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open access

Disaster Experience and Self-efficacy As Factors Influencing Emergency Planning in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Description: This study design was to identify and examine how disaster experience, self-efficacy, and demographic factors influence disaster preparedness in community-dwelling older adults. Current data indicates the United States is rapidly aging. Parallel to this significant increase among the elderly population, natural disasters are more prevalent. Consequently, older adults are affected adversely by these disasters and exposure to social vulnerabilities during the disaster cycle. For the purpose of… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Symonette, Erika
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Disaster Preparedness in Escambia County Florida: The Influence of Oral Narratives

Description: This work addresses hurricane preparedness in Escambia County, Florida. It explores preparing for hurricanes as an informal learning process occurring within personal networks and embedded in beliefs, values, and attitudes. Findings reveal that participants learned to prepare from their parents in childhood and improved upon that knowledge through direct experience in adulthood. Later, they passed this knowledge on to their children as well as co-workers. These preparations are embedded in beli… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Vanlandingham, Keith Marcel
Partner: UNT Libraries

Disasters, Smart Growth and Economic Resilience: An Empirical Analysis of Florida Cities

Description: This dissertation examines the relationship between economic resilience, disaster experience, and smart growth policies at the local government level. The study is based upon three research questions that examine spatial distribution of economic resilience in Florida cities, and examines the impact of disaster experience, and smart growth policies adopted by local governments on economic resilience. Based upon the bounce-forward approach (Cowell, 2013; Klein et al. 2003), economic resilience is… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Chatterjee, Vaswati
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Discovering Solutions: How are Journalists Applying Solutions Journalism to Change the Way News is Reported and What Do They Hope to Accomplish?

Description: Solutions journalism, rigorous reporting on responses to social problems, has gained great traction in the last decade. Using positive psychology theory, also known as the theory of well-being, this qualitative study examines the impact of reporting while using solutions journalism techniques. Applying the five pillars of positive psychology theory: positive emotion, engagement, positive relationships, meaning and accomplishment (PERMA), this study used interviews and content analysis to invest… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Porter, Ashley Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Discovery of Resources and Conflict in the Interstate System, 1816-2001

Description: This study tests a theory detailing the increased likelihood of conflict following an initial resource discovery in the discovering nation and its region. A survey of prior literature shows a multitude of prior research concerning resources and nations' willingness to initiate conflict over those resources, but this prior research lacks any study concerning the effects of the discovery of resources on interstate conflict. The theory discusses the increased likelihood of conflict in the discov… more
Date: May 2010
Creator: Clark, Bradley
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Discretion, Delegation, and Professionalism: A Study of Outcome Measures in Upward Bound Programs

Description: In our society, American citizens expect public policies to result in programs that address social problems in ways that are both efficient and effective. In order to judge if these two values are being achieved, public programs are often scrutinized through program monitoring and evaluation. Evaluation of public programs often is a responsibility delegated to local-level managers. The resulting discretion has to be balanced with the need for accountability that is also inherent in public progr… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Holt, Amy C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Discrimination and Perceived Stress in Sexual and Gender Minorities: Self-esteem As a Moderating Factor

Description: Sexual and gender minorities are subjected to discrimination and stigmatization which increase vulnerability to psychological co-morbidities (Mays & Cochran, 2001). The mechanisms through which discrimination contributes to distress in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lgbt) communities can be partially elucidated through the minority stress model. The minority stress model argues that minorities are subjected to negative societal attitudes and discrimination that results in excessive psy… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Wike, Alexandra Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Discrimination, Attachment, and Ethnic Identity as Predictors for Wellbeing and American Affirmation among Racial and Ethnic Minority University Students

Description: Extant literature has provided evidence suggesting that ethnic minority individuals experiencing discrimination report poor mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and an overall lower sense of belongingness with the majority culture, but empirical research examining how ethnic identity affects this relationship is extremely scarce. The first goal of the current study was to replicate the results of previous studies demonstrating a strong relationship between discrimination and … more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Khan, Arubah
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Disease Tissue Imaging and Single Cell Analysis with Mass Spectrometry

Description: Cells have been found to have an inherent heterogeneity that has led to an increase in the development of single-cell analysis methods to characterize the extent of heterogeneity that can be found in seemingly identical cells. With an understanding of normal cellular variability, the identification of disease induced cellular changes, known as biomarkers, may become more apparent and readily detectable. Biomarker discovery in single-cells is challenging and needs to focus on molecules that ar… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Hamilton, Jason S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Dislocation Dynamics Simulations of Plasticity in Cu Thin Films

Description: Strong size effects in plastic deformation of thin films have been experimentally observed, indicating non-traditional deformation mechanisms. These observations require improved understanding of the behavior of dislocation in small size materials, as they are the primary plastic deformation carrier. Dislocation dynamics (DD) is a computational method that is capable of directly simulating the motion and interaction of dislocations in crystalline materials. This provides a convenient approach t… more
Date: August 2013
Creator: Wu, Han
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Dismantling the Psychiatric Ghetto: Evaluating a Blended-Clinic Approach to Supportive Housing in Houston, Texas

Description: Locational decisions based on stigma and low funding have handicapped the efficiency of community based mental healthcare in the United States since 1963. However, the pattern of services in the 21st century American South remains largely unknown. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge by using a mixed methodology including location allocation, descriptive statistics, and qualitative site visits to explore the geography of community clinics offering both physical and mental health services… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Lester, Katherine Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Disney Influence on Kindergarten Girls' Body Image

Description: Media is now a part of the early childhood world. In many countries, including industrialized and developing countries, children spend more time consuming various kinds of media. The impact of media on children's perception of their body images has been and continues to be a concern of parents and early childhood professionals. This research examined the influence of Disney movies on Thai kindergarten girls' body images and self-esteem. Thai kindergarten girls completed three measures of body s… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Asawarachan, Tanawan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Disrupting the Discourse of the Other: a Transformative Learning Study of African Art

Description: The primary question of this study is: How does the disruption of African art discourse influence a group of university students’ perceptions of African aesthetics? This inquiry developed from previous studies on the exclusion of modern and contemporary African art in Western art museums. Through the theoretical lens of Postcolonial Theory and Critical Multiculturalism, this research conceptualizes the dominance of traditional African art in art museums, art history, and art education as a We… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Nangah, Mary Mbongo
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Dissimilar Friction Stir Welding Between Magnesium and Aluminum Alloys

Description: Joining two dissimilar metals, specifically Mg and Al alloys, using conventional welding techniques is extraordinarily challenging. Even when these alloys are able to be joined, the weld is littered with defects such as cracks, cavities, and wormholes. The focus of this project was to use friction stir welding to create a defect-free joint between Al 2139 and Mg WE43. The stir tool used in this project, made of H13 tool steel, is of fixed design. The design included an 11 mm scrolled and concav… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Reese, Gregory A
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Dissimilar Joining of Al (AA2139) – Mg (WE43) Alloys Using Friction Stir Welding

Description: This research demonstrates the use of friction stir welding (FSW) to join dissimilar (Al-Mg) metal alloys. The main challenges in joining different, dissimilar metal alloys is the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the stir zone affecting mechanical properties of joint significantly. In this present study, FSW joining process is used to join aluminum alloy AA2139 and magnesium alloy WE43. The 9.5 mm thick plates of AA2139 and WE43 were friction stir butt welded. Different pr… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Poudel, Amir
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Distance Learning in Singing Education: An Overview of Historical and Modern Approaches and Future Trends

Description: This research of distance learning in singing study provides some historical framework of long-distance singing study, including research on three former distance singing courses, which exemplify the "best practices" of their time: Siegel-Myers Correspondence School of Music, the Perfect Voice Institute, and the Hermann Klein Phono-Vocal Method: Based Upon the Famous School of Manuel Garcia. I also discuss current trends in long-distance singing study, including interviews and insights from cur… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Wood, Samantha (Soprano)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Distributed Consensus, Optimization and Computation in Networked Systems

Description: In the first part of this thesis, we propose a distributed consensus algorithm under multi-layer multi-group structure with communication time delays. It is proven that the consensus will be achieved in both time-varying and fixed communication delays. In the second part, we study the distributed optimization problem with a finite-time mechanism. It is shown that our distributed proportional-integral algorithm can exponentially converge to the unique global minimizer when the gain parameters sa… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Yao, Lisha
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Distributed Frameworks Towards Building an Open Data Architecture

Description: Data is everywhere. The current Technological advancements in Digital, Social media and the ease at which the availability of different application services to interact with variety of systems are causing to generate tremendous volumes of data. Due to such varied services, Data format is now not restricted to only structure type like text but can generate unstructured content like social media data, videos and images etc. The generated Data is of no use unless been stored and analyzed to derive… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Venumuddala, Ramu Reddy
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

District Leadership Supporting PLC Implementation in a Rapid Growth District

Description: A growing body of work has emerged regarding the responsibilities required of district leaders in establishing plans that initiate and create conditions for sustainability of continuous improvement achieved through a systemic reform structure such as professional learning communities. However, limited research exists in respect to sustaining cultures of continuous improvement in rapid growth districts. Rapid growth districts can be described as school systems, which construct and open multipl… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Tinsley, Laurie Huffman
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

District Support: Strategies for Building Capacity in Elementary Principals in a Rapid Growth District

Description: The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine the role of the central office staff and the strategies used to support capacity building in elementary principals in a rapid growth district. By synthesizing research and models from education reform scholars, the conceptual framework of professional capital, intrinsic motivation, the educational change process, and professional learning communities was generated to advance the understanding of utilizing PLCs as a foundation for centra… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jamar, Jacye
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

District Systematic Supports of an Instructional Coaching Program

Description: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the systems, structures, and behaviors district leaders employ and enact to assist elementary school principals' relationship with their school instructional coach. Through the synthesis of current research, the conceptual framework was developed with a focus on district leadership behaviors and instructional coaching programs. The conceptual framework consisted of professional capital theory, instructional coaching model, and principal le… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Webb, Mary Katherine
Partner: UNT Libraries

Diverse Learners in the Classroom: Students with Special Needs Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Texas Public Classrooms

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Briones, San Juanita G
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Diversity Revealed: Photovoice Methodology as a Means for Understanding How Teens Construct Diversity

Description: Through the partnership of standpoint theory and photovoice method, the present study looked at how teenagers, attending a multicultural education camp, define diversity, as well as what the participants considered to be the benefits and limitations of diversity. Standpoint theory gives the theoretical perspective to understand the marginalized voice of teenagers, while photovoice provides the tools to better capture and understand their marginalized voice. This study was situated in a profess… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Rodriguez, Stuti Mehta
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Divine Coming of the Light

Description: The Divine Coming of the Light is a memoir-in-essays that covers an experience, from 2007 to 2010, when I lived in Kosuge Village (population 900), nestled in the mountains of central Japan. I was the only foreigner there. My memoir uses these three years as a frame to investigate how landscape affects identity. The book profiles who I was before Japan (an evangelical and then wilderness guide), why I became obsessed with mountains, and the fall-out from mountain obsession to a humanistic outlo… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Peters, Clinton Crockett
Partner: UNT Libraries
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