG and LORETA findings in children with histories of relational trauma.

Abuse and neglect occurring in childhood have been associated with a number of functional and physiological effects on the brain. This study extends previous research that investigated the quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) patterns in children with histories of relational trauma through the inclusion of additional participants and measures. As in previous studies, the relative power, absolute power, and coherence values in children with histories of abuse were compared to the Neuroguide database. Results did not show any significant differences in relative or absolute power in the theta range. Similarly, there were no significant coherence differences. Database comparisons were also made using low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) in order to determine which sub-cortical brain structures may be affected by abuse or trauma, though there were no significant differences in any frequency (0-30Hz). A review of the literature suggests that the prevalence of mu in normal adults and children ranges from 0 to 19%. The present study found a mu prevalence rate of 60.6% in the children who experienced abuse or neglect. Finally, comparisons were made between participants who demonstrate a mu pattern and those who do not to determine if this pattern is associated with certain behavioral and/or attention problems as assessed …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Bigby, Janice A.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rediscovering Fernande Decruck's Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto (ou alto) et orchestre: A Performance Analysis (open access)

Rediscovering Fernande Decruck's Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto (ou alto) et orchestre: A Performance Analysis

French composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) composed over forty works for the saxophone, but her music fell into obscurity soon after her death. In recent years, the Sonate en ut# pour saxophone alto (ou alto) et orchestre (1943) has been rediscovered, performed, and recorded by prominent concert saxophonists. This document takes a historical approach by examining Decruck's biography, as well as a theoretical approach to provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of her work through analysis. The first four chapters of this document provide biographical background on Decruck, her career, professional associations, and her husband, Maurice Decruck, saxophonist and music publisher. Additionally, an examination of her saxophone output includes a brief discussion of her compositional development. Fernande Decruck dedicated her sonata to French saxophone virtuoso Marcel Mule, but a version for solo viola also exists. From the discrepancies between the versions, one might infer that portions of the work were composed originally for the viola. There are also two versions of the accompaniment: one for full orchestra and the other for piano. Analysis comprises the bulk of this study. The work is composed in a traditional four-movement setting: a sonata-form opening movement, a slow second movement, a movement entitled "Fileuse" (spinning …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Cain, Joren
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Retirees' Attitudes Toward Mental Illness Treatment: A Life-Course Perspective (open access)

Retirees' Attitudes Toward Mental Illness Treatment: A Life-Course Perspective

This purpose of this dissertation was to examine the attitudes of retirees toward mental illness treatment. Secondary data from the Survey Research Center at the University of North Texas was utilized for this study. The focus was on the influence that gender, income, education, race/ethnicity, personal experience, fear, goodwill, and social control might have had on retirees' attitudes toward mental illness treatment. An n = 225 was selected out of the existing data to serve as the sample population. Binary logistic regression was utilized to analyze the data. Results indicated that the obtained significant findings were consistent with existing literature.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Starkey, Thomas Wayne, Jr.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Southwest Retort, Volume 62, Number 9, May 2010 (open access)

Southwest Retort, Volume 62, Number 9, May 2010

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: May 2010
Creator: American Chemical Society. Dallas/Fort Worth Section.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Role of Brand Equity in Reputational Rankings of Specialty Graduate Programs in Colleges of Education: Variables Considered by College of Education Deans and Associate Deans Ranking the Programs (open access)

The Role of Brand Equity in Reputational Rankings of Specialty Graduate Programs in Colleges of Education: Variables Considered by College of Education Deans and Associate Deans Ranking the Programs

Seeking to identify and further understand the variables considered when ranking specialty programs in colleges of education, this research study surveyed all deans, and associate deans responsible for graduate education, at United States institutions that offer the terminal degree in at least one of the ten education specialty areas. The study utilized a three-dimension model of brand equity from the marketing literature, which included the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Descriptive statistics determined that research by the faculty of the specialty program is the variable most widely considered by deans and associate deans when determining reputation. In order to determine what predicts a person's motivation to correctly rank programs, a principal components analysis was utilized as a data reduction technique, with parallel analysis determining component retention. The model identified five components which explained 66.224% of total variance. A multiple regression analysis determined that characteristics of a specialty program was the only statistically significant predictor component of motivation to correctly rank programs (β = .317, p = .008, rs2 = .865); however, a large squared structure coefficient was observed on perceived quality (rs2 = .623). Using descriptive discriminant analyses, the study found there is little evidence that marketing efforts have differing …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Lamb, Keith Whitaker
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Routine Leisure Activities and Adolescent Marijuana Use: Moderating Effects of Family Structure (open access)

Routine Leisure Activities and Adolescent Marijuana Use: Moderating Effects of Family Structure

How adolescents spend their time is a crucial predictor of their engagement in delinquency. Activities with peers away from direct supervision of adults are of concern as more opportunities and motivation to use marijuana exist in such situations. However, adolescents may vary in their propensity to use marijuana when faced the opportunity. Especially adolescents living with a single parent may have a higher propensity compared to those from two-parent households to use marijuana due to reduced parental monitoring and increased peer attachment. This thesis investigates the moderating effects of family structure on the routine leisure activities and adolescent marijuana use relationship, using data from Monitoring the Future Study 2007, 12th Grade Survey. The results provide partial support for the moderating effects.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Aksu, Gokhan
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Schenkerian Analysis of Beethoven's E Minor Piano Sonata, Opus 90 (open access)

A Schenkerian Analysis of Beethoven's E Minor Piano Sonata, Opus 90

This thesis examines the history and origins of Beethoven's E minor Piano Sonata and examines the possibility of the programmatic conception of the work. Dedicated to Beethoven's friend Count Moritz Lichnowsky, the sonata may have been inspired by the Count's illicit affair with his future wife, the singer and actress Josefa Stummer. Providing a thorough Schenkerian analysis of both movements, the inner harmonic structure of the composition is revealed and explained. The author also investigates and details the unpublished original analyses of the composition by Heinrich Schenker, Erika Elias, and Hans Weisse. Both English and German language sources are incorporated into a comprehensive examination of Beethoven's Piano Sonata, op. 90.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Treber, Stefan L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self-Objectification and Sport Participation: Do the Gendered Makeup and Competitive Level of the Team Matter? (open access)

Self-Objectification and Sport Participation: Do the Gendered Makeup and Competitive Level of the Team Matter?

The purposes of this study were to (a) investigate differences in self-objectification, self-surveillance, body shame, and flow among female athletes on all-women's and coed ultimate frisbee teams at different competitive levels, and (b) examine the objectification theory model across groups. Participants (n = 112) completed online surveys including a demographic questionnaire, trait and state versions of the Self-Objectification Questionnaire, Body Surveillance and Body Shame subscales of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, and the Flow State Scale. No differences in self-objectification, self-surveillance, or body shame were found, although highly competitive athletes experienced more flow than lower competitive teams. Relationships were found between self-objectification, self-surveillance, and body shame, but not for flow, partially supporting the objectification theory model.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Ede, Alison
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sensitization of Lanthanides and Organic-Based Phosphorescence via Energy Transfer and Heavy-Atom Effects (open access)

Sensitization of Lanthanides and Organic-Based Phosphorescence via Energy Transfer and Heavy-Atom Effects

The major topics discussed are the phosphorescence sensitization in the lanthanides via energy transfer and in the organics by heavy atom effects. The f-f transitions in lanthanides are parity forbidden and have weak molar extinction coefficients. Upon complexation with the ligand, ttrpy (4'-p-Tolyl-[2,2':6',2"]-terpyridine) the absorption takes place through the ligand and the excitation is transferred to the lanthanides, which in turn emit. This process is known as "sensitized luminescence." Bright red emission from europium and bright green emission from terbium complexes were observed. There is ongoing work on the making of OLEDs with neutral complexes of lanthanide hexafluoroacetyl acetonate/ttrpy, studied in this dissertation. Attempts to observe analogous energy transfer from the inorganic donor complexes of Au(I) thiocyanates were unsuccessful due to poor overlap of the emissions of these systems with the absorptions of Eu(III) and Tb(III). Photophysics of silver-aromatic complexes deals with the enhancement of phosphorescence in the aromatics. The heavy atom effect of the silver is responsible for this enhancement in phosphorescence. Aromatics such as naphthalene, perylene, anthracene and pyrene were involved in this study. Stern Volmer plots were studied by performing the quenching studies. The quenchers employed were both heavy metals such as silver and thallium and lighter …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Arvapally, Ravi K.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social, Demographic, and Institutional Effects on African American Graduation Rates in U.S. Colleges and Universities. (open access)

Social, Demographic, and Institutional Effects on African American Graduation Rates in U.S. Colleges and Universities.

Improving the retention and graduation of African Americans and other minority groups in higher education is an important but highly politicized issue on college and university campuses. Prior studies emphasize the relationship between minority retention and achievement, cultural diversity, and racial policies and climates at predominantly White colleges and universities in the United States. In response to the need for further research, the effects of institutional actions related to diversity, minority group and African American retention, and social integration initiatives on African American graduation rates were examined for a national sample of United States (U.S.) colleges and universities. From a potential list of 7,018 colleges and universities, 2,233 met the inclusion criteria for the study. But necessary and complete information from national directories and the census could only be found for the final sample of 1,105. After dropping 30 outliers, several multiple regression analyses identified the institutional actions, social, and demographic factors that best predicted graduation rates. Public U.S. colleges and universities located in the Midwest region had lower African American graduation rates than private colleges and universities located in the South. Higher African American graduation rates occurred in colleges and universities with Black cultural centers, higher first-year retention rates, …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Wright, LaQueta L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Speaking up: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Bystander Intervention in Racism (open access)

Speaking up: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Bystander Intervention in Racism

Because racism remains a significant issue in society, and many victims of racism do not speak up for themselves when faced with racism, it is important to explore how witnesses to racist events may react and intervene upon observing racism toward others. Thus, the current study explored how participants (bystanders) reacted verbally to racist comments made by a confederate during a partner activity, as well as how participants discussed their reactions in post-interviews. Forty college students participated in the study, and three of the participants verbally intervened upon hearing the racist statements. Ajzen's theory of planned behavior was utilized as a framework, and examination of the results indicated that components of the theory as well as social constructions of racism and appropriateness of intervention behaviors affect intervention outcomes. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications, as well as suggestions for future research are included.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Hall, Camille Ashley
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stretching the Flexible Myosin II Subfragment Using the Novel Gravitational Force Spectroscope, and the Uncoiling of S2 (open access)

Stretching the Flexible Myosin II Subfragment Using the Novel Gravitational Force Spectroscope, and the Uncoiling of S2

Familial Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) causes ventricle walls to thicken and often leads to sudden death especially in adults. Mutations in the subfragment 2 (S2) of β-cardiac myosin are implicated in the genetic disorder. This S2 region is a coiled-coil rod region resulting from the dimeric form of myosin II. It has been proposed that an elastic quality allows normal S2 to absorb force during the powerstroke according to the sliding filament model. To test the flexibility of single molecules of S2 against levels of physiological force, the Gravitational Force Spectrometer (GFS) is being developed. This novel system employs a standard microscope on an equatorial mount that allows the spectrometer to be rotated freely in space. Stationary glass beads are attached to a microscope slide where the molecule is tethered between the stationary bead and a smaller mobile bead. The GFS is oriented so that the force of gravity can act on the mobile bead and so impart a small force to the tethered subfragment. Additionally, a video system in conjunction with ImageJ software makes a distance measurement of the molecule possible with a resolution of around 11 nm. The S2 can be stretched parallel or perpendicular to the coiled coil …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Dunn, James W.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Student characteristics and self-concept of secondary career and technical education students in a north central Texas region (open access)

Student characteristics and self-concept of secondary career and technical education students in a north central Texas region

Self-concept, discussed as a scholarly topic since the time of Socrates and Plato, is an important theoretical construct in education because self-concept is considered to be a desirable trait and a facilitator of positive future behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the characteristics of students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs and students' self-concept scores as measured by specific subscales from the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ). A total of 196 male and 89 female secondary students (Grades 9-12) enrolled in arts, audio/video technology and communications cluster courses in North Central Texas school districts participated in the study. Student characteristic variables of interest were age, gender, CTE program enrollment, and participation in CTE. The self-concept subscales analyzed were General, Academic, Verbal, Math, and Problem Solving. A canonical correlation analysis was conducted using the four student characteristic variables as predictors of the five self-concept variables to evaluate the multivariate shared relationship between the two variable sets. The full model across all functions explained about 23% of the variance between the variable sets. Function 1 explained 15% of the shared variance and Function 2 explained 7% of the variance that remained. This study detected a relationship …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Cox, Nancy Lynne
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Student Engagement Theory: A Comparison of Jesuit, Catholic, and Christian Universities (open access)

Student Engagement Theory: A Comparison of Jesuit, Catholic, and Christian Universities

This research study analyzed the results of the Jesuit Universities Consortium in comparison with the results of the Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges Consortia as measured by the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in order to determine and identify any statistically significant differences between the consortia. One-way ANOVA analyses and Tukey HSD post hoc comparisons were conducted on the data from freshmen/first year students and seniors/fourth year students on each of the five clusters of the NSSE to determine any statistically significant difference and, subsequently, the effect size of any found differences. The study found that there were statistically significant differences on the following: 1) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Academic Challenge, 2) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Catholic Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Enriching Educational Experiences, 3) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Supportive Campus …
Date: May 2010
Creator: Williamson, Robin Marie
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Anti-collision Multi-tag Identification Algorithms for Passive RFID Systems (open access)

A Study of Anti-collision Multi-tag Identification Algorithms for Passive RFID Systems

The major advantages of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology over barcodes are that the RFID-tagged objects do not require to be in line-of-sight with the reader for their identification and multiple objects can be read simultaneously. But when multiple objects are read simultaneously there is always a problem of collision which reduces the efficiency of the system. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the dynamic framed slotted ALOHA (DFSA)-based anti-collision multi-tag identification algorithms for passive RFID system. Performance of various DFSA algorithms is compared through extensive simulation results. In addition, a number of simple performance improvement techniques have also been investigated in this thesis, including improved estimation techniques for the number of tags in each read cycle and a low-complexity heuristic stopping criterion that can be easily implemented in the practical system.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Kamineni, Neelima
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Student's Perceptions of Blended Learning Environments at a State-Supported Postsecondary Institution (open access)

A Study of Student's Perceptions of Blended Learning Environments at a State-Supported Postsecondary Institution

The purpose of this study was to conduct exploratory research regarding students' perceptions of blended learning environments at a state supported postsecondary institution. Specifically investigated were students' overall perceptions of blended learning environments, the reasons they chose to take a blended course, and whether generational differences existed in students' affected perceptions. An electronic survey was distributed to students enrolled in blended learning courses at the end of the spring 2009 term.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Shaw, Joanna G.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A study of the Violin Concerto in D Minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams (open access)

A study of the Violin Concerto in D Minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams

The focus of this study is to provide a clear understanding of Vaughan Williams' Violin Concerto in D Minor. In terms of form and compositional technique, this concerto is particularly challenging, because of Vaughan Williams' use of rhythmic motives and modes. This study is undertaken through an analysis. For a better understanding, a historical background, including overall form of each movement and key relationships, is explored and discussed. Then, Vaughan Williams' use of a ritornello-like motive, melody and modality as unifying elements is also identified and examined. In identifying the major features of Vaughan Williams' compositional style of this violin concerto, musicians will be able to understand better his unique musical expression. This study may serve as an introduction to the music of Vaughan Williams for musicians and society worldwide. It is hoped that it will motivate all violinists to perform this concerto more frequently.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Kim, Si Hyung
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stylistic Elements within the Texture and Formal Structure of Ernst von Dohnányi's Four Rhapsodies, op. 11 (open access)

Stylistic Elements within the Texture and Formal Structure of Ernst von Dohnányi's Four Rhapsodies, op. 11

Hungarian pianist, composer, conductor, teacher and administrator, Ernst von Dohnányi (Ernö Dohnányi in Hungarian), was considered one of the most versatile musicians and the first architect of Hungary's musical culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century. Dohnányi composed the Four Rhapsodies, op. 11, between 1902 and 1903, and among his many piano compositions, op. 11 are regarded as some of his most substantial works. Without directly imitating the earlier works of Liszt and Brahms, Dohnányi contributed to the rhapsody tradition with op. 11 by using his own unique stylistic compositional elements in the textural and formal structure. Texture and form are the most indicative characteristics of his rhapsodic language because of the improvisational nature that permeates his compositional style in the rhapsodies. In this dissertation the works are examined from within its textural and formal structure. Within texture, rhythm and accompanimental figurations are examined. Each rhapsody's structural organization, including references to eighteenth-century forms, and the cyclical elements in the work is analyzed. Background information on Dohnányi and a brief history of the rhapsody in the 19th century is also included.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Hwang, So Myung (Sonia)
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sustainable Development Report 2009 (open access)

Sustainable Development Report 2009

This Sustainable Development Report provides a comprehensive description of the economic, ecological and social challenges that are linked to Bayer's operations and show stakholders the strategies and solutions that are applying to meet them.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Bayer AG
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Teaching Points in Comparing the Great Depression to the 2008-2009 Recession in the United States (open access)

Teaching Points in Comparing the Great Depression to the 2008-2009 Recession in the United States

For an introductory macroeconomics course, the discussion of historical relevance helps foster important learning connections. By comparing the Great Depression to the 2008-2009 recession, a macroeconomics instructor can provide students with connections to history. This paper discusses the major causes of each recession, major fiscal policy and monetary policy decisions of both recessions, and the respective relevance in teaching the relationship of each policy to gross domestic product. The teaching points addressed in this paper are directed towards an introductory college-level macroeconomics course, incorporating a variety of theories from historical and economic writers and data from government and central bank sources. A lesson plan is included in an appendix to assist the instructor in implementing the material.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Killian, Tiffany Noel
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
This Creature, Bride of Christ (open access)

This Creature, Bride of Christ

This Creature, Bride of Christ is a composition for soprano, alto flute, viola, marimba, and computer running custom software for live interactive performance in the Max/MSP environment. The work is a setting of excerpts from The Book of Margery Kempe, an early autobiographical manuscript depicting the life of a Christian mystic. The thesis discusses the historical, sociological, and musical context of the text and its musical setting; the use of borrowed materials from music of John Dunstable, Richard Wagner, and the tradition of change ringing; and the technologies used to realize the computer accompaniment. A score of the work is also included in the appendix.
Date: May 2010
Creator: Bober, Nicholas Bradburn
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library