UNT Theses and Dissertations - 31 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next
open access

What's in Your Garden? Assessing the "Eco-friendliness" of Plant Choices of Denton, Texas Gardeners

Description: Urbanization is seen as a threat to biodiversity within urban ecosystems, which are largely reliant on humans for their composition. Two types of extremes exist in the spectrum of urban domestic gardens; on one end, the typical urban garden which is planted by landscapers at the time the house is built and is generally left unchanged, and, at the other, a "wild" landscape planted entirely with native plants which provides habitat for native fauna and pollinators. This study assesses the plant… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Cloutier, Andrea Nicole
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Parcel-Based Change Detection Using Multi-Temporal LiDAR Data in the City of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Description: Change detection is amongst the most effective critical examination methods used in remote sensing technology. In this research, new methods are proposed for building and vegetation change detection using only LiDAR data without using any other remotely sensed data. Two LiDAR datasets from 2009 and 2013 will be used in this research. These datasets are provided by the City of Surrey. A Parcel map which shows parcels in the study area will be also used in this research because the objective of t… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Yigit, Aykut
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Western Spruce Budworm Effects on Throughfall C, N, and P Fluxes in a Central Washington Forest

Description: Western spruce budworm (Choristoneura occidentalis) outbreaks periodically disturb Western US conifer forests by defoliating canopies, which could alter the quantity and chemistry of throughfall delivered to the forest floor. Our objectives were to: i) quantify throughfall water, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) fluxes under budworm-impacted canopies, and ii) examine the influence of herbivore intensity on flux magnitudes. In June 2015, we installed throughfall collectors in two … more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Bailey, Jennifer Meghan
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Small Town Retail Change in East Texas: an Analysis of Retail Growth, Decline, and Spatial Reconfiguration

Description: In recent years, small towns have experienced declining levels of retail activity attributable to a variety of factors. Previously conducted research identifies a number of these factors such as changing population dynamics, continuously evolving retail practices, locational factors, and an assortment of other macroeconomic factors. Although retail decline is common for many small towns, there are some small towns that have been able to maintain their viability in an ever-changing economic clim… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Whitaker, Carl W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Influence of the Choice of Disease Mapping Method on Population Characteristics in Areas of High Disease Burdens

Description: Disease maps are powerful tools for depicting spatial variations in disease risk and its underlying drivers.  However, producing effective disease maps requires careful consideration of the statistical and spatial properties of the disease data. In fact, the choice of mapping method influences the resulting spatial pattern of the disease, as well as the understanding of its underlying population characteristics. New developments in mapping methods and software in addition to continuing improvem… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Desai, Khyati Sanket
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Decoding the Formation of a Retail Giant: the Evolving Geography of Costco’s Store Network

Description: Although Costco operates over 580 warehouse stores throughout North America, their location strategy remains relatively unexamined in the economic geography literature. A cursory examination of Costco’s network makes it clear that the firm chooses to locate primarily in the suburbs of major cities, where income levels are somewhat higher than the national average. However, what is not clear is the extent to which other demographic and geographic factors adequately account for Costco’s store loc… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Testa, Peter
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Influence of Local Forage Variability on White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Body Size at Fort Hood, Texas

Description: Nutritional quality and availability is thought to regulate geographic patterns of variability in animal body size due to phenotypic plasticity. The purpose of this study is to determine how vegetation quality, abundance and population density influence white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) body size on a subregional spatial scale at Fort Hood, Texas. Harvest and census records are used to test the hypothesis that white-tailed deer exhibit phenotypic plasticity (e.g. larger body size) in… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Eddins, Amy C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Resource Intensification of Small Game Use at Goodman Point, Southwestern Colorado

Description: This analysis of faunal remains from eleven archaeological sites in the northern San Juan region, extensively occupied by the Ancestral Pueblo people until they leave the region by AD 1300, explores the effects of resource intensification of small wild and domestic resources leading up to this regional depopulation. By examining multiple lines of evidence, in addition to faunal abundance, causal factors are identified to address changes in abundances through time. In particular, age- and sex-ba… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Ellyson, Laura Jean
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Effects of Non-homogeneous Population Distribution on Smoothed Maps Produced Using Kernel Density Estimation Methods

Description: Understanding spatial perspectives on the spread and incidence of a disease is invaluable for public health planning and intervention. Choropleth maps are commonly used to provide an abstraction of disease risk across geographic space. These maps are derived from aggregated population counts that are known to be affected by the small numbers problem. Kernel density estimation methods account for this problem by producing risk estimates that are based on aggregations of approximately equal popul… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Jones, Jesse Jack
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Spatio-temporal Variation of Nitrate Levels in Groundwater in Texas, 1970 to 2010

Description: This study looks at spatial variation of groundwater nitrate in Texas and its fluctuations at 10 year increments using data from the Texas Water Development Board. While groundwater nitrate increased in the Ogallala and Seymour aquifers across the time period, the overall rate in Texas appears to be declining as time progresses. However, the available data is limited. Findings show that a much more targeted, knowledge based strategy for sampling would not only reduce the cost of water qualit… more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Rice, Susan C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Gis, Modeling And Human Civilization: The Birth Of Geo-social Engineering

Description: Computer-based, mathematical models have significant value in describing the processes behind urban development and its inhabitants. The following research describes the theories and concepts behind modeling and offers insight into the potential future of the field. First, the research covers a brief history of applicable modeling strategies. This is followed by a summary of current popular approaches. The numerical background of geo-social engineering is developed through mathematical tech… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Morris, E. Scott
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact Of Land Use And Land Cover Change On The Spatial Distribution Of Buruli Ulcer In Southwest Ghana

Description: Buruli ulcer (BU) is an environmental bacterium caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Modes of transmission and hosts of the disease remain unknown. The purposes of this study are to explore the environmental factors that are possibly explain the spatial distribution of BU, to predict BU cases by using the environmental factors, and to investigate the impact of land use and land cover change on the BU distribution. The study area covers the southwest portion of Ghana, 74 districts in 6 regions. The… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Ruckthongsook, Warangkana
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessment of Transportation Emissions for Ferrous Scrap Exports from the United States: Activity-Based Maritime Emissions Model and Theoretical Inland Transportation Model.

Description: Industrial ecology is a field of study that encourages the use of closed-loop material cycles to achieve sustainability. Loop closing requires the movement of materials over space, and has long been practiced in the iron and steel industry. Iron and steel (ferrous) scrap generated in the U.S. is increasingly exported to countries in Asia, lengthening the transportation distance associated with closing the loop on the iron and steel life cycle. In order to understand the environmental cost of… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Caldwell, Amanda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Spatial Analysis of North Central Texas Traffic Fatalities 2001-2006

Description: A traditional two dimensional (planar) statistical analysis was used to identify the clustering types of North Central Texas traffic fatalities occurring in 2001-2006. Over 3,700 crash locations clustered in ways that were unlike other researched regions. A two dimensional (x and y coordinates) space was manipulated to mimic a one dimensional network to identify the tightest clustering of fatalities in the nearly 400,000 crashes reported from state agencies from 2003-2006. The roadway design wa… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Rafferty, Paula S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Global Expansion of Transnational Retailers: A Case Study of the Localization Strategy of Costco in Taiwan

Description: This research focuses on the global expansion of the transnational retail industry. Globalization is a phenomenon experienced by many industries in the present global economy. The global production network (GPN) framework can be used to explain and interpret the phenomenon of transnational firms' adaptation strategies. Due to market saturation in their home countries, retailers began to expand into East Asia in the 1980s. However, cultural differences and legislative limitations created barrier… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Yeh, YunLung
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

High Resolution Satellite Images and LiDAR Data for Small-Area Building Extraction and Population Estimation

Description: Population estimation in inter-censual years has many important applications. In this research, high-resolution pan-sharpened IKONOS image, LiDAR data, and parcel data are used to estimate small-area population in the eastern part of the city of Denton, Texas. Residential buildings are extracted through object-based classification techniques supported by shape indices and spectral signatures. Three population indicators -building count, building volume and building area at block level are deriv… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Ramesh, Sathya
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Attendance at a Senior Center on the Quality of Life and Well Being of Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren.

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of attendance at a senior center on the well being and quality of life of grandparents that were rearing grandchildren. Using convenience sampling, grandparents (N=130) who were rearing grandchildren were given a self administered demographic data survey along with an attendance at a senior center questionnaire, the Quality of Life Scale, the Well Being Scale by Liang, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Caregiver Burden Scale, and the Role Sa… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Rhynes, LaTrica Q.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Comparison of IKONOS Derived Vegetation Index and LiDAR Derived Canopy Height Model for Grassland Management.

Description: Forest encroachment is understood to be the main reason for prairie grassland decline across the United States. In Texas and Oklahoma, juniper has been highlighted as particularly opportunistic. This study assesses the usefulness of three remote sensing techniques to aid in locating the areas of juniper encroachment for the LBJ Grasslands in Decatur, Texas. An object based classification was performed in eCognition and final accuracy assessments placed the overall accuracy at 94%, a significant… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Parker, Gary
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Soil Characteristics Estimation and Its Application in Water Balance Dynamics

Description: This thesis is a contribution to the work of the Texas Environmental Observatory (TEO), which provides environmental information from the Greenbelt Corridor (GBC) of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The motivation of this research is to analyze the short-term water dynamic of soil in response to the substantial rainfall events that occurred in North Texas in 2007. Data collected during that year by a TEO soil and weather station located at the GBC includes precipitation, and soil moisture lev… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Chen, Liping
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Hydrological Impacts of Urbanization: White Rock Creek, Dallas Texas

Description: This research project concerns changes in hydrology resulting from urbanization of the upper sub-basin of the White Rock Creek Watershed in Collin and Dallas Counties, Texas. The objectives of this study are: to calculate the percent watershed urbanized for the period of 1961 through 1968 and the period of 2000 through 2005; to derive a 1960s average unit hydrograph and a 2000s average unit hydrograph; and, to use the two averaged hydrographs to develop a range of hypothetical storm scenarios t… more
Date: December 2005
Creator: Vicars, Julie Anne Groening
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Water systems, water policy, and Karst terrain: An analysis of the complex relationships between geology, economy, public perceptions, and policy in southern Trelawny, Jamaica.

Description: Jamaica has an abundance of freshwater resources, however, a lack of infrastructure makes treated, piped water inaccessible in many areas. Through literature reviews and site visits, this thesis is an analysis of how the people and land, and money and policy, interact with one another in relation to Jamaica's freshwater resources and water infrastructure. Special attention is given to the island's type-example Cockpit karst geology; tourism, mining, and farming's relation to this karst; types o… more
Access: Restricted to the UNT Community Members at a UNT Libraries Location.
Date: December 2005
Creator: McCall, Sarah
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Selecting Optimal Residential Locations Using Fuzzy GIS Modeling

Description: Integrating decision analytical techniques in geographic information systems (GIS) can help remove the two primary obstacles in spatial decision making: inaccessibility to required geographic data and difficulties in synthesizing various criteria. I developed a GIS model to assist people seeking optimal residential locations. Fuzzy set theory was used to codify criteria for each factor used in evaluating residential locations, and weighted linear combination (WLC) was employed to simulate users… more
Date: December 2006
Creator: Tang, Zongpei
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
Back to Top of Screen