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Discriminative Control of Behavioral Variability in Video Game Play (open access)

Discriminative Control of Behavioral Variability in Video Game Play

Creativity can be a useful skill in today's classrooms and workplaces. When individuals talk about creativity, it's unclear what the controlling variables are when we tact behavior as "creative." Research in understanding the processes behind behaviors that are considered "creative" would assist in identifying functional relations and provide insight on how to teach creativity. Since creativity is often described as doing something different from the norm, behavioral variability may be a potential aspect of creativity. This study aimed to replicate previous findings by investigating the effects of discrimination training in a multiple schedule of varied and repetitive responding in the context of a video game. Participants played through a 2D online video game made in Bloxels. Different alternating-colored platforms served as the discriminative stimuli for the vary and repeat components. Three parameters of variability were measured (e.g., left jumps, right jumps, and double jumps). The results of the study indicate that participants were able to learn the discrimination of when to repeat and vary their responses depending on which colored platform they encountered.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Arias, Gabriela Isabel
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analysis of "The Seven Songs" From The Pilgrim's Progress By Ralph Vaughan Williams (open access)

Analysis of "The Seven Songs" From The Pilgrim's Progress By Ralph Vaughan Williams

The opera, The Pilgrim's Progress, was written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1949. "The Seven Songs" are analyzed for performance, examining the elements of music and text of the songs, including melody, harmony, form, vocal line and accompaniment, with the intent of forming conclusions in regard to their usefulness as singular selections, or as a group, for performance.
Date: May 1968
Creator: Hindman, Jannette
System: The UNT Digital Library
Inside, Outside, Under (open access)

Inside, Outside, Under

My ceramic works utilize a heightened sensory perception to encourage a prolonged engagement with the handcrafted objects. With an emphasis on repetition, I create individual rings from clay coils and interlink them in complex, radial configurations to produce a malleable, geometric network designed to respond to the user's movements. The work revolves around dichotomies: hard/soft, delicate/strong, inspired by clay's chemical alterations in the firing. Each malleable pattern preserves the fluid movement the pliable clay begins with. Overall, the abundance of ornament elevates the object, transforming an everyday object into something intended for special occasions or moments for the self.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Segrest, Courtney
System: The UNT Digital Library
Times-Mu-Ta-Tion (open access)

Times-Mu-Ta-Tion

My work as an American artist (Korean diaspora) reflects the interplay of diverse cultures and locations that have shaped my experiences. Through the exploration of photo and video archives from my travels, I uncover patterns and images that symbolize both place and transition. Utilizing digital technology, I fragment and reconstruct visual elements, evoking a sense of longing and disconnection. I also investigate the relationship between the body and space, using multi-modal responses. My work aims to capture dualities and stimulate contemplative meditation through the juxtaposition of tangible and intangible, clear and hazy, large and small, and intimate and distant elements.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Suh, Jae-Eun
System: The UNT Digital Library
One Thing at Least is Certain (open access)

One Thing at Least is Certain

Diana Rojas explores the hidden and invisible through interdisciplinary collaboration and conversation across fields such as Philosophy, Music Composition, Physics, Material Science and Visual Art. The tools and environments she creates - by utilizing the archaic and contemporary, the digital and sculptural, known and unknown, and the minute and immersive -culminate in experiential works that prompt viewers to slow down and inspire introspection. The slowing down that these works provoke raises questions about existence, reality and being. By combining materials and elements of theories and devices of exploration, she references their antecedents, but creates new opportunities for viewer investigation. This includes utilizing creative coding, video, 3D modeling, welding steel, kiln forming and soldering glass, and cutilizing sand as projection screens. Additionally, she utilizes sound and light to create captivating installations, inspired by interest in the influence that immaterial forces have on human minds and decisions.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Ponce, Diana Rojas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Candalaria Paredes and Delores Martinez (open access)

Candalaria Paredes and Delores Martinez

My work explores my identity as a Latino, veteran, and father, and counteracts the lack of positive representation of men of color in society. While they are similar to traditional piñatas in their design and construction, my sculptures are based on abstract representations of my internalized identity. These anthropomorphic forms stand rather than being hung, enacting ownership over their space. This allows them to take on a newly assigned identity and presence. These forms allow me to display, articulate, and communicate. the struggles I have experienced throughout my life because of systemic oppression.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Martinez, Saxon
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oil People (open access)

Oil People

My ceramics are composed of two bodies of work poised against one another, one rendered in porcelain and colored inclusion stains combined in processes rooted within the practices of laminating clay, and the other made of brutal metallic black stoneware. The first are made of landscapes and abstractly depict them, while the latter represent ways in which we consume oil literally and metaphorically. Within myself are conflicting desires for convenient access to my environment and the loss of biodiversity caused by my unsustainable use of it. This is the core of the conflict between my pieces and my intention in making work is to embody my relationship with nature as influenced by my familial context in the US. All of the vessels are designed to be functional, but to serve used motor oil instead of food or drink. If the purpose of the objects is to represent my relationship with nature and the iteration of days, then the performance of them is meant to invoke the recognition of multiform oil consumption and the effect it has on my life.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Grasham, Eric
System: The UNT Digital Library
From Every Depth of Good and Ill (open access)

From Every Depth of Good and Ill

Titled after a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, From Every Depth of Good and Ill, is an exhibition composed of vignettes created with ceramic sculpture, ephemeral installation works, and printmaking. The work primarily references domesticity and antiquated subjects to illustrate the process of coping with past trauma and the resultant feelings of shame, inadequacy, and incompleteness. Marked by a palette of warm rust and sepia, aged patterning, and worn textures, the tableau of objects presented within the space mimic old familial photographs. Each resulting work serves as a dirty looking-glass for the viewer to peer through.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Gibson, Jacob Tylor
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rainbows, Stones & Ghosts (open access)

Rainbows, Stones & Ghosts

Rainbows, Stones and Ghosts is a two-part exhibition of multi-dimensional drawings about the almost and the not-yet-made. My Project-in-Lieu-of Thesis exists physically as a series of oil paintings, works on paper, and a site-specific sculptural installation. With recurring imagery of rainbows, stones, and construction debris, the works reimagine their subjects as icons and objects of potential. Highlighting time, labor, and material, my project questions the creation of value, status, and the concept of the ‘ideal’. My drawings dissolve the boundary between the absence and presence by continuously breaking down, expanding, and reimagining their surfaces, subjects, and sites. Rainbows, Stones and Ghosts is an invitation to navigate the ‘almost’ as an immersive space of possibility.
Date: May 2023
Creator: DePetris, Sarah
System: The UNT Digital Library
Asepo (open access)

Asepo

My artistic practice centers around personal history, connection, and identity. I reflect on my experience as a Nigerian who has lived on three continents thus far, and how those experiences have led to the deconstruction, reassembly, and hybridization of my identity. My work pays homage to my tribe of origin, Yoruba, whilst redefining and exploring the hybridity that exists as a result of cross-cultural influences that are prominent in our world today. I incorporate varying objects and materials such as jewelry, sculpture, wood, metal, and fiber. This integration speaks to the multicultural existence of the world I live in the interrelationship between Nigeria and the West.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Adeleke, Atinuke
System: The UNT Digital Library
Blurring the Boundaries of Chinese and Western Musical Language: A Harmonic and Form Analysis of Chen Qigang's "La joie de la souffrance" (2017) in Reference to the Compositional Influence of Olivier Messiaen (open access)

Blurring the Boundaries of Chinese and Western Musical Language: A Harmonic and Form Analysis of Chen Qigang's "La joie de la souffrance" (2017) in Reference to the Compositional Influence of Olivier Messiaen

Chen Qigang (b. 1951) is one of today's most representative and prolific Chinese composers. His works are regarded as setting a standard of excellence among Chinese composers in the twenty-first century. Like many Chinese composers of his generation, Chen combines in his works the traits of both Chinese traditional music and Western musical language. La joie de la souffrance (The Joy of Suffering) for violin and orchestra, composed for the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition in 2016–17, is one of his mature works that not only represents one of the great achievements of fusing Chinese and Western musical languages, but is also a major addition to the venerable tradition of Chinese concertos. By analyzing La joie de la souffrance as the nexus of old and new, East and West, I hope to provide not only insight into a valuable work of the twentieth-century violin concerto repertoire, but also a glimpse into some of the musical influences of a Chinese composer working in France in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. By extension, I hope to shed light on some of the factors, trends, and developments that have influenced Chinese composers in the early twenty-first century.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Xiong, Hanbin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Student Perceptions of Advanced Academic Coursework and Its Impact on College and Career Readiness (open access)

Student Perceptions of Advanced Academic Coursework and Its Impact on College and Career Readiness

Although students have more opportunities than ever before to participate in advanced academic programs while in high school, it is unclear whether this has affected their ability to succeed in college. To determine what impact the students' experiences in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit coursework had on their level of college and career readiness (CCR), students were asked to recall what factors influenced their ability to succeed in postsecondary education and describe what information is most beneficial for students as they select their academic pathways. This phenomenological qualitative study gathered data from students that had recently graduated from two high schools in a rapidly growing, suburban school district. Participants in the study reported that the most common benefits from advanced academic programs included more challenging expectations and learning how to navigate the various logistics of postsecondary education. By examining these students' perspectives, the findings from this study may positively influence policy and practice by increasing the likelihood that students are adequately prepared for college and have the ability to succeed at the collegiate level. Continued examination of student experiences in postsecondary education is imperative for improving CCR and may provide more insight into what factors inhibit student success after …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Doty, Rachel A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Revving Up Revenue: Unlocking the Power of Cancellation Policies on Booking Intentions (open access)

Revving Up Revenue: Unlocking the Power of Cancellation Policies on Booking Intentions

Over the years, last-minute cancellations and no-shows have presented difficulties for the hospitality sector, negatively affecting hotel operations and revenue. The cancellation policies of hotels have changed significantly as a result. These rules have been modified to act as "price fences" as a result of revenue management strategies used in the hotel industry. This study aims to find out how various cancellation policies impact consumers' perceptions of risk and intent to reserve hotel rooms at various times. The study provides insight into the factors that affect consumer behavior and choices for hospitality goods and services by examining these elements. The results of the study offer some understanding into how hotels and other hospitality businesses can use cancellation policies to customize their marketing strategies to meet consumer needs and preferences while successfully managing revenue and profitability.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Vo, Le Bich Ngoc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Quantification of the Seasonality and Vertical Dispersion Environment of PM2.5 Variation: A Comparative Analysis of Micro-Scale Wind-Based Buffer Methods (open access)

Quantification of the Seasonality and Vertical Dispersion Environment of PM2.5 Variation: A Comparative Analysis of Micro-Scale Wind-Based Buffer Methods

Increasing PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers) poses a significant health risk to people. Understanding variables critical to PM2.5 spatial and temporal variation is a first step towards protecting vulnerable populations from exposure. Previous studies investigate variables responsible for PM2.5 variation but have a limited temporal span. Moreover, although land-use classes are often taken into account, the vertical environment's influence (e.g., buildings, trees) on PM2.5 concentrations is often ignored and on-road circle buffers are used. To understand variables most critical to PM2.5 concentration variation, an air pollution sensor and GPS unit were affixed to a bicycle to sample for variables over three seasons (spring, summer, fall). Samples were taken on a route during the weekdays at four targeted hours (7AM, 11AM, 3PM, and 7PM) and joined with meteorological data. 3D morphology was assessed using LiDAR data and novel wind-based buffers. Wind speed only, wind direction only, and wind speed and direction buffers were computed and compared for their performance at capturing micro-scale urban morphological variables. Zonal statistics were used to compute morphological indicators under different wind assumptions in seasonal ordinary least squares regression models. A comprehensive wind and buffer performance analysis compares statistical significance for spatial and temporal variation …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Ray, Noah R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Influence of Particle Morphology and Heat Treatment on the Microstructural Evolution of Silver Inks for Additively Manufactured RF Applications: A Comparison between Nanoflake and Reactive Inks (open access)

The Influence of Particle Morphology and Heat Treatment on the Microstructural Evolution of Silver Inks for Additively Manufactured RF Applications: A Comparison between Nanoflake and Reactive Inks

In recent years, advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have paved the way for 3D-printed flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and created opportunities for extending these gains to RF applications. However, printed metal interconnects and devices are typically characterized by high porosity and chemical impurities that significantly limit their electrical conductivity and RF performance compared to bulk equivalents. Using direct ink writing (DIW), two silver inks, a nanoflake suspension and a nanoparticle-reactive ink, were investigated to understand the relationship between free interfacial energy, sintering behavior, DC conductivity, and RF loss. The printed silver samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to monitor microstructural evolution, grain size and orientation, and chemical purity as a function of heat treatment temperature. Three heat treatments were applied to each ink: the manufacturer's recommendation, 225°C for 30 minutes, and 350°C for 30 minutes. Four-wire structures and coplanar waveguides were printed to compare the DC and RF performance up to 18 GHz, respectively. The results show that ink formulations that facilitate larger grains, high density, and good chemical purity have superior RF performance. A low resistivity of 1.4 times bulk Ag, average of 0.8% greater RF loss factor than evaporated Ag, …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Summers, Jason Masao
System: The UNT Digital Library

Structures of Multicomponent Silicate and Borosilicate Glasses from Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Effects of Iron Redox Ratio and Cation Field Strength

Multicomponent silicate and borosilicate glasses find wide technological applications ranging from optical fibers, biomedicine to nuclear waste disposal. As a common component of earth's mantle and nuclear waste, iron is a frequent encounter in silicate and borosilicate melts and glasses. The redox ratio in glass matrix defined by the ratio of ferrous and ferric ions is dependent on factors such as temperature, pressure, and oxygen fugacity. Understanding their roles on the short- and medium-range structure of these glasses is important in establishing the structure-property relationships which are important for glass composition design but usually difficult to obtain from experimental characterization techniques alone. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were chosen in this dissertation to study iron containing glasses due to challenges in experimental techniques such as NMR spectroscopy originated from the paramagnetic nature of iron. Magnesium is also a common element in the oxide glass compositions and its effect on the structure of boroaluminosilicate glasses were also investigated. Magnesium ion (Mg2+) has relatively higher cation field strength than other modifier cations and its structural role in oxide glasses is still under debate. Therefore, investigating the effects of cation field strength of modifier cations in light of MgO in boroaluminosilicate glasses is also …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Tuheen, Manzila Islam
System: The UNT Digital Library

"Mexican Goodbye"

Mexican Goodbye is a collection of poetry that interrogates the dichotomy of a family fractured in conjunction with a speaker's coming of age. The collection reckons with divorce and the subsequent dissolution of the speaker's Mexican American family. Individual poems deal with sisterhood, daughterhood, Chicanismo, grief, the intergenerational impact of the immigrant experience, and inherited trauma. The titular poem illustrates the typical Mexican goodbye, a Latine despedida which can last hours, extended by continued chisme and prolonged conversation. It is this cultural phenomenon that the collection endeavors to encapsulate by lingering in narrative, listing childhood experiences, and allowing the speaker to yearn to return and remain in the past. Ultimately, the speaker desires to linger in the farewell.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Hernandez, Xaviera
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Perceptions of School Leaders about Their Readiness to Lead Early Childhood High-Needs Schools (open access)

The Perceptions of School Leaders about Their Readiness to Lead Early Childhood High-Needs Schools

The problem identified for this study was that principals of elementary schools often do not have the appropriate preparedness and readiness required for meeting the needs of children and teachers in the primary grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of early childhood campus leaders regarding how well-prepared they are to supervise a high-needs campus that consists of primary grades which include prekindergarten through third grade. Qualitative methodology of case study design with a phenomenological perspective was selected. A finding of this research study was principals' preparedness for supervising early childhood grade levels was because their prior work experience in early childhood. Also, supports for the principals are needed to impact how they supervise early childhood grades, but careful consideration of which supports are needed must be made. The final finding was principal actions when supervising early childhood classrooms are based on their opinion about quality rather than the district defined quality document. Recommendation for further research are to replicate this with a larger population and sample; conduct a quantitative study of the impact of early childhood leadership on student outcomes that would follow a cohort of students through elementary school; and conduct a qualitative case …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Brown, Onjaleke M.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Behaviors of School Librarians: Perceptions during Times of Crisis

School librarians create an atmosphere where learners feel empowered. Moreover, school library programming should support diversity, equity, and inclusive learning opportunities to facilitate student success. Thus, school librarians are expected to model and advocate for equitable learning spaces while considering the universal design for learning approach to improving accessibility, utilization, and relevance for all library patrons. Although it has been established that school library standards support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), more is needed to know about the impact of a crisis on school library programming and services. In addition, extensive research has not been conducted to determine school librarians' responsiveness and strategies to provide services for their school communities during disruptive times. This study examines school librarians' perceptions of the opportunities and challenges encountered while endeavoring to engage in DEI practices during crises.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Gill, Diane
System: The UNT Digital Library
Brazilian Adaptations of Baroque and Classical Elements in the Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op. 9, by Alberto Nepomuceno (1864–1920) (open access)

Brazilian Adaptations of Baroque and Classical Elements in the Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op. 9, by Alberto Nepomuceno (1864–1920)

Alberto Nepomuceno was one of the leading figures in developing Brazilian art music at the turn of the twentieth century. He became widely known for his Brazilian art songs and kept promoting Brazilian music and the use of Portuguese as an "art language" throughout his life. Nepomuceno has widely been seen as a nationalist composer, yet some of his works adopt a more European style. In this study, I argue that Nepomuceno incorporates European musical languages in his Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op. 9. I display the rich interaction of Brazilian national identity and European influence within Nepomuceno's musical life. I also provide a thorough formal analysis of this piano sonata to argue that in some of his music he adopted a distinctively European musical language, including baroque and classical elements. In addition to analyzing the sonata-form and rondo-form elements, this dissertation discusses the use of several important topics in the work, including the Siciliano rhythm, contrapuntal writing, pedal points with organ effects, and impact of Brahms on Nepomuceno's piano writing. Moreover, I analyze how Nepomuceno assimilated European musical styles as the basis for his own compositions, as well as the innovations with which he augmented those styles. An …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Wu, Qifan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Healing Miracles in Ancient Jewish and Early Christian Literature (open access)

Healing Miracles in Ancient Jewish and Early Christian Literature

Jesus was a healer, but what may not be as obvious is that he started a legacy of healing. He passed on his skills and abilities to his followers at least three times. Though not as frequently, they continued to heal through the Book of Acts. The legacy continued in the Apocryphal Acts and other apocryphal materials spanning the early centuries of the common era. Secondary literature looks at modern scholarship and leans heavily into Rabbinic literature. Up to this point, other English-language works in healing have sorely lacked luster in providing. The exploration of the healing legacy of Jesus shifted to meet the skills and needs of the healers, patients, and communities involved. Further, the healings had a substantive resultant impact on various levels of socioeconomics for the parties, which is explored by reexamining each group type of healings, from lameness and paralytics to possession and resurrection, and more. The hope is that taking a holistic approach to these healings as possible will allow readers a new way of experiencing the early common era and these events that permeated everyone's lives at one time or another.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Tompkins, Lora E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Role of Play Therapists' Characteristics and Self-Efficacy in Predicting Barriers to Engaging Parents (open access)

The Role of Play Therapists' Characteristics and Self-Efficacy in Predicting Barriers to Engaging Parents

The current study sought to explore play therapists' barriers to engaging parents in their clinical work as well as understand the relationship between play therapist characteristics and their attitudes toward parents. Using a demographic questionnaire, Therapist Barriers to Engaging Parents (TBEP), and the Counseling Self- Estimate Inventory (COSE), 136 members of the Association for Play Therapy were surveyed to explore predictors to engaging with parents. Overall, play therapists reported low scores on barriers to engaging parents indicating play therapists are likely to report positive attitudes toward working with parents. Through two multiple regression analyses measuring the predictive value of self-efficacy subscales including Dealing with Difficult Clients and Counseling Process, play therapist identification as a parent, years of experience, and hours of training on parent engagement, both models demonstrated statistically significant findings with large effect sizes. This study found that play therapist self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of play therapists' attitudes toward parents accounting for approximately 80% of the variance in the models. Play therapists' identification as a parent as well as years of practice also predicted their barriers to engaging parents. Hours of training in parent engagement had no relationship to TBEP scores. Implications for practice include a need to …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Line, Ahou Vaziri
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Schenkerian Analysis and Interpretation of Joseph Jongen's Eclectic "Vingt-quatre petits préludes dans tous les tons pour piano," Op. 116 (1940-1941) (open access)

A Schenkerian Analysis and Interpretation of Joseph Jongen's Eclectic "Vingt-quatre petits préludes dans tous les tons pour piano," Op. 116 (1940-1941)

Belgian composer Joseph Jongen (1873-1953) was an eclectic composer who successfully maintained his own unique musical vocabulary—particularly in his piano compositions. Jongen composed very little between 1940-1941—the period in which he and his family fled to the countryside of Mazères, France, living as refugees for several months before returning to Sart-lez-Spa, Belgium, due to the outbreak of WWII. Reflective of this time in his life, Vingt-quatre petits préludes dans tous les tons pour piano, op. 116 is composed in a particularly intimate and despairing way. Through a complete Schenkerian analysis and outline of the musical framework of op. 116—Jongen's last collection of piano pieces—this dissertation sheds light on the technique, imagination, and uniqueness of Jongen's WWII-period piano compositions. More specifically, this research outlines the deep-level tonal and formal structures, investigates the cryptic semantic meaning and intimate personal expression, and defines the aesthetic achievements of Jongen's Twenty-four Little Preludes in All Keys for Piano, op. 116.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Liu, Yi
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Arsenal of the Red Warriors: U.S. Perceptions of Stalin's Red Army and the Impact of Lend-Lease Aid on the Eastern Front in the Second World War (open access)

The Arsenal of the Red Warriors: U.S. Perceptions of Stalin's Red Army and the Impact of Lend-Lease Aid on the Eastern Front in the Second World War

Through the U.S. Lend-Lease program, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to keep Joseph Stalin's Red Army fighting Adolf Hitler's forces to prevent a separate peace and Nazi Germany's colonization of Soviet territory and strategic resources during the Second World War. Yet after the Red Army's 1943 counterattacks, Roosevelt unnecessarily increased Soviet Lend-Lease aid, oversupplying Stalin's soldiers with more armament than they required for the Soviet Union's defense and enabling their subsequent conquest of East Central Europe and large parts of East Asia. Roosevelt's underestimation of the Red Army's capabilities, his tendency to readily rely on Soviet-influenced advisers, and his unquestioning acceptance of Stalin's implicit threats to forge a separate peace all contributed to his excessive arming of Moscow from 1943 forward. Expanding on the findings of other scholars, this work identifies and explains the impact of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty on Roosevelt's reasoning, the key role of the Arctic convoys in delivering material to the Red Army, and how the unnecessary aid routes through Iran and Alaska resulted in the oversupplying of Stalin's troops. Had Roosevelt not opened these unnecessary routes, the Arctic convoys could have continued to sufficiently supply the Red Army's defensive efforts without empowering it to aggressively spread …
Date: May 2023
Creator: Fancher, James Reagan
System: The UNT Digital Library