Painting an American Portrait in 1992 (open access)

Painting an American Portrait in 1992

This paper discusses the works of its author and includes images of the works. Douglas Parker Darracott discusses the process of creating an American portrait in 1992 and performs research on related literature and American society during this period.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Darracott, Douglas Parker
System: The UNT Digital Library
Presentation Options for Sculpture (open access)

Presentation Options for Sculpture

The act of putting anything on a base isolates it and makes it seem more precious. The base separates the viewer from the sculpture and affects the relationship between the sculpture and viewer. The problem for me was to remove the base and experiment with the possibilities now opened to my work. The purpose of this study was to explore the presentation potentials of sculpture freed from the constraints of the plinth.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Morrow, Elizabeth Lynn
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Dynamics of Structure and Discord in the Beautiful (open access)

The Dynamics of Structure and Discord in the Beautiful

The objective of my problem in lieu of thesis was to produce twenty hand-built porcelain objects which reflected this conception of beauty. To review the success of my project, I asked three questions to evaluate my work. 1. Was there significant structure to my works? 2. Was there significant discord within these structures? 3. Did the tension created through the interaction of these two elements of my work create beauty?
Date: August 1992
Creator: Merino, Anthony D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
As Thought is to Speech (open access)

As Thought is to Speech

This problem tries to bring together a comprehensive array of themes. There has been a duality between painterly techniques, recognizable images and disjunctive imagery. The subtractive painting technique used has created smooth transitions between images and made these hybrid realities more convincing.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Miller, Susan
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Illustrative Documentation of Afro-American Vernacular Dancers From the 1900's to 1945 (open access)

An Illustrative Documentation of Afro-American Vernacular Dancers From the 1900's to 1945

It was impossible to document all of the important dancers of the era; however, certain individuals were notably exceptional. The purpose of this study was to document and illustrate some of those dancers who impacted and influenced the development of American vernacular dance during the early twentieth century through the mid-1940's. The individuals chosen were as follows: Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, John Bubbles, Bill Robinson, Earl "Snakeships" Tucker, James Walker and Charles Green (Chuck and Chuckles), Katherine Dunham, Honi Coles and Cholly Akins (Coles and Akins) Josephine Baker, The Derry Brothers (Ananias, Jimmy and Warren), Eddie Rector, Willa Mae Ricker and Leon James. Emphasis was concentrated on capturing an accurate likeness of the individuals as well as on establishing a specific mood. Since all of the above-mentioned individuals were dancers, a special effort was made to recreate the lighting and aura of the stage.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Woosley, Brigitte J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Amalgamation of Three-Dimensional and Two-Dimensional Processes (open access)

The Amalgamation of Three-Dimensional and Two-Dimensional Processes

Although drawing had offered me many avenues for image exploration and mark making, it lacked the actual physical relief surface that was a natural part of the printmaking plate process (i.e., intaglio plates or relief surfaces). Sculpture allowed the images and marks to be realized dimensionally in the round; therefore, the images became objects.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Gentry, Larry Allen
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Investigation of Content Inherent in Small Format Mixed Media Paintings (open access)

The Investigation of Content Inherent in Small Format Mixed Media Paintings

Prior to 1990 I worked exclusively with large scale formats, using traditional oil painting media on canvas. During that year I became interested in the effect produced by more intimate passages within larger works. Discovery of a scroll of Chinese ink drawings in 1992 increased my interest in small scale composition.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Lewis, Richard Wayne
System: The UNT Digital Library
Constellations: For Wind Ensemble and Computer Music (open access)

Constellations: For Wind Ensemble and Computer Music

Constellations is a single movement work that explores the color between acoustic instruments and computer generated sounds. It is scored for four flutes (two doubling on piccolos), two oboes, two bassoons, eight B-flat clarinets, two bass B-flat clarinets; two alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; four trumpets in B-flat, four horns in F; three trombones, bass trombone; two tubas;piano; six percussionists; and contrabass. The duration of the work is nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Mapping of stellar constellations provide the primary material for all pitch and harmonic progressions throughout the work. Software synthesis and digital sampling techniques coalesce to produce the computer music on tape.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Chatham, Rick, 1962-
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
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
Canonic Variations for Percussion and Orchestra (open access)

Canonic Variations for Percussion and Orchestra

This work in three movements is written for piccolo, flute, alto flute in G, oboe, English horn in F, clarinet in Bb, bass clarinet in Bb, contrabass clarinet in Bb, bassoon, soprano saxophone in Bb, alto saxophine in Bb, horn in F, trumpet in Bb, six percussion, violins, violas, and violoncellos. The approximate duration is thirteen minutes. The rhythm of the piece is notated metrically and spatially. Movements I and III employ both types of notation, while movement II is strictly metric. Most of the percussion instruments used in the first movement are capable of sustaining very lengthy notes. Upon the release of these notes they have equally long, if not longer, decay times. As the aural residue of the envelopes dissipates, the strings and winds are used to extend the decay times. At the same time, the varying timbres provide subtle shifts in color, so that the overall effect is one of a very large instrument able to undergo a kin of internal, timbral metamorphosis. In diametrical contrast, the envelopes of movements II and III are compressed to the point of short, individual attacks.
Date: August 1992
Creator: McDonald, Richard F. (Richard Frederic)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Descriptive Study of Statewide Bibliographic Databases (open access)

A Descriptive Study of Statewide Bibliographic Databases

This dissertation has compiled information about statewide bibliographic databases, their format, their cost, the number of titles and records, how they are being used, what kinds of libraries are using such databases in each state, and the effectiveness of those databases. General information about twenty-eight states' bibliographic databases is included in this dissertation. The users of thirteen states responded to a questionnaire, surveying the effectiveness of the statewide database in their state. The costs to the individual states varies from zero, where all costs are covered by local funds or Library Services and Construction Act fund, up to 4.4 million dollars. Usage of interlibrary loan increase is detailed and explained. There has never been an evaluation of the effectiveness of a statewide bibliographic database. This is a descriptive study of statewide bibliographic databases. No other such study appears in library and information sciences indexes.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Gardner, Stan (Stan A.)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Preparation and Characterization of Model Conjugates for the Study of Proteins Modified by ADP-ribose (open access)

Preparation and Characterization of Model Conjugates for the Study of Proteins Modified by ADP-ribose

Modification of proteins by ADP-ribose has been shown to be a versatile modification with respect to the amino acid side chain. The results described here will allow the study of the biological importance of ADP-ribose glycation and also allow differentiation on crude extracts between enzymatic modifications from protein ADP-ribose glycation that can occur due to the presence of NAD glycohydrolases.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Cervantes-Laurean, Daniel
System: The UNT Digital Library
Implementing Municipal Water Conservation Policy: Goals, Practices and the Case of Texas (open access)

Implementing Municipal Water Conservation Policy: Goals, Practices and the Case of Texas

This study examines whether water conservation is actually being incorporated into municipal water management practices. The development of a conservation policy from a general goal declaration to specific programmatic practices is reviewed for a Texas state water agency, the Texas Water Development Board. From January 1986 through September 1989, 102 political units in Texas applied to the Board for water-related loan funds and thus were required to implement municipal water conservation plans. Two aspects of this conversation policy are assessed: one, the Board's procedural arrangements for the development and review of water conservation plans, and two, the conservation plans of each political unit. It is concluded that Texas state water managers, and local manager also, have yet to incorporate conservation as a significant planning tool for the achievement of water management goals.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Sokulsky, Kariann Elizabeth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of pH on the Persistence and Toxicity of Cyfluthrin to Chironomus Tentans (open access)

Effect of pH on the Persistence and Toxicity of Cyfluthrin to Chironomus Tentans

The effect of pH upon the aquatic toxicity of cyfluthrin was determined in 48 h static acute toxicity tests using 2nd instar Chironomus tentans larvae. Tests were conducted in both dechlorinated tap water and lake water of pH 8.0, 7.2, and 6.6. After 48 h, immobilized and dead larvae were removed and replaced with 2nd instar larvae to assess the persistence of toxicity. Midges were cultured in water adjusted to the pH values used in testing. Toxicity if cyfluthrin varied inversely with pH. An increase in the pH of tap water by 2 units resulted in a 2-decrease in toxicity. Toxicity of cyfluthrin also varied between tap and lake water of the same pH. EC50 values in lake water were approximately 2-3 times lower than those in tap water. Toxicity in the lake water and tap water at every pH tested was also significantly different when regression line elevations were compared. Natural waters amended with cyfluthrin were consistently more toxi to the chironomids than tap water of the same pH. Persistence of cyfluthrin at low pH also influenced chironomid behavior. Recovery of normal behavior generally began within 24 h at pH 8.0 At pH 6.0, recovery did not begin until …
Date: May 1992
Creator: Hambleton, Faith Ann (Faith Ann Elizabeth)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ode to the Ninth: the Poetic and Musical Tradition Behind the Finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony (open access)

Ode to the Ninth: the Poetic and Musical Tradition Behind the Finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony

This study examines the finale of Beethoven's choral symphony and focuses on its inspirations and aims to invoke critical theories involving genre, namely genre's "horizon of expectation", and lead to an enriched perspective that points toward a number of compelling aspects of the Choral Finale overlooked by previous commentators.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Parsons, James, 1956-
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Ethnographic Study of Outstanding, Veteran Elementary Teachers (open access)

An Ethnographic Study of Outstanding, Veteran Elementary Teachers

The purpose of this study was to describe outstanding, veteran elementary teachers using an ethnographic approach. This qualitative study was conducted in a suburban independent school district in northeast Texas serving approximately 17,000 students. The data collected focused on five outstanding, veteran elementary teachers who had at least twenty years of uninterrupted teaching service. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and the administration of the Mind Styles (Gregorc,1982) inventory. The findings of this research were as follows. This study found that many factors were responsible for retaining outstanding, veteran elementary teachers in the work force. These included adequate preparation, a strong personal commitment, a successful initial teaching assignment, a development of skills and abilities inside and outside the teaching field, and professional accomplishments throughout the teaching career.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Adams, Sandra K. (Sandra Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kinetic Study of the Reactions of Oxygen Atoms with Nitric Oxide and Silane (open access)

Kinetic Study of the Reactions of Oxygen Atoms with Nitric Oxide and Silane

The rate constant for the reactions of oxygen atoms with nitric oxide and silane were determined using a discharge flow apparatus. A microwave discharge through O2N2 and Ar was used to produce oxygen atoms. The rate constant for the reaction O + NO + Ar was determined to be (7.0+0.4) x 10^32 cm^6 s^-1 and is in good agreement with previous measurements. Modeling of the O +SiH₄ reaction was performed to determine the correction to the rate constant due to secondary reactions. The rate constant for the reaction O + SiH₄ was determined to be (3.3 +/- 0.3) x 10⁻¹³ cm³ s⁻¹ and is in good agreement with previous measurements. Previous literature, thermochemistry, and spin conservation were used to determine a probable mechanism for the O + SiH₄ reaction.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Taylor, Craig A. (Craig Allan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proportional Representation and the Weimar Constitution (open access)

Proportional Representation and the Weimar Constitution

The thesis examines the reasons why the German National Assembly of 1919 chose proportional representation to elect officials to the German Reichstag. Sources include the series Quellen zur Geschichte des Parlamentarismus and die politische Parteien, the "Hajo Holborn Papers", and the Reich Ministry of Interior debates concerning the institutional draft. The thesis traces the arguments for proportional representation, its use throughout Europe before 1914, and voting reform in Germany during World War I. The thesis surveys the German provisional government's adoption of proportional representation, emphasizing the constitutional drafts of Hugo Preuss and the role of the provisional government. Finally, the thesis scrutinizes the National Assembly debates, concluding that most of its members had already decided to follow the provisional government's course and accept proportional representation.
Date: December 1992
Creator: Hastings, Preston B. (Preston Bruce)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Progressivism/Prohibition and War: Texas, 1914-1918 (open access)

Progressivism/Prohibition and War: Texas, 1914-1918

This thesis focuses upon the impact of war upon the progressive movement in Texas during 1914-1918. Chapter I defines progressivism in Texas and presents an overview of the political situation in the state as relating to the period. Chapter II discusses the negative impact that the first two years of World War I had upon the reform movement. Chapter III examines the revival of the Anti-Saloon League and the 1916 Democratic state convention. Chapter IV covers the war between James E. Ferguson and the University of Texas. Chapter V tells how the European war became a catalyst for the reform movement in Texas following America's entry, and its subsequent influence upon the election of 1918. Chapter VI concludes that James E. Ferguson's war with the University of Texas as well as World War I were responsible for the prohibitionist victory in the election of 1918.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Antle, Michael Lee
System: The UNT Digital Library
Three Woody Allen films: the maturing of a filmmaker (open access)

Three Woody Allen films: the maturing of a filmmaker

This thesis examines Allen's development using Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) as landmarks. Three criteria (chapters) structure the analysis: comedy, narrative, and romance.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Jeter, Russell D. (Russell Daniel)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Life Histories of Stoneflies (Plecoptera) and Other Aquatic Insects in the Rio Conejos Drainage, Colorado (open access)

Life Histories of Stoneflies (Plecoptera) and Other Aquatic Insects in the Rio Conejos Drainage, Colorado

Stonefly life histories were studied March, 1987 through May, 1990 in the Rio Conejos, Colorado. Adult presence phenology and intensity were monitored daily in the summers of 1988 and 1989 and were coupled with monthly benthic samples to assess nymphal growth. Eggs of several species were reared. Thirty-one species were collected, with several multi-species assemblages occurring in Capnia, Utacapnia, Taenionema, Suwallia, Triznaka, Isogenoides and Isoperla. Sufficient data were obtained to reveal partial or complete life histories of 13 species, five of which have not been previously reported. New information included the 9- to 10-mo egg diapause and semivoltine life histories of Isogenoides zionensis Hanson, Pteronarcella badia (Hagen) and Pteronarcys californica Newport. Additionally, Isoperla phalerata (Smith) had univoltine-slow growth, and L quinquepunctata (Banks) was univoltine-fast. Previously unstudied emergence periods are presented for Triznaka signata (Banks), Suwallia wardi Kondratieff and Kirchner and S. pallidula (Banks). The later two species temporally segregated emergence in both years. Isoperla fulva Claassen emerged in June, and was temporally segregated from its congeners. Regression analysis of cumulative percentage catch revealed two adult presence patterns. Eight species had slopes <7%/d (extended pattern), and only two, I. zionensis and P. cal'fornica, had slopes >7 %/d (synchronous pattern). Several stoneflies …
Date: May 1992
Creator: DeWalt, Ralph Edward
System: The UNT Digital Library
The life and legend of Godfrey of Bouillon: the development of a cultural hero in art and literature (open access)

The life and legend of Godfrey of Bouillon: the development of a cultural hero in art and literature

In the fourteenth century Jacques de Longuyon popularized the theme of the nine worthies in his poem Les Voeux du Paon. Gofrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine and Protector of the Holy Sepulchre, was the last of the Christian Worthies in the poem. In his life and legends he exemplified the medieval world's heroic ideal. His achievement, the recovery of the Holy City for Christianity, was the pinnacle-the crowning glory-for the western world. By examining the historical fact of Godfrey's life and comparing it to legends and artistic renderings of that life, one can learn more about the time during which he lived and the people of which he was a part.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Lynass, Kathryn R. (Kathryn Rose)
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