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open access

The Effects of Pre-Kindergarten on Spanish-Speaking Bilingual Students Taking the Third Grade TAKS Reading Test

Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to provide research and data examining the impact of pre-kindergarten on Spanish-speaking ESL students on the third grade TAKS Reading test scores. The two questions that guided this study are: (1) As measured by the third grade TAKS reading test, what is the relationship between those limited english proficient (LEP) Spanish-speaking children who attended a pre-kindergarten program and those who did not attend a pre-kindergarten program? and (2) As measured … more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Ringhauser, John T.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Victimization and expressions of relational and overt aggression among boys and girls with ADHD.

Description: This study investigated if girls and boys high in ADHD symptomology exhibited and experienced relational and overt aggression differently than boys and girls without ADHD symptoms using peer, parent and teacher ratings. A measurement of social behavior for parent ratings was also validated. Using archival data, 371 3rd- 6th graders from a north Texas school district participated in the study, along with a parent or guardian and teachers. Results supported that ADHD subtype predicted more overt… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Rivero, Arlene Jean Abello
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Inferring Social and Internal Context Using a Mobile Phone

Description: This dissertation is composed of research studies that contribute to three research areas including social context-aware computing, internal context-aware computing, and human behavioral data mining. In social context-aware computing, four studies are conducted. First, mobile phone user calling behavioral patterns are characterized in forms of randomness level where relationships among them are then identified. Next, a study is conducted to investigate the relationship between the calling behav… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Phithakkitnukoon, Santi
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Design and Validation of an Automated Multiunit Composting System.

Description: This thesis covers the design of an automated multiunit composting system (AMUCS) that was constructed to meet the experimental apparatus requirements of the ASTM D5338 standard. The design of the AMUCS is discussed in full detail and validated with two experiments. The first experiment was used to validate the operation of the AMUCS with a 15 day experiment. During this experiment visual observations were made to visually observe degradation. Thermal properties and stability tests were perform… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Pickens, Mark Everett
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Does the Knowledge of Unaudited Account Balances Adversely Affect the Performance of Substantive Analytical Procedures?

Description: Auditors use substantive analytical procedures to make assertions about the adequacy and appropriateness of client balances. The analytical procedure process consists of auditors creating independent account expectations and corroborating unusual fluctuations through obtaining and evaluating additional audit evidence. Prior analytical procedure research has found that knowledge of clients' unaudited account balances biases auditors' expectations towards the current year figures. However, thi… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Pike, Byron J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The perception of English language arts teachers about instructional changes following the implementation of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.

Description: Accountability in education has been expanding for the past twenty years. As standards for curricular areas continued to develop, educational shareholders desired a way to measure student achievement contextualized by the established standards. Since 1964, policies expanded federal involvement with education, and with the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, high-stakes testing became a significant part of public education. In Texas, testing transitioned in 2003 to the Texas Assessment of Knowledg… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Horn, Brian K.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Synthesis and Characterization of Platinum(II)(2-(9-anthracenylylidene)-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione)(dichloride), Platinum(II)(2-(9-anthracenylylidene)-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione(maleonitriledithiolate), and Platinum(II)(4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione)(4-Methyl-1,2-benzene dithiol)

Description: Substitution of the 1,5-cyclooctadiene (cod) ligand in PtCl2(cod) (1) by the diphosphine ligand 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (bpcd) yields PtCl2(bpcd) (2). Knoevenagel condensation of 2 with 9-anthracenecarboxaldehyde leads to the functionalization of the bpcd ligand and formation of the corresponding 2-(9-anthracenylidene)-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (abpcd) substituted compound PtCl2(abpcd) (3), which is also obtained from the direct reaction of 1… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Hunt, Sean W.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Informational Theory of Midterm Elections: The Impact of Iraq War Deaths on the 2006 Election.

Description: There has been much scholarly attention directed at the Iraq war's role in determining voter choice. I attempt to extend that research into voter turnout to determine what role the Iraq war played in 2006 voter turnout. This paper argues that turnout at the state level could be explained by the number of US deaths each state had sustained from the Iraq occupation at the time of the election. A theory of voter activation based on information availability is put forth to explain the relationsh… more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Kahanek, Jared E.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Evaluation of skill maintenance, performance factors, and external validity in a behavioral parent training program.

Description: Child maltreatment affects 900 thousand children in the U.S. every year and impacts all areas of daily functioning. Behavioral parent training (BPT) programs have effectively taught parenting and demonstrated externally valid outcomes (i.e., lower recidivism rates). Skill maintenance assessments for BPTs have mixed results. The Behavior Management and Parenting Services (BMAPS) program has shown effective skill training for court-mandated families. This study assessed skill maintenance and perf… more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Scherbarth, Andrew J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The relationship of student characteristics, help seeking behavior, academic and environmental variables with student course completion in community college online courses: An application of a conceptual model.

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine differences and relationships in student definition and background characteristics, help seeking behaviors, academic and environmental variables between and among community college students at a single institution who successfully completed and those who did not complete online courses during a single term. An adapted version of Bean and Metzner's conceptual model of nontraditional student attrition provided the theoretical framework for the study. The r… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Schumann, Sherry Haskin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Introduction to the AIDS Quilt Songbook and Its Uncollected Works

Description: The AIDS Quilt Songbook was a musical response to the shame surrounding the outbreak of the HIV virus and was one of the first art song publications to deal with the topic of HIV and AIDS. This DMA thesis documents the significance and history of the AIDS Quilt Songbook, traces the progression of the project up until December 1, 2008, and documents the work, experiences, and words of the composers who have been inspired to contribute to the AIDS Quilt Songbook Project. In 1981, the medical and … more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Seesholtz, John Clayton
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Phosphorescent Emissions of Coinage Metal-Phosphine Complexes: Theory and Photophysics

Description: The major topics discussed are all relevant to the bright phosphorescent emissions of coinage metal complexes (Cu(I), Ag(I) and Au(I)) with an explanation of the theoretical background, computational results and ongoing work on the application in materials and optoelectronic devices. Density functional computations have been performed on the majority of the discussed complexes and determined that the most significant distortion that occurs in Au(I)-phosphine complexes is a near and beyond a T-s… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Sinha, Pankaj
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

E‐Shape Analysis

Description: The motivation of this work is to understand E-shape analysis and how it can be applied to various classification tasks. It has a powerful feature to not only look at what information is contained, but rather how that information looks. This new technique gives E-shape analysis the ability to be language independent and to some extent size independent. In this thesis, I present a new mechanism to characterize an email without using content or context called E-shape analysis for email. I expl… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Sroufe, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bidirectional Effects Between Engaged Lifestyle and Cognition in Later Life: Exploring the Moderation Hypothesis for Personality Variables.

Description: Longitudinal data (N = 263) was used to investigate the bidirectional relationship between engagement (engaged lifestyle activities) and cognition (crystallized & fluid intelligence). Extroversion and openness to experience were also tested as moderators of the relationship between engagement and cognition. Results showed that the relationship between engagement at Wave 1 and cognition at Wave 2 did not differ from the relationship between cognition at Wave 1 and engagement at Wave 2. Testing f… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Starkweather, Jonathan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Identifying genetic interactions of the spindle checkpoint in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Description: Faithful segregation of chromosomes is ensured by the spindle checkpoint. If a kinetochore does not correctly attach to a microtubule the spindle checkpoint stops cell cycle progression until all chromosomes are attached to microtubules or tension is experienced while pulling the chromosomes. The C. elegans gene, san-1, is required for spindle checkpoint function and anoxia survival. To further understand the role of san-1 in the spindle checkpoint, an RNAi screen was conducted to identify gen… more
Date: May 2009
Creator: Stewart, Neil
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Social Movements, Subjectivity, and Solidarity: Witnessing Rhetoric of the International Solidarity Movement

Description: This study engaged in pushing the current political limitations created by the political impasse of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, by imagining new possibilities for radical political change, agency, and subjectivity for both the international activists volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement as well as Palestinians enduring the brutality of life under occupation. The role of the witness and testimony is brought to bear on activism and rhetoric the social movement ISM in Pale… more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Wachsmann, Emily Brook
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Cultural and Technical Perspectives on Winter Landscape

Description: Winter Landscape is an interactive composition for erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle), flute, piano, and Max/MSP interactive computer music system. The total duration of the piece is approximately 15 minutes. Winter Landscape serves to demonstrate one particular approach to exploring the possibilities afforded in an interactive paradigm within a cross-cultural context. The work is intended to convey my personality and identity as a contemporary Chinese composer through diverse cultural and musi… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Wang, Jing
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Investigation of cryopreservation methods for adherent nerve cell networks in vitro.

Description: Cryopreservation in suspension is commonplace for a variety of cell types. However, cryopreservation of adherent cells has achieved limited success. This research aimed to cryopreserve adherent nerve cell networks in vitro in a manner that preserved network morphology and physiology. Successful implementation would enable long term storage of adherent neuronal networks on microelectrode arrays and on-demand access for use in pharmacological and toxicological testing. Based upon morphological as… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Webb, Veronica Fine
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The proposed Fastrill Reservoir in east Texas: A study using geographic information systems.

Description: Geographic information systems and remote sensing software were used to analyze data to determine the area and volume of the proposed Fastrill Reservoir, and to examine seven alternatives. The controversial reservoir site is in the same location as a nascent wildlife refuge. Six general land cover types impacted by the reservoir were also quantified using Landsat imagery. The study found that water consumption in Dallas is high, but if consumption rates are reduced to that of similar Texas c… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Wilson, Michael Ray
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Cyberbullying: Responses of Adolescents and Parents toward Digital Aggression

Description: Cyberbullying is a category of bullying that occurs in the digital realm which affects our students at astonishing rates. Unlike traditional bullying, where displays of aggression may be evident to bystanders, the ramification of cyberbullying occurs through unconventional ways (e.g., text messaging; online weblogs; video sharing), which results in many cases being camouflaged by the advancement in technology. Nonetheless, the effects of this digital form of peer aggression can be as detrimen… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Wong-Lo, Mickie
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The relationship between computer-assisted instruction and alternative programs to enhance fifth-grade mathematics success on the annual Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and success on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) mathematics exam with fifth-grade students in Texas compared to the effect of alternative improvement approaches used by a control group. Research explored the use of SuccessMaker® CAI educational software (Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ, www.pearsoned.com) in public elementary schools in Texas. Successmaker®… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Tucker, Tommy Howard
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Surveillance Technology on the Behaviors of Municipal Police Departments

Description: Citizen complaints about inappropriate use of force indicate negative police-public relations, unresponsive police services, and the unresponsiveness of police management to citizens' concerns. However, the effective delivery of key policing services depends on the performance of individual police officers. Surveillance technology can monitor and control the behavior of officers, ensuring that police officers provide high quality policing services that meet the needs of citizens. Examples of su… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Ulkemen, Sinan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Perceived Racial Discrimination and Psychiatric Outcomes among Asian Americans

Description: The present study related generational status, family dynamics, and perceptions of racial discrimination (PRD) to acute psychiatric outcomes among a nationally representative Asian American sample (N = 2095), using data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). High self-reports of PRD were correlated with endorsement of clinical depression and suicidality as predicted. Regression analyses suggested that high PRD, low family cohesion, and high family conflict served as signific… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Varghese, Anita
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Legal Sanctions on Recidivism Rates among Male Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

Description: Using a Cox proportional hazards regression model, this dissertation explores three factors currently not addressed in the literature on men who batter women and who are court ordered to participate in a battering intervention program. These factors are the cumulative effects of civil and criminal legal sanctions (dose-response of sanctions) for domestic violence related offenses on recidivism, reduced opportunities to recidivate, and whether the number of legal sanctions imposed has an effect … more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Cosimo, S. Deborah
Partner: UNT Libraries
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