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open access

Utility Trombone Playing: A Practical Method for Students to Achieve Mastery of Alto, Tenor and Bass Trombone

Description: With the importance of versatility in freelance work in the world of trombone performance, along with increased competition for that work, the need for players to play alto, tenor, and bass trombones to a high level of proficiency has become more and more crucial. This, coupled with the growing number of orchestras looking to hire musicians who are highly competent on all three instruments means that university professors need to be able to teach all three instruments. This evolution of the job… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Owner, Timothy Michael
open access

Exploring the ROI of 1:1 Computing Programs at the High School Level

Description: This dissertation explored the cost and value of 1:1 computing programs in high schools in Texas. The study examines whether the total cost of ownership of these programs can be justified by the student testing gains and graduation rates. It investigates whether student learning outcomes show a definable correlation between positive gains and the implementation of 1:1 computing programs. The study also explores whether there is a measurable return on investment of 1:1 programs based on testing … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Kissel, Tara Michelle

The Idiomatic Techniques and Procedures of Composer Kevin Walczyk (b. 1964) that Define a Unique Musical Language

Description: Award winning composer Kevin Walczyk's describes himself as a "musical storyteller," using all musical elements of structure, melody, harmony, and counterpoint to convey programmatic content. A variety of subjects are conveyed that include historical events, people, physical objects or locations, and literary texts. Deeper matters, such as spiritual themes, are also often incorporated in his music that enhance the musical program. The technical procedures employed—pertaining particularly to t… more
This item is restricted from view until July 1, 2024.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Wollam, Seth Frederick
open access

"To Swim In Air Forever Tooloud Laughcrying"

Description: This thesis' focal presentable object – to swim in air – is a mythosystem comprising six iteratively malleable experiential systems of intermedial musical and visual performance works composed by myself between the years 2018 and 2023. Conceived through the lens of Jennifer Walshe's New Discipline, created within my practice cycle's nodal context, and connected by a sub/conscious structure of perceptual timbre, the mythosystem and its parts form the centerpiece of this discussion of context, pr… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Fristensky, Louise Anne

Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Mechanical Behavior of Model Metallic Glasses

Description: The thermophysical properties and deformation behavior of a systematic series of model metallic glasses was investigated. For Zr-based metallic glasses with all metallic constituents, the activation energy of glass transition was determined to be in the range of 74-173 kJ/mol while the activation energy of crystallization was in the range of 155-170 kJ/mol. The reduced glass transition temperature was roughly the same for all the alloys (~ 0.6) while the supercooled liquid region was in the ran… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2026.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Akhtar, Mst Alpona

Option Pricing Under New Classes of Jump-Diffusion Processes

Description: In this dissertation, we introduce novel exponential jump-diffusion models for pricing options. Firstly, the normal convolution gamma mixture jump-diffusion model is presented. This model generalizes Merton's jump-diffusion and Kou's double exponential jump-diffusion. We show that the normal convolution gamma mixture jump-diffusion model captures some economically important features of the asset price, and that it exhibits heavier tails than both Merton jump-diffusion and double exponential jum… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2026.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Adiele, Ugochukwu Oliver
open access

Exploring the Association of Language Brokering and Parent-Child Relationship in Korean Immigrant Families

Description: This study focuses on investigating the dynamics of language brokering as Korean immigrant families experience environmental challenges associated with immigration. This study was conducted with qualitative research design with purposive sampling of Korean immigrant families. Six parent-child dyads were recruited and participating children were between 12 to 16 years old. Semi-structured interviews were conducted separately with parents and children in either English or Korean. Thematic analysi… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Lee, Eunkyung
open access

Rethinking the Study of Conflict and Peace: Making Causal Inferences in Quantitative Conflict and Peace Research

Description: Most research questions and theory in quantitative peace and conflict research are fundamentally causal. However, a large gap exists in the extant literature between research question and research methodology. Not only does most existing methodology fail to achieve what most quantitative peace scholars attempt, but many researchers do not appear to be aware of these limitations. In this dissertation, I outline five key shortcomings within this literature that, left unaddressed, create results t… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Lookabaugh Jr., Brian Scott
open access

Investigating Novel Streptomyces Bacteriophage Endolysins as Potential Antimicrobial Agents

Description: As antibiotic resistance has become a major global threat, the World Health Organization has urgently called scientists for alternative strategies for control of bacterial infections. Endolysin, a protein encoded by a phage gene, can degrade bacterial peptidoglycan (PG). Currently, there are three endolysin products in the clinical phase. We, thus, are interested in exploring novel endolysins from Streptomyces phages as only a few of them have been experimentally characterized. Using bioinforma… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Maneekul, Jindanuch
open access

The Effect of Restructuring of Peer Firms on Investment

Description: Firms' operational restructuring involves information relevant to strategic choices as well as future demand and cost conditions. This study examines the relationship between peer firms' restructuring and a company's responsiveness to its growth opportunities. Peer firm restructuring can increase uncertainty with respect to a company's payoffs regarding its investment projects, leading to decreased responsiveness to growth opportunities. Using a large sample of public companies during 2006–2020… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Kim, Hojoong

Green Manufacturing of Lignocellulosic Fiber through Bacterial Degradation Process

Description: Lignocellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth and offers excellent potential for sustainable manufacturing. Because lignocellulose is structurally complex and resistant to decomposition, innovative degradation strategies are necessary to unlock its value. In this dissertation, a green manufacturing process through enzyme-triggered self-cultured bacteria retting for lignocellulosic fiber was developed and investigated. The mechanism of the lignocellulosic fiber retting at a controlled … more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2025.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Fu, Yu
open access

Saxophone Instruction by Women: Experiences of Achieving the Rank of Full Professor at Post-Secondary Institutions in the United States

Description: Since the first saxophone professor at the Paris Conservatory in 1858, saxophone instruction has primarily been a male-dominated field. Numerous sources detail the experiences, lives, and influence of male post-secondary saxophone instructors. Women have made great strides in the performance and instruction of the saxophone at the post-secondary level, but sources discussing their lives and experiences are limited. Saxophone instruction at the post-secondary level in the United States began in … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Heimann, Christa Marie

Factors Affecting MeHg Contamination of Spiders and Insect-Mediated MeHg Flux from Human-Made Ponds

Description: The present study focused on methylmercury (MeHg) in emergent aquatic insects and spiders from human-made ponds. This dissertation addresses two main topics: (1) factors affecting variation in spider MeHg concentrations around human-made ponds and (2) the magnitude of MeHg transported out of human-made ponds by emergent aquatic insects (insect-mediated MeHg flux). Spiders were specifically targeted in this study because they have been proposed as sentinels of MeHg contamination (organism whose … more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2029.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Hannappel, Madeline Pratt
open access

Cross-Pollinating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Systemic Functional Linguistics in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms

Description: This exploratory case study research was conducted with a view to exploring how teachers teaching emergent bilingual students in ESL programs can enact the principles of culturally sustaining systematic functional linguistics (CS SFL), such as critical centering, historicizing, curricularizing, teaching and learning cycle (TLC), and semantic waving in their classrooms. Two middle school teachers participated in the study and used CS SFL principles to teach their emergent bilingual students. I g… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Rana, Lal Bahadur
open access

Analyzing the Joint Effects of Network and Community Attributes on Network Performance: Evidence from Local Continuum of Care Homeless Service Networks

Description: This dissertation examines the factors and combinations of factors that affect the performance of continuum of care homeless service networks, applying the configurational approach of contingency theory to data sets drawn from federal sources. The study accepts the two key assumptions from the theory: (1) that there are multiple paths to high performance and (2) key conditions have a joint influence on network performance. The data analysis in this study has two parts. The first employs OLS reg… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Kim, Jintak
open access

The Impact of Kindergarten Classroom Assignment on Classroom Teachers and Student Achievement

Description: To determine the impact of an administrator's decision on student placement in kindergarten classrooms, teachers were asked to share their perceptions on how that decision impacted their ability to deliver instruction and follow the district scope and sequence, as well as how that decision impacts student academic achievement and social and emotional development. This qualitative study was designed to gather data from kindergarten teachers using focus group interviews and individual interviews … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Fountain, Angelica Brianna
open access

Acenaphthene and 1,10-Phenanthroline-Fused Βeta-Functionalized Porphyrins

Description: A series of acene-fused porphyrins and 1,10-phenanthroline-fused porphyrins were synthesized and characterized via NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The acene-fused porphyrins exhibit unique optoelectronic properties, most notably they exhibit highly red-shifted absorption bands. The 1,10-phenanthroline-fused porphyrins are of interest for their ability to bond to as variety of metals to form chelation complexes.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Arvidson, Jacob Randall
open access

Degradation Mechanisms and Dynamics of Silicon Telluride: A Guide to the Effective Fabrication and Characterization of Silicon Telluride-Based Devices

Description: Silicon telluride (Si2Te3) and many other tellurium containing compounds show emergent Raman peaks located at ~120 cm-1 and ~140 cm-1 as they age. The origin of these two emergent peaks is controversial in the literature and has been attributed to myriad causes such as the intrinsic Raman modes of the telluride materials, surface oxidation, defects, double resonances, and tellurium precipitates. The controversial nature of these peaks has led to the misidentification of highly degraded materia… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Hathaway, Evan Allen
open access

Glucose-Induced Developmental Delay is Modulated by Insulin Signaling and Exacerbated in Subsequent Glucose-Fed Generations in Caenorhabditis elegans

Description: In this study, we have used genetic, cell biological and transcriptomic methods in the nematode C. elegans as a model to examine the impact of glucose supplementation during development. We show that a glucose-supplemented diet slows the rate of developmental progression (termed "glucose-induced developmental delay" or GIDD) and induces the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in wild-type animals. Mutation in the insulin receptor daf-2 confers resistance to GIDD and UPRmt in a daf-1… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Nahar, Saifun

Synthesis, Characterization, Standardization, and Validation of Luminescence Optical Chemosensors for the Detection of Carbon Dioxide, Aluminum Ions, and Silver Ions for Real-Life Applications

Description: The presented dissertation encompasses three distinct investigations into novel complexes with diverse applications. Firstly, a Europium-based complex, K[Eu(hfa)4], exhibits remarkable potential for detecting dissolved CO2 in an ethylene glycol medium, offering a low limit of detection, rapid response times, and high signal-to-noise ratios. This complex demonstrates promise for quantifying CO2 concentrations and finds utility in sugar fermentation monitoring. Secondly, an innovative ratiometric… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2025.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Perera, Nawagamu Appuhamilage Kasun
open access

The Saxophone Meets Chinese Culture: A Guide to Works for Saxophone by Composer Zou Xiangping

Description: Zou Xiangping is one of the most significant Chinese composers who writes music for the saxophone. These works, however, are not well-known in the classical saxophone repertoire. The purpose of this dissertation is to help international saxophonists develop an enlightened understanding and ultimately, performance of two selected pieces by Chinese composer Zou Xiangping (邹向平) (b. 1951), Images of Yalong River for Alto Saxophone and Piano (雅砻江印:为中音萨克斯管和钢琴) and Song of Chuanjiang River Boatman for… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Zhang, Cehuai

Transport of Proton, Hydrogen and Alpha Particles through Atomic Hydrogen Environment

Description: Using multiple theoretical methods, comprehensive calculations are performed to create a new and more comprehensive data set for elastic scattering and related transport cross sections for collisions of (H$^+$ + H), (H + H) and (He$^{2+}$ + H) in the center-of-mass energy frame. In proton-atomic hydrogen collisions, we have significantly updated and extended previous work of elastic scattering, charge transfer and related transport integral and differential cross sections in the center-of-mass … more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2025.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Zaman, Tamanna
open access

Teacher Perceptions of Innovative Learning Environments: Implications for Leaders

Description: Innovative Learning Environments are increasingly built and implemented in schools, but are not necessarily being used according to designers' intentions. The goal of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the innovative learning spaces they were charged with using and to determine if they were being used effectively and as designed. The research was guided by three basic questions: what were the teachers' perceptions of these spaces, was the teacher pedagogy need to change to acco… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Elliott, Robyn Kaye
open access

Predictors of Academic Success in an Early College Entrance Program

Description: Early college entrance programs have existed in the United States since the 1950s, but in-depth research on academic success in these programs is lacking. Every year, early college entrance programs utilize a variety of data-gathering and candidate-screening techniques to select hundreds of students for admission into these accelerated programs. However, only a smattering of research articles has discussed the factors that predict academic success in these programs. This exploratory study inves… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Earls, Samuel Wayne
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