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open access

Harmonic Function in Rock: A Melodic Approach

Description: This dissertation explores the influence of melody on harmonic function in pop and rock songs from around 1950 to the present. While authors define the term "function" in several ways, none consider melody in their explanations, and I contend that any discussion of harmonic function in rock must include melody. I offer a novel perspective on function by defining it through what I call tension-as-anticipation, and I define a "melodic function" that accounts for the sense of tension and relaxatio… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Oliver, Matthew Ryan

"Have You Ever Had a Broken Heart?"

Description: Have You Ever Had Broken Heart? is a collection of essays that interrogate memory, loss, and grief through the intersection of personal narrative, films, the actress Frances Farmer, and woman saints and mystics from the twelfth through seventeenth centuries who were punished for daring to speak to G-d. The essays engage with autotheory and include a myriad of forms, such as segmented, one sentence, and hybrid works. The films discussed range from the philosophical, such as Ingmar Bergman's Wint… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2029.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Moore, Katherine

Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Platinum(II) Complexes for Organic Light Emitting Diodes and Humidity Sensors: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

Description: This dissertation focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization of platinum (II) pyridylazolate complexes and develop high performance organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and design and execute high-sensitivity humidity sensors based on the luminescent metal-organic complexes of platinum. A majority of existing platinum compounds do not dissolve in organic solvents, making it difficult to analyze the photophysical characteristics of complexes in solution, a key part of understanding chem… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2029.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Farvid, Seyedmajid
open access

Horses Against Tanks: Historical Memory and the German Invasion of Poland

Description: The entrance of the German Invasion of Poland and depiction thereof into modern historiographical conversations offers historians superior articulation of the creation of historical memory, mythos, and identity ‒ especially in wider terms of European Imperialism. By utilizing the current trends in gendering of empire, the use of auto-biography and life writing to understand felt realities and obfuscated truths, and the attempts by empire to queer and utilize labeled deviations to control and g… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Palmer, Matthew Steven

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

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

The Impact of Leadership on School Culture and Teacher Retention

Description: To determine the impact that school leaders have on school culture and teacher retention, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to study schools in a district feeder pattern in in a large, suburban district in Texas with a student population of approximately 25,000. In Phase 1, teachers at one elementary, one middle, and one high school were asked to complete a 26-question Likert scale survey about school culture. The last statement in the survey asked participants if they we… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Spaulding, Shelly
open access

The Impact of Team Size on Principal Self-Efficacy in Their Role as Instructional Leaders

Description: The ever-changing role of public-school principals is complex and overwhelming. Because instructional leadership impacts teaching practices and student achievement, this important principal role should be cultivated with principals having sufficient time to engage as instructional leaders. A generic qualitative inquiry methodology was used to explore how the size of an administrative team impacts principals' instructional leadership self-efficacy. Exploration was achieved through 10 one-on-one,… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Graham, Ashlee
open access

Instructors and Underrepresented Students in Microbiology: Educational Digital Tool Use, Trends, Perceptions, and Success

Description: The purpose of this three-article dissertation was to expand knowledge and theory regarding digital tool use in biology laboratory courses, such as microbiology, which requires specific laboratory skill development through the perception of instructors and students. Article 1 establishes the broad digital literacy and fluency problem in education by providing definitions and the context behind digital literacy fluency and its impact on acquisition of knowledge in digital learning environments. … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Bradshaw-Ward, Danita M.
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

Kinetics and Atmospheric Chemistry Studies of Halogenated Species

Description: Quantitative information about halogenated hydrocarbons is important for understanding their impact on atmospheric ozone chemistry and climate change, their regulation, and the devising of improved substitutes. The Montreal Protocol aimed to regulate the utilization and manufacturing of hydrochlorofluorocarbon compounds (HCFCs), contributing to ozone layer depletion. The 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreement, Annex C listed 274 HCFCs. Only 16 of them have been measured experi… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Sapkota, Ramesh
open access

Kinetics and Thermochemistry of Halogen and Nitrogen Compounds

Description: Halogen and nitrogen containing compounds play a key role in the atmospheric chemistry of the Earth. Through a mixed computational and experimental approach, the kinetics of these compounds with radicals common to the atmosphere have been explored. Using fundamental measurements such as the IR absorption cross-section, the rate constants of atmospheric reactions and the properties of product molecules have been derived. These results have been further extended to environmental applications such… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Rawling, George
open access

Leadership Practices and Processes that Close Opportunity Gaps for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Minoritized Students: A Case Study of a High-Needs Title 1 Elementary School

Description: The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to identify leadership practices and processes that contributed to the success of a single High Needs, Title 1 elementary school that has experienced acknowledged superior academic success, particularly for its minoritized and low socioeconomically disadvantaged students, as indicated by the school's success on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. The study sought to explore the principal's and teachers' concep… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Braveboy, Peter
open access

The Local Organization of Refugee Service Provision: A Qualitative Comparison of Two Resettlement Cities in Texas

Description: This comparative case study examines the organizational variations in refugee services in Dallas and Amarillo, Texas. Engaging sociological theories of organizations, migration, and the state, this study conceptualizes immigrant-serving organizations as brokers that operate within fields of similar entities that channel resources and services to refugees. Drawing on 60 in-depth interviews and over two hundred hours of participant observation, this study finds two distinct models of resource bro… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Fessenden, Deborah June
open access

Metal Nitride Complexes as Potential Catalysts for C-H and N-H Bonds Activation

Description: Recognizing the dual ability of the nitride ligand to react as a nucleophile or an electrophile – depending on the metal and other supporting ligands – is a key to their broad-range reactivity; thus, three DFT studies were initiated to investigate these two factors effects (the metal and supporting ligands) for tuning nitride ligand reactivity for C-H and N-H bond activation/functionalization. We focused on studying these factors effects from both a kinetic and thermodynamic perspective in ord… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Alharbi, Waad Sulaiman S.
open access

A Mixed Methods Study of Online Social Comparison and Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Music Education Students

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate online social comparison and impostor phenomenon (IP) in undergraduate music education students. I employed a sequential explanatory mixed models design to explore the extent to which music education students experienced IP, used Facebook, and engaged in social comparison on Facebook. I explored participants' perceptions of how they engaged in online social comparison in the context of their professional lives. In Phase 1, I surveyed participants to … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Rinn, Thomas James
open access

Needs Analysis for the Implementation of Supplemental Educational Videos in the Training of Surgical Residents

Description: This dissertation aimed to research the possibility of integrating a supplemental video system in a surgical residency for educational use. A needs analysis was to be conducted in order to find if current stakeholders would accept such a system within a surgical residency: (a) surgical residents, (b) teaching physicians, and (c) administrators. The study aimed to research factors that complicate the current educational setting for surgical residents, such as time allotted for learning, fatigue … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Serfin, Michael

Nitrogen Reduction Reaction: Deposition, Characterization and Selectivity of Transition Metal (V, Co and Ti) Oxynitrides as Electrocatalysts

Description: The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is of considerable interest due to its potential for less energy intensive and environmentally friendly ammonia production which is critical for agricultural and clean energy applications. However, the selectivity of NRR compared to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) often poses challenges for various catalysts, including Earth-abundant transition metal oxynitrides like Ti, V, and Co. In this work, a comparative analysis of the selectivi… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2025.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Chukwunenye, Precious O.

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

A Pedagogical Analysis of "Seven Chinese Folk Songs" by Wanghua Chu

Description: Wanghua Chu (b. 1941) is an outstanding Chinese composer and pianist, who has written extensively for piano. This dissertation offers a pedagogical analysis of Seven Chinese Folk Songs (1999), one of his most famous and well-regarded piano solo works. The present study has two broad and related aims: to introduce Wanghua Chu's Seven Chinese folk songs to a broader community of pianists outside of China; and to provide a pedagogical analysis so that pianists of a late-intermediate level and high… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2025.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Chen, Zhaodong

A Performance Guide to Zili Li's Viola Concerto No. 1 (2010)

Description: The Viola Concerto No. 1 was commissioned in 2010 by Xidi Shen, a viola professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and composed the same year by Zili Li (b. 1938), a Chinese composer and violinist. For musical, cultural, and technical reasons, this little-known Chinese viola concerto strongly aroused my interest, leading me to use it as the research subject for my doctoral dissertation and to also introduce this work to Western violists. This dissertation provides a performance guide to Z… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2026.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Chen, Fang
open access

The Politics of F. Scott Fizgerald

Description: F. Scott Fitzgerald is valued for his contribution to literary arts, culture and his discussion of the American Dream. I argue that his discussion of the American Dream was a lens through which he gave readers access to political insights and an education about political philosophy, American politics, virtue, and reasoning. The American Dream, at its greatest, for Fitzgerald is a nation building myth but at its lowest is a dull materialistic construct. Throughout his works Fitzgerald connects p… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Shiveley, Sara Carson
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

Promoting Women? Causes and Effects of Gender-Informed Transitional Justice

Description: Quantitative research investigating the causes and subsequent impact of transitional justice practices has further developed thanks to the production of cross-national data on justice practices, namely by the Justice Data Project and the Transitional Justice Research Collaborative. Current work, however, does not consider the role of justice from a feminist perspective. For example, with respect to causes, we know little about whether and how justice processes are gender inclusive, and what the… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2029.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Roark, Polly DeAnne
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