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open access

Analysis of Students' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Interest in Engineering Post Teacher Participation in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Professional Development

Description: This study examined the impact of the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in engineering at University of North Texas on students after their teachers' participation in the program. Students were evaluated in terms of self-efficacy, knowledge of engineering, perceptions of engineering, and interest in engineering. A 22-item Likert pre/post survey was used for analysis, and participants included 589 students from six high schools, one middle school, and one magne… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Reeder, Christina
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Characterization Of Jackson Blue Spring, Jackson County, Florida

Description: Jackson Blue is a first magnitude spring in the karst terrane of northeast Florida. Previous studies have identified inorganic fertilizer as the source of high nitrate levels in the spring. Agricultural land use and karst vulnerability make Jackson Blue a good model for conservation concerns. This work offers an aggregation of studies relating to the springshed, providing a valuable tool for planning and conservation efforts in the region. An analysis of nitrate levels and other water quality p… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Reiser, Cora
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Corbicula fluminea Invasion as a Secondary Effect of Hydrilla verticillata Management via Triploid Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Description: A study of Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea Müller) colonization in relation to changes in aquatic vegetation community as a result of management of Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle with grass carp was conducted at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility (LAERF), Lewisville, TX, from April 2015 through October 2016. Percent vegetation cover, C. fluminea abundance and water quality metrics (pH, turbidity, conductivity, DO, calcium, chlorophyll a) from 16 experimental subjects were an… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Holbrook, David Lee
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Effect of Rancher’s Management Philosophy, Grazing Practices, and Personal Characteristics on Sustainability Indices for North Central Texas Rangeland

Description: To assess sustainability of privately owned rangeland, a questionnaire was used to gathered data from ranches in Cooke, Montague, Clay, Wise, Parker, and Jack counties in North Central Texas. Information evaluated included: management philosophy, economics, grazing practices, environmental condition, quality of life, and demographics. Sustainability indices were created based on economic and land health indicator variables meeting a minimum Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient (α = 0.7). Hierarchic… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Becker, Wayne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Evaluation of the Developmental Effects and Bioaccumulation Potential of Triclosan and Triclocarban Using the South African Clawed Frog, Xenopus Laevis

Description: Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are antimicrobials found in U.S. surface waters. This dissertation assessed the effects of TCS and TCC on early development and investigated their potential to bioaccumulate using Xenopus laevis as a model. The effects of TCS on metamorphosis were also investigated. For 0-week tadpoles, LC50 values for TCS and TCC were 0.87 mg/L and 4.22 mg/L, respectively, and both compounds caused a significant stunting of growth. For 4-week tadpoles, the LC50 values… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: King, Marie Kumsher
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Exploration of Explanatory Variables in the Creation of Linear Regression Models and Logistic Regression Models to Predict the Performance of Preservice Teachers on the Science Portion of the EC-6 TExES Certification Examination

Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze the current and pre-service conditions that can affect student teachers' preparedness to pass the science portion of the EC-6 Texas Examinations for Educator Standards (TExES), one of the mandatory certification exam to become a teacher in Texas. Two types of prediction models were employed in this study: binomial logistic regression and multiple linear regression. The independent variables used in this study were: final grade in BIOL 1082, classificatio… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Alexis, Naudin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Habitat Fragmentation by Land-Use Change: One-Horned Rhinoceros in Nepal and Red-Cockaded Woodpecker in Texas

Description: This research focuses on the spatial analysis of the habitat of two vulnerable species, the one-horn rhinoceros in the grasslands of southern Nepal, and the red-cockaded woodpecker in the Piney woods of southeast Texas, in the USA. A study sites relevant for biodiversity conservation was selected in each country: Chitwan National Park in Nepal, and areas near the Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas. Land-use differs in the two study areas: the first is still undergoing agrarian development w… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Thapa, Vivek
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Influence of Disease Mapping Methods on Spatial Patterns and Neighborhood Characteristics for Health Risk

Description: This thesis addresses three interrelated challenges of disease mapping and contributes a new approach for improving visualization of disease burdens to enhance disease surveillance systems. First, it determines an appropriate threshold choice (smoothing parameter) for the adaptive kernel density estimation (KDE) in disease mapping. The results show that the appropriate threshold value depends on the characteristics of data, and bandwidth selector algorithms can be used to guide such decisions a… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Ruckthongsook, Warangkana
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Integrating Selective Herbicide and Native Plant Restoration to Control Alternanthera philoxeroides (Alligator Weed)

Description: Exotic invasive aquatic weeds such as alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) threaten native ecosystems by interfering with native plant communities, disrupting hydrology, and diminishing water quality. Development of new tools to combat invaders is important for the well being of these sensitive areas. Integrated pest management offers managers an approach that combines multiple control methods for better control than any one method used exclusively. In a greenhouse and field study, we t… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Adams, Justin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Irrigation Methods and Their Effects on Irrigation Water Efficiency in High Tunnels

Description: Improving water efficiency is and will continue to be a top concern to meet the world food production demands for a growing population. By having a clear understanding of water efficiencies, communities will be able to address these concerns from an economic standpoint and use more productive methods to grow food and limit water consumption. This study examines the water efficiencies of three irrigation methods over a single growing season in southeastern Oklahoma. Two crops, tomatoes and cucum… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Young, Lauren
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Long-Term Citizen Science Water Monitoring Data: An Exploration of Accuracy over Space and Time

Description: The Texas Stream Team (TST) is one of an increasing number of citizen science water monitoring programs throughout the US which have been continuously collecting surface water quality data under quality assurance protocols for decades. Volunteer monitoring efforts have generated monitoring datasets that are long-term, continuous, and cover a large geographic area - characteristics shown to be valuable for scientists and professional agencies. However, citizen science data has been of limited u… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Albus, Kelly
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Mass Spectrometry-Based Identification of Ceramic-Bound Archaeological Protein Residues: Method Validation, Residue Taphonomy, and Prospects

Description: Despite the variety of successful reports of the preservation, recovery, and identification of archaeological proteins in general, there are few positive reports regarding mass spectrometry-based identification of ceramic-bound proteins. In large part, this shortage is due to the lack of consideration for the unique taphonomic histories of such residues and, in general, methods development. Further, because negative results are rarely published, there is no baseline to which results can be comp… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Barker, Andrew Lewis
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Measuring Atmospheric Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration by Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy

Description: The main objective was to develop a procedure based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) to measure atmospheric total column of ozone, using the automated instrument developed at the University of North Texas (UNT) by Nebgen in 2006. This project also explored the ability of this instrument to provide measurements of atmospheric total column nitrogen dioxide. The instrument is located on top of UNT’s Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building. It employs a low co… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Jerez, Carlos J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Modeling the Effects of Chronic Toxicity of Pharmaceutical Chemicals on the Life History Strategies of Ceriodaphnia Dubia: a Multigenerational Study

Description: Trace quantities of pharmaceuticals (including carbamazepine and sertraline) are continuously discharged into the environment, which causes concern among scientists and regulators regarding their potential long-term impacts on aquatic ecosystems. These compounds and their metabolites are continuously interacting with the orgranisms in various life stages, and may differentially influence development of embryo, larvae, juvenile, and adult stages. To fully understand the potential ecological risk… more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Lamichhane, Kiran
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Photo-induced Toxicity of Deepwater Horizon Spill Oil to Four Native Gulf of Mexico Species

Description: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in the accidental release of millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Photo-induced toxicity following co-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one mechanism by which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from oil spills may exert toxicity. Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) are an important commercial and ecological resource in the Gulf of Mexico and their largely transparent larvae may make them sensitive to PAH photo-ind… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Alloy, Matthew Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Photoinduced Toxicity in Early Lifestage Fiddler Crab (Uca longisignalis) Following Exposure to Deepwater Horizon Spill Oil

Description: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill resulted in a large release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) into the Gulf of Mexico. PAH can interact with ultraviolet radiation (UV) resulting in increased toxicity, particularly to early lifestage organisms. The goal of this research was to determine the sensitivity of fiddler crab larvae (Uca longisignalis) to photo-induced toxicity following exposure to Deepwater Horizon spill oil in support of the DWH Natural Resource Damage Assessment. … more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Taylor, Leigh M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Population Dynamics of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena Polymorpha) in a North Texas Reservoir: Implications for Invasions in the Southern United States

Description: This dissertation has two main objectives: first, quantify the effects of environmental conditions on spatio-temporal spawning and larval dynamics of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha [Pallas 1771]) in Lake Texoma, and second, quantify the effects of environmental conditions on survival, growth, and reproduction of young of the year (YOY) juvenile zebra mussels. These biological responses directly influence population establishment success and invasive spread dynamics. Reproductive output of … more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Churchill, Christopher J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Producing a Film on Oil Spill Research for the Public

Description: The Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Following the spill, British Petroleum, leaser of the rig, set up a funding institution known as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to support research and understanding of the spill on the environments and peoples of the gulf. This outreach project was created alongside research of the RECOVER consortium, funded by GoMRI, to communicate what is happening within resea… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Barnes, Emma Katherine
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Spatially Explicit Modeling of West Nile Virus Risk Using Environmental Data

Description: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging infectious disease that has widespread implications for public health practitioners across the world. Within a few years of its arrival in the United States the virus had spread across the North American continent. This research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit GIS-based predictive epidemiological model based on suitable environmental factors. We examined eleven commonly mapped environmental factors using both ordinary least squares regress… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Kala, Abhishek K.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Ultraviolet Radiation Tolerance in High Elevation Copepods from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA

Description: Copepods in high elevation lakes and ponds in Colorado are exposed to significant levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV), necessitating development of UV avoidance behavior and photoprotective physiological adaptations. The copepods are brightly pigmented due to accumulation of astaxanthin, a carotenoid which has photoprotective and antioxidant properties. Astaxanthin interacts with a crustacyanin-like protein, shifting its absorbance from 473 nm (hydrophobic free form, appears red) to 632 nm (pr… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Hudelson, Karista
Partner: UNT Libraries
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