Latest content added for UNT Digital Library Collection: UNT Theses and Dissertations

"And Who Killed the President?:" Shifting Hollywood Narratives of the John F. Kennedy Assassination

2026-06-24T22:20:51-05:00

This thesis examines how American cinema has represented—and resisted representing—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy across shifting political and cultural contexts. Drawing on theories of “deep politics” and “parapolitics,” it argues that films about the assassination do not merely reflect historical understanding but actively shape the limits of public skepticism toward state power. Through a comparative analysis of films including Executive Action (1973), The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1977), JFK (1991), Parkland (2013), and Jackie (2016), this project establishes a provisional “JFK assassination canon” through which changing narrative strategies can be traced over time. Situating these works within the broader evolution of the paranoid political thriller, this thesis demonstrates an evolution of narratives that lean toward emotional containment which reframe the assassination as a sacred national trauma rather than a site of political critique. By synthesizing film analysis with political theory and historiography, this thesis attempts to investigate the ways in whcih cinema participates in constructing historical memory and mediation of the tension between official narratives and conspiratorial counter-discourse.

A Study of Six Selected Taiwanese Art Songs by Two Female Composers

2026-06-24T22:20:38-05:00

Although art song has long been central to Western vocal pedagogy and performance, Taiwanese-language art songs remain underrepresented in academic research and vocal training. This dissertation examines six Taiwanese art songs by two contemporary female composers, Wen-Tze Lu and Kuei-Ju Lin, with poetry by Han-Shiu Lu and Khin-Huann Li. The selected works include “Life Dew,” “The End,” and “With the Name in the Sky” by Wen-Tze Lu, and “Winter Jasmine,” “Lilac,” and “Dogwood” by Kuei-Ju Lin. One chapter is devoted specifically to Taiwanese diction, presenting a systematic overview of the language’s phonetic and tonal features using the standardized Tâi-lô (TL) romanization system published by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, together with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Through integrated musical, linguistic, and performance-oriented analysis, this study explores the interaction between Taiwanese language and musical setting, with particular attention to tone, tone sandhi, vowel quality, and articulation. Each song is examined with respect to poetic structure, musical form, and expressive interpretation, and is accompanied by practical performance guidance for vocalists. This dissertation contributes to the expansion of art song scholarship beyond European repertories and provides a pedagogical resource for performers and teachers engaging with Taiwanese-language repertoire.

You Are a Pirate: Queer Theory and 'One Piece' in Conversation

2026-06-24T22:18:18-05:00

This thesis places the long-running shonen manga series One Piece, and especially its Paramount War Saga, in conversation with queer theory, suggesting a connection between the two thematically. I explore the ways queer theory informs a reading of One Piece, as well as the ways One Piece informs a reading of various queer theory texts, with a focus on coalitionary politics, systems of oppression and utopic queer futures. I argue that One Piece replicates theoretical scenarios from within queer theory texts, providing an example as well as new angles through which that theory may be approached. I frame the story of One Piece, and especially its protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, as exemplary of the pursuit of a queer utopia, as he works across intersectional identities to take on a government which relies on quotidian violence to maintain power.

Navigating Support: An Anthropological Analysis of Breastfeeding, Maternal Networks, and Digital Peer Networks

2026-06-24T22:18:07-05:00

This thesis examines how women navigate breastfeeding through various support systems they encounter in early motherhood and over time. Using both a digital survey (N = 161) and 12 in-depth interviews, the study examines the types of guidance, reassurance, and practical help mothers seek as they learn to feed their babies. Participants note that breastfeeding is not purely instinctive but something they learn through family experiences, medical visits, workplace expectations, and access to knowledgeable support. The findings reveal that partners and healthcare providers are especially critical in the initial weeks, particularly when mothers face physical or medical challenges. As time goes on, many women turn to other mothers for reassurance and shared experiences. Online breastfeeding communities frequently provide this support, offering women a space to ask questions, share experiences, and feel less alone. These digital groups do not replace medical advice but instead offer emotional support and practical help from peers. By combining survey data with detailed stories, this research shows how breastfeeding is shaped by broader social and structural factors. The results highlight the importance of ongoing support from healthcare systems, families, workplaces, and peer networks. Viewing breastfeeding as both a biological and social process can help healthcare organizations and community programs better support mothers during the early months of breastfeeding and beyond.

The Politics of the Ordinary: The Supermarket in Theory

2026-06-24T22:17:57-05:00

In this dissertation, I argue that supermarkets function as a crucial infrastructure through which neoliberalism, petroculture, and the nuclear family form are lived and reproduced. Engaging with feminist philosophy, critical phenomenology, affect theory, and petroculture studies, I position the supermarket as a site of cruel optimism that normalizes fossil-fueled food systems through affective attachments and bodily habits. I argue that in the reproduction of everyday life, the supermarket’s mechanisms—from food charity and the economization of bodies, to familial promises and ordinary pleasures—suture life’s reproduction to its destruction. This argument unfolds across twelve parts, moving from structural and historical analyses of food regimes and petroleum infrastructures to phenomenological examinations of the lived and affective dimensions of supermarkets. I examine how neoliberal governance depoliticizes hunger, how capital’s perceptual ecology produces petrocapitalist realism, how the nuclear family form functions through the supermarket as one of petroculture’s lived infrastructures, and how the ongoingness of crises is lived in these ordinary food spaces. These analyses reveal how the supermarket’s ubiquity and mundanity in the contemporary United States obscure its role in producing the very conditions that threaten the habitability of the biosphere—conditions that are felt one trip to the store at a time.

Child-Teacher Relationship Training: Investigation of Teacher Burnout and Self-Compassion Among Early Childhood Educators

2026-06-24T22:16:13-05:00

Teacher burnout has intensified in recent years, contributing to rising attrition and diminished classroom climate. Interventions targeting teachers’ internal regulatory capacities, including self-compassion, have gained attention due to associations with reduced burnout and improved well-being. Early childhood educators are especially vulnerable given emotional and relational demands of their roles. Child–Teacher Relationship Training (CTRT), a relationship-based professional development model grounded in child-centered play therapy, emphasizes reflective supervision and development of attunement and empathy skills that may support cultivation of self-compassion. This study is the first to examine changes in early childhood teachers’ self-compassion and burnout during participation in CTRT. A within-subjects repeated-measures design was used across seven time points during a 16-week intervention. Participants included 11 teachers and co-teachers from a Title I early childhood school. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey (MBI-ES) and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) at baseline, midpoints, post-intervention, and follow-up. Results indicated no statistically significant reductions in burnout; however, medium effect sizes reflected variability across time. Across self-compassion dimensions, statistically significant changes were observed in Mindfulness and Over-Identification, with medium-to-large effects. Findings suggest CTRT participation was associated with shifts in teachers’ internal regulatory processes and relational engagement. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed.

Fascist Undercurrents of a Climate-Changing World: Micropolitics and Aesthetics

2026-06-24T22:16:10-05:00

I argue that a climate-changing world is a world ripe for fascisms. My analysis of fascisms is micropolitical, attending to the ways in which politics operate in tendencies, affects, perceptions, and everyday aesthetics rather than through parties or ideologies. I look to mainstream and traditional sensibilities as embodied in the artworks of Jon McNaughton, arguing that the apparent naturalness of such traditional sensibilities masks affective undercurrents drawing people toward fascist intensification. Further, these affective undercurrents can become nihilistic countercurrents, irrupting against mainstream and traditional sensibilities, desiring destruction. I analyze such countercurrents through the online community of 4chan and the cynical memes of the website. I further argue that resisting the tendencies toward fascisms requires micropolitical attention, including attentiveness to the complex relationalities that climate change makes discernible. A climate-changing world is a world of radical relationalities, in which the most disparate regions are brought together. Such complexities do not simply aggravate fascist tendencies or offer resources against them—they do both simultaneously. The same disruptions that intensify fears of replacement and desires for sovereign control also loosen the grip of the perceptual conditions through which exclusionary sensibilities feel natural and necessary—including desires for sovereignty and autonomy predicated upon exclusionary concepts of origins, purity, and nativity. I argue that cultivating attentiveness to these radical relationalities is itself a form of resistance: a micropolitical practice of perception attuned to what a climate-changing world, on a damaged planet, makes impossible to ignore.

The Breath Before Amen

2026-06-24T22:15:23-05:00

The Breath Before Amen investigates what remains in the face of change, loss, and death, as well as what could serve as adequate means to preserve or even restore whatever might be lost. The speaker of the poems mainly engages with these questions by exploring his relationships with the members of his family and the distinct ways in which they each manifest or represent possible losses. With the father now in his mid-seventies, the speaker must anticipate death’s approach and the losses inherent with aging, needing to grapple with how to most effectively spend the time they have left together. For the speaker’s mother, he reckons with the regret he feels at not being skilled in using her first language of Italian and how that lack of knowledge has not only prevented him from forming more ideal connections with members of her family that have passed away, but also perhaps prevented him from truly knowing his mother. Finally, the speaker’s wife has been on the receiving end of numerous health problems during the last several years, which they both must come to terms with by wondering how much hope there really is for recovery or when they must simply accept that some things cannot be restored. Alongside these relationships, the speaker spends time investigating ideas like prayer and faith, the lives and trajectories of various foreign languages, and also language itself, especially its preserving or immortalizing function when used to memorialize through writing or record keeping.

Perovskites for Extreme-Radiation Environments and Scalable Film Deposition Methods for Solar Cell Interfacial Layers

2026-06-24T22:12:00-05:00

This rise of space travel since 2022 by commercial and governmental entities is extending operational time therefore pushing the health risks of space crews and the performance expectations of semiconductor devices in the extreme environment of Earth’s orbits and beyond. Sources of environmental extremes include extreme temperature swings, ultra-high vacuum, microgravity, solar winds, atomic oxygen, and lastly, the subject of this work, ionizing radiation. Semiconductors considered for extreme environments include germanium, gallium arsenide, thallium bromide, cadmium zinc telluride, and amorphous selenide, and more recently, the metal lead halide perovskites. The metal halide perovskites are garnering attention for such applications due to their light absorption properties, excellent charge carrier mobility, easily tunable bandgap, ease of solution process, self-healing properties, and reported radiation robustness. This work utilizes a triple cation perovskite (TCP) to assess its robustness to gamma γ-rays, with radiation doses up to 48 mSv which is comparable to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual dose limit (50 mSv) for a nuclear worker. The irradiated devices were compared with a nonirradiated control devices. Photoluminescence spectroscopy mappings suggest degradation due to stress and composition of the perovskite lattice structure. Visible light absorption spectroscopy suggests resilience via retention of the bandgap energy (e.g. ~1.6 eV), but a lower absorption coefficient may imply lower light penetration into the TCP film due to potentially increased film roughness after exposure. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal structural decomposition via lowered intensities at characteristic crystal planes and reduced average crystallite sizes. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements suggest decreased grain sizes, increased grain boundaries, and increased surface roughness which all point to degradation via γ-ray absorption. Lastly, optoelectrical measurements indicate significant photocurrent generation in the irradiated device and surprisingly zero dark current which is desirable in a radiation sensor. This work suggests the need for protection of the perovskite via encapsulation, interfacial passivation layers, and/or a compositionally engineered perovskite formulation which is more robust in meeting the demands posed by high energy gamma radiation exposure. Besides radiation exposure experiments conducted on perovskites, we also explored the integration of perovskites in energy harnessing devices for solar cells, with a view towards considering manufacturable routes using spray coating of a new hole transport layer. The highest reported perovskite solar cells’ (PSC) power conversion efficiencies are achieved using methodologies that may not be amenable towards large-area scalability. Specifically, here we consider the use of spray-coating and photonic curing as a means to deposit the liquid-phased exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenide tungsten diselenide as a hole transport layer and comparing the results with conventional methods such as spin-coating, inkjet-printing, and a well-studied spin-coated Spiro-OMeTAD HTL device. The results confirmed that the spray-coating method provided advantages in terms of power conversion efficiencies, when compared to other approaches considered such as inkjet printing for the HTL of the PSC.

Dispassion

2026-06-24T22:11:44-05:00

An exploration via memory of the somatic and interpersonal effects of inherited texts, Dispassion proceeds through “stations” approximating the Christian via dolorosa in the form of a reverse bildungsroman. The Bible, particularly a Southern, New Charismatic Christian interpretation of it, American television, Greek myth, and “creative writing” itself find purchase in poems that range from multi-page lyric narratives, to short lyrics engaged with landscape and the ways in which it forms and alters the speakers’ subjectivities. Following a loss of faith and departure from a church pastored by his grandfather, the speaker of these poems attempts to maintain and repair relationships with working-class parents who continued as believers in the New Charismatic Christian tradition, while attempting a measure of self-determination via flight into story and the natural world. What happens, Dispassion asks, to our gods and once deeply held beliefs when we attempt to discard or replace them? Do they require a penance or fee? What is compassion, in regards to oneself and one’s family, and what meaning, if any, is there in the passion of suffering? Musically visceral and always in motion, these poems question the very possibility of personal transformation, and wonder if this is what love as conceived in the Western tradition requires.

Controlling Measurement Error in SEM Using the Blavaan Package: A Comparison of Bayesian and Classical Approaches in Small Samples

2026-06-24T22:11:36-05:00

Measurement error poses a persistent challenge in structural equation modeling (SEM), especially in applied psychological and educational research, where scale reliability is usually uncertain, and sample sizes are limited. Classical SEM approaches intended to address measurement error issues but often resulted in inaccurate and unstable estimates of parameters and attenuated structural relationships. Moreover, full SEM in practice frequently encounters convergence problems under small-sample conditions. This study aims to introduce two novel Bayesian approaches designed to model uncertainty in reliability and residual variance explicitly and compare their performance with several classical SEM methods under small-sample conditions. The goal is to provide methodological guidance for applied researchers and promote best practices for measurement error control in SEM.

Playfulness in Place: Process-Based Design and the Upper Texas Coast

2026-06-24T22:10:24-05:00

In this dissertation, I argue that play is at the heart of process-based approaches in landscape architecture and design. In conversation with feminist new materialisms, multispecies approaches, theories of play, and landscape architects and designers, I position play as form of thematic knowledge that reconceptualizes risk, supporting flexibility and adaptability. I argue that in design thinking, therefore, epistemologies of play might have an important role in resisting pressures to exert ever-increasing control over the environment. Play reframes conversations about community safety, freeing the potentials of landscape architecture and design from the limits of scalar thinking and encouraging responsiveness to the dynamic (re)invention and maintenance of land-water-community relations. I further articulate this argument contextually, grounding my thinking in specific personal play situations focusing on play’s relational engagements. These relational themes, varying from skateboarding to trimming a dog’s toenails, inform my consideration of the power of play for design. I focus my exploration of design practice by examining a pair of ongoing storm surge protection plans for the Houston-Galveston region of the Texas coast: the Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System (a project of the US Army Corps of Engineers) and the Galveston Bay Park Plan (a project spearheaded by Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center). These flood prevention plans highlight how climate-related threats offer opportunities to reappraise human and more-than-human relations.

Perspective Analysis of Functional Language Assessments for Pre-K Students with Autism in their Least Restrictive Environment: Implications for Leadership and Policy

2026-06-24T22:08:41-05:00

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a significant law that has improved educational opportunities for students with disabilities in the United States. IDEA's Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requirement policy ensures that students with disabilities are educated alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. The purpose of this study was to examine the participants’ viewpoints regarding the LRE policy, the meaning-making of LRE, and functional language assessments conducted in early childhood special education settings. Research shows that the skills taught in verbal behavior intervention are essential components of social and communication behavior in a general education classroom. While there is research on teaching verbal operants in preschool settings, it was imperative to conduct further research on verbal behavior assessments from practitioners’ perspectives to improve the communication skills of students with autism. Therefore, in this qualitative study, I explored the functional language assessments used in Pre-K to address the knowledge gap. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand current practices in functional language assessments and the participants’ opinions on LRE. Data were inductively coded to develop themes. The participants discussed barriers to inclusion and provided feedback to improve. The findings of this study indicate that the LRE policy needs to be redefined clearly. The Verbal Behavior Milestone Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) was the primary assessment tool used by the teachers to evaluate the functional language skills of Pre-K students with autism. Co-teaching has been a successful program, and participants recommended expanding it to kindergarten and other grades to support inclusion of students with autism in general education settings.

Statistical Inference for Oscillatory Hawkes Processes with Applications to High-Frequency Financial Data

2026-06-24T22:08:15-05:00

Hawkes processes are essential for modeling self-exciting phenomena, yet traditional kernels—such as the exponential and Omori-type power-law—are fundamentally limited by monotonic decay and fail to capture latent periodicities observed in various geophysical, biological, and socio-economic systems. We address this gap by proposing a novel class of oscillatory, sinusoid-modulated kernels. To overcome the challenges non-monotonicity poses to classical likelihood theory, we introduce an envelope-function methodology to establish the consistency and asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimator. To resolve frequency non-identifiability occurring when the model reduces to a traditional exponential kernel under the null hypothesis, we employ a Davies-type global score test. Furthermore, we derive exact moments by transforming cluster probability generating functions from non-linear Volterra integral equations into a system of ordinary differential equations, utilizing factorial cumulants and Bell polynomials for closed-form expressions. This unified inferential and computational framework is demonstrated through high-frequency financial applications, illustrating superior modeling of intraday periodicities compared to traditional kernels.

Thin Films of 2D/3D Perovskites and Graphene for Renewable Energy and Physical Sensors

2026-06-24T22:08:01-05:00

The exponential use of hydrocarbon-based fuels such as coal and oil has been a reliable way to generate electricity in the form of heat via steam turbines. With the exponential growth of the global population, the demand for energy is only increasing. At the same time, the extended use of fossil fuels has contributed negatively to environmental factors such as pollution, global warming, and an increase in extreme weather conditions. Thus, the demand for both alternative energy sources to replace harmful fuel sources, as well as gas sensing technology to sense environmental gasses has risen. This dissertation explores the use of emerging materials such as three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) perovskites for renewable energy sources, namely energy harvesters, as well as chemically exfoliated graphene applied to gas sensing applications. In the solar cell domain, the first part of this dissertation focuses on interfacial engineering of triple cation perovskite (TCP) used for photodetectors and solar cells. Both perovskite photodetectors and solar cells were fabricated and characterized, leveraging titanium placed between the top contact (Au), and conventional hole transport material Spiro-OMeTAD. Through contact engineering with Au/Ti electrodes, the devices exhibit improved charge transport characteristics, and increased stability to moisture when testing was conducted in humidity-rich environments. Interfacial engineering was further explored when fabricating TCP solar cells with an added conductive polymer interfacial layer between the hole transport layer (HTL) and the perovskite absorber layer. Both PTAA and PTB7-based solar cells were characterized using photoluminescent spectroscopy then subsequently evaluated for performance. From these studies, it is apparent that interfacial engineering is an effective way in improving both performance and stability of perovskite photodetectors and solar cells. Transitioning to 2D materials, this dissertation explores alternative fabrication methods such as solvent engineering and variable hot casting methods to improve the crystallinity of Ruddlesden-popper perovskite thin films and solar cells. 2DP n-i-p solar cells were fabricated with four different solution chemistries, dimethyl formamide, (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethyl formamide with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMF:DMSO), and dimethyl formamide with dimethyl sulfoxide and hydroiodic acid (DMF:DMSO-HI). Surface analysis via x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed, highlighting the preferred grain sizes of the DMF:DMSO-HI formulation. Optical characterization such as ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were performed, providing insight on each chemistry’s absorbance behavior. Lastly, electrical measurements were performed on both photodetectors and n-i-p solar cells with the DMF:DMSO-HI chemistry showing improved device performance which was correlated to the intrinsic structural and optical features of the 2DP films. Moving on to the environmental and gas sensing aspect of our work, we then discuss solution processed graphene thin-films. These devices showed good sensitivity to environmental gasses, excellent restoration at room temperature, and high scalability through facile solution processing means. Surface morphology studies were performed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force spectroscopy (AFM), noting a porous microstructure comprised of graphene platelets conducive for sensing purposes. Temperature-dependent Raman studies were also performed from 77 K to 825 K with a corresponding detailed peak position study, revealing classical graphene thin-film peaks that red-shift in accordance with temperature. Gas sensing measurements taken via an in-situ gas sensing system, showed the influence of flow rate and voltage bias on the electrical properties of our graphene film, when gasses were flowed into the chamber, with a notable signal-to-noise ratio. Collectively, this body of work establishes a unique approach to energy harvesting and physical sensing devices by leaning on emerging materials such as 3D/2D perovskites and chemically exfoliated 2D graphene films.

The Nuances of Women's Advancement in Policing

2026-06-24T22:07:46-05:00

Women are highly underrepresented in the field of policing and even less so in leadership roles. There has not been much progress over the last few decades, however, there have been movements such as the 30x30 initiative—which encourages police departments to increase the number of sworn women officers to 30% of the staff by 2030. In order to have more women in higher ranks of police agencies, there need to be more female officers overall, so it is important to have policies that improve their experience and prevent discrimination within the police subculture. Women face even more barriers when deciding to go up for a promotion which can sometimes result in them foregoing the opportunity in favor of the obstacle. This study aims to examine those barriers as well as what facilitators women currently experience—so that police agencies can modify any impediments and promote the best candidate from all possible applicants. The methods for this study include qualitative data analysis from semi-structured interviews. Following an analysis of these interviews using a modified grounded theory approach, emergent themes depict both obstacles and facilitators to promotion which reflect themes in prior literature—such as mentorship, difficult testing processes, struggles with childcare availability, pushback from other officers, seniority, and networking. However, they also demonstrate how some officers bypassed barriers and have succeeded in higher ranks.

Negotiating K-Pop Fandom Through a Black Lens: An Exploratory Study of Identity and Experience

2026-06-24T22:05:46-05:00

This thesis examines how Black fans experience identity, belonging, and exclusion within digital fandom spaces, with a focus on K-pop fandom. While fandom is often framed as a site of connection and escapism, this study argues that anti-Blackness operates as a normalized structure that shapes Black K-pop fan participation. Using a mixed-methods approach, including survey data and semi-structured interviews, this research centers on the lived experiences of Black fans and their navigations of racialized fandom spaces. Grounded in anti-Blackness theory, cultural identity, and affect theory, the findings reveal that belonging within fandom is conditional, requires ongoing negotiation of identity, and emotional labor. By centering Black fans as critical interpreters of their experiences, this research project highlights fandom as a racialized and affective space, emphasizing both the realities of anti-Blackness and the transformative aspects of Black community-building.

Application of Schenkerian Analysis and Karen Tuttle's Coordination Concepts to the Rediscovered Suite for Viola Solo (1940) by Reinhard Oppel (1878-1941)

2026-06-24T22:05:42-05:00

This dissertation provides a Schenkerian analysis and conceptual application of Karen Tuttle’s coordination concepts to the performance of a rediscovered piece, Suite for Viola Solo (1940), by Reinhard Oppel (1878–1941). In this study, a Schenkerian analysis, including the background, middleground, and foreground, provides the basis for the interpretation in performance of the work’s compositional ideas, form, structure, linear progressions, and musical directions. Facilitated by such an understanding of the musical structure, and by applying the body coordination concepts of a viola pedagogue, Karen Tuttle (1920–2010), performers will be able to achieve an in-depth comprehension of the piece.

How Resurgence is Related to the Behavior Change Technique

2026-06-24T22:05:33-05:00

Resurgence of previously reinforced behavior is a prevalent topic of applied and experimental studies in behavior analysis. This phenomenon is typically investigated by reducing occurrence of a target behavior and increasing an alternative, then extinguishing both. One popular procedure involves selecting a new response to occur with the same antecedents and consequences. Other procedures might manipulate antecedents to reduce behavior. This study fills a literature gap by comparing patterns of resurgence following these two different behavior change approaches. Participants were university students playing a tabletop behavior game, where we used differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and conditional discrimination training (CDT) procedures as experimental conditions. Resurgence was evoked in each condition by moving all responses to an extinction schedule after training. We observed notably different patterns of responding when behavior was reduced via the CDT procedure compared to a DRA. These findings contribute to applied practice and basic science. Behavior analysts might evaluate these two procedures regarding preference for a particular resurgence pattern. These results also highlight a need for further basic experimental work on the resurgence phenomenon.

The Stylistic Fingerprints of Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) through the Lens of Analyzing Her Rhapsody for Cello and Piano (1923)

2026-06-24T22:04:11-05:00

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) is an important interwar British composer. Clarke composed three chamber pieces for the Berkshire Festival of Chamber Music in Pittsfield, Massachusetts: Sonata for Viola and Piano (1919), Piano Trio (1921), and Rhapsody for Cello and Piano (1923). These so-called Coolidge Works are the major compositions among her output. However, Rhapsody was published posthumously in 2020 and has received far less scholarly attention than the first two Coolidge Works. This dissertation analyzes the form, rhythm, intervallic elements, and the transformation of the motives of the Rhapsody. It intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of Clarke's compositional techniques and musical style, and brings more attention to this long-neglected chamber piece.

Non-Metropolitan Sustainability Across the Continental United States: Sustainable Development Goal Based Assessment of Regional and Socio-Economic Patterns

2026-06-24T22:02:33-05:00

Non-metropolitan sustainability assessment in the United States faces a critical methodological gap: existing frameworks either overlook rural distinctiveness or require internationally oriented data unavailable for United States (U.S.) counties. Utilizing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) framework, this study: (1) develops SDG-aligned index focused solely on non-metropolitan counties, (2) analyze sustainability patterns within rural continental U.S. By analyzing 1,929 non-metropolitan counties, 49 indicators, and 14 SDGs across the Continental United States (CONUS) this study examines regional disparities, dimensional (economic, environmental, social) trade-offs, and the influence of socio-economic factors on non-metropolitan sustainability. Via percentile ranking sustainability scores based on data derived from federal databases and utilization of a variety of statistical methods (Kruskal-Wallis tests, correlation analyses, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), t-tests), this studies analysis found statistically significant regional disparities in CONUS, with Northeastern non-metropolitan counties exhibiting the highest levels of sustainability and Southern counties exhibiting the lowest. Furthermore, positive correlation between social and economic dimensions were observed, with the environmental dimension exhibiting negative correlation with both social and economic dimensions. Additionally, poverty emerged as the most dominant predictor of non-metropolitan sustainability, having both positive and negative correlations with dimensions. By revealing systematic regional disparities, dimensional trade-offs, and poverty's dominant influence, this research establishes both a methodological framework and evidence base for dimension-sensitive, place-based rural sustainability policy.

Interdisciplinary Arts Integration: An Accessible Guide

2026-06-24T22:02:27-05:00

When an artist seeks to incorporate additional layers of interdisciplinarity into a performance, they will confront heavy financial hurdles. Top-tier visual media, audio, and staging resources are currently cost-prohibitive. Further, even an artist equipped with additional funding may lack the expertise and breadth of knowledge necessary to integrate several layers of multimedia. Therefore, this research proposes an open-access guidebook that outlines affordable, sequential implementation methods for those limited by finances, time, and resources. Instead of reading long and technical literature in several different areas that often recommends expensive purchases, an artist can consult the proposed, free guidebook–a digestible breakdown of affordable resources in each area alongside implementation guidelines in one source. Ultimately, the proposed document hopes to pave pathways for adding layers of interdisciplinary to performances in a way that overcomes cost-prohibitive limitations and opens new components of creativity, should one wish to pursue them. Overall, the doctoral portfolio contains two components: 1) the article-length document in the form of a chapter-by-chapter guide to lighting, multimedia, movement and staging, and 2) a public masterclass with a demonstration and performance.

Examining The Role of Citizen Participation in Governance and its Impact on Park Equity and Accessibility: A Case Study of Texas Cities

2026-06-24T22:00:13-05:00

This dissertation investigates how citizen participation and professional best practices influence the quality, equity, and accessibility of local park services in rapidly growing Texas cities. While previous research highlights disparities in park provision, often shaped by socioeconomic, environmental, and historical factors, less is known about how governance structures, citizen engagement mechanisms, and administrative professionalism interact to produce equitable park outcomes across diverse urban contexts. Grounded in theories of governance, social equity, and resource dependency, this study explores how governance conditions, stakeholder involvement, and operational decisions shape the distribution and quality of public parks. The study employs a mixed-methods design that integrates GIS-based spatial park accessibility analysis, descriptive comparison of park amenities across 12 Texas cities, and qualitative data from surveys and interviews with park directors and managers. Accessibility is operationalized through the Trust for Public Land’s 10-Minute Walk metric and per-capita amenity availability. At the same time, governance and engagement factors are assessed through city documents, park plans, and practitioner perspectives. The study examines the influence of governance structures, citizen engagement practices, and professional standards on park outcomes using descriptive analysis, thematic analysis, and cross-city comparisons. Findings show that cities with structured citizen engagement processes such as pop-up consultations, ambassador programs, and formal advisory boards tend to demonstrate stronger alignment between citizen needs and park improvements, although implementation capacity varies widely. Cities that employ professional best practices, including accreditation standards, strategic planning, and data-driven decision-making, also exhibit higher-quality parks and more equitable accessibility patterns. However, resource constraints, historical inequities, and political dynamics often limit cities’ abilities to achieve uniform park quality across neighborhoods. The results further indicate that governance factors, particularly collaboration across departments, transparent decision-making, and community partnerships, play a central role in shaping equitable park service delivery. This dissertation contributes to public administration scholarship by clarifying how governance structures and citizen participation jointly influence equity in local public services. It offers evidence-based insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve park accessibility, expand inclusive engagement, and adopt professional best practices that strengthen urban park systems. The study also identifies persistent barriers, such as funding gaps, and uneven community capacity, that must be addressed to build more equitable and resilient public park systems across Texas cities.

Unsettling The Geographies of Texas School Spaces: Social Studies Teachers from the Cracks

2026-06-24T22:00:04-05:00

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and practices of secondary social studies teachers in Texas who commit to a community-centered praxis. A Black and Latinx geographic framework was used to center and honor the experiences and resistances of the teachers, while analyzing the ways settler colonial white supremacy and geographies of domination haunt the landscapes of their contexts and seek to undermine their work. Additionally, the construct of ‘community’ was used as frame for how the teachers enacted a political praxis for their social studies pedagogy with students. The study relied on narrative inquiry methodology to explore the ways they described and understood their experiences as social studies teachers in the state of Texas. Additionally, it highlighted ways they navigated some of the challenges they encountered individually and as a collective. The teachers recognized the structural set up of Texas schools as particularly inequitable for Students of Color, emergent bilingual, migrant, and/or students positioned as migrants. And, the teachers drew on experiential, geographic, and relational knowledge to clarify an understanding of social studies teaching in Texas as expectedly difficult, encouraging a creative praxis to navigate and respond to their different contexts and serve their students with a critical and reflective curriculum. The results identified indicate the need to address the geographic dimensions of social studies education, particularly as it relates to community-centered knowledge to better prepare social studies teachers to engage in creative subversions to meet the needs of their students. Implications for social studies practice and teacher preparation are discussed at the end.

The STEM Knowledge Gap and Identity Formation: How Preservice Teachers’ Stereotypical Conceptions of Scientists and Engineers Limit Their Emerging Science Teacher Identity

2026-06-24T22:00:00-05:00

This qualitative study examines how preservice teachers' conceptions of STEM professionals are constructed and how these views limit the scope of their emerging professional identities. Data consisted of visual representations (drawings) and written narratives collected from 140 female preservice elementary teachers prior to an elementary science methods course. Using descriptive thematic analysis validated against an identity analytical framework, the study identified three dominant conceptual profiles: Stereotypical and Isolated (Scientist), Narrowly Defined and Math-Centric (Engineer), and Aspirational and Self-Positioning (Science Teacher). Results revealed a sharp contrast between external and internal roles. The external Scientist role exhibited high stereotype presence (82%) and isolation (85%). The Engineer role featured a confessed knowledge gap but moderate emergent modernity (45%). Conversely, the internal Science Teacher role demonstrated very high identity expression (76%) and positive emotion (75%). Findings also confirmed cross-role conflation ("Scientist as Teacher"), demonstrating how limited conceptions of actual STEM roles limit emerging teacher identity. The study concludes that while preservice teachers hold deep knowledge gaps, this prior knowledge serves as a critical asset. Implications suggest that science methods courses must promote critical reflection to disrupt rooted stereotypes and foster equitable, identity-aware approaches to shape how future educators represent STEM fields.

Trust and Satisfaction in Cloud Services

2026-06-24T21:59:15-05:00

Trust and satisfaction are widely recognized as critical constructs in the adoption, continued use, and long-term success of technology adoption. With an increase in cloud incidents, such as data breaches, third-party configuration errors, and resource downtime, customer concerns about data security, privacy, service reliability, vendor dependencies, customizations, costs, contracting, licensing, governance, and compliance continue to impact customer trust and satisfaction. At the same time, implementation challenges and the quality of service, including dimensions such as performance, uf1sability, support, and cost-effectiveness, significantly impact user satisfaction. Together, they influence not only users’ initial decision to adopt cloud-based solutions but also their willingness to maintain ongoing relationships with service providers. Our findings reveal that trust and satisfaction play a critical role in the ratings of cloud services and cloud service providers in a business-to-business context. Drawing on DeLone and McLean's success model and expectation confirmation theory, this study provides empirical evidence on the role of trust and satisfaction as antecedents of cloud service attribute ratings and their collective influence on overall user ratings of cloud service providers. Cloud computing capabilities have become an essential component of today’s digital transformation of the information technology landscape, and understanding these relationships is crucial for cloud service providers to establish trust and improve their delivery methods, delivering a more satisfying customer experience.

Black Motherhood: A Feminist Autoenthography and Historical Case Studies

2026-06-24T21:59:04-05:00

In this thesis I will be analyzing the ways colonization, slavery, and economic status affect the roles families force women and girls to assume the Strong Black Woman Myth. How did colonialism and capitalism change the Black family dynamic? How does the narrative of Black girls and women being the caretakers and nurturers of the world/ family circulate? In what ways does this narrative dictate or possess throughout their lives? In what ways does the sexual politics of Black women contort their lived experiences, through adult relationships and lifestyle choices? How does one’s m/othering shape how their Black womanhood journey and or their Black m/otherhood journey. What does it mean for Black women to self-destruct at the hands of the Strong Black Woman Schema? How does the Strong Black Woman Schema affect Black women? How does slavery and post slavery re-cast the idea of kinship and motherhood? In what ways did slavery affect Nurture vs. Nature? What are the effects of the strong woman schema Black mother daughter dynamic? Does the historical past of what it meant to be a mother affect future and present mothers' ability to effectively take on the motherly role? When did Black mothers become this superhero/ martyr? How did colonialism and capitalism change the Black family dynamics?The world uses the Strong Black woman schema to interact with Black women, and Black women use the Strong Black Woman Schema to interact with the world. White men have used supremacy and the patriarch to control the sexual being of Black women, creating controlling narratives that other Black women. Using the book Migrations of the heart the Welfare Queen schema and an autoethnography I intend to identify and analyze the way in which Black women are socialized and how that socialization affects Black m/others and daughters.

Moving Forward Without Letting Go: Cultural Integration, Educational and Career Aspirations of Emerging Adult Rohingya Refugees in Dallas-Fort-Worth

2026-06-24T21:57:57-05:00

Rohingya emerging adults (ages 18-25 years) who have resettled in the United States encounter unique challenges balancing cultural preservation with adaptation to American society. Given their stateless status and history of traumatic displacement upon arrival, understanding how these individuals navigate educational and career aspirations within their new environment is critical. However, focused research on the acculturation experiences and career goals of Rohingya emerging adults in communities like the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex remains limited. Guided by Berry’s acculturation theory, this qualitative research employed deductive thematic analysis as a framework to explore how Rohingya emerging adult refugees in DFW balance maintaining their ethnic identity while participating in American society and how their acculturation strategies impact their educational and career aspirations. Findings extended acculturation literature by addressing Rohingya-specific contexts. In doing so, the findings may provide practical guidance for developing targeted workforce, education, and mental health programs, further supporting socio-economic integration and resilience among Rohingya refugees in American host communities.

Examining Non-Linear Optical Effects in 2D Tungsten Selenide for Photonics Applications

2026-06-24T21:57:46-05:00

Graphene layers isolated from bulk graphite have provided a compelling motivation for the exploration of other two-dimensional (2D) materials with more complex formulations, including the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Through prior studies, a strong case has been developed for considering these materials in advanced nanoelectronics, photonics and sensing applications, to overcome some of the inherent challenges of scaled bulk three-dimensional (3D) semiconductors. The unique crystal structure and weak-out-of-plane van der Waals bonding characteristic of 2D layered materials in the solid state, allows for individual layers to be exfoliated easily, including in 2D TMDCs such as tungsten diselenide (WSe2). Semiconducting WSe2, similar to many of the other semiconducting TMDCs, exhibits a direct band gap and strong photoluminescence (PL), unlike their bulk counterparts, opening up avenues for emergent devices in optoelectronics, photonics and nonlinear optics. Nonlinear optical effects in some 2D crystals can be very strong at optical frequencies and the origin of these effects is largely attributed to the unique crystal and band structure in these materials, leading to interband second harmonic generation (SHG). In this work, the strong light-matter interactions in 2D WSe2 are presented in the context of its photoluminescence and emission dynamics response. The work is further extended towards examining non-linear optical effects in 2D WSe2, such as SHG, both theoretically and experimentally, while the isolation of WSe2 crystallites is presented via both exfoliation and chemical synthetic routes. Theoretical measurements were performed in an advanced optics computational software known as Multiscale Inverse Rapid Group-Theory for Engineered-Metamaterials (MIRaGE). The 2D WSe2 was modeled in MIRaGE and the second-harmonic response was then observed for an excitation wavelength of 1400 nm and 1500 nm. Input power was varied from 0 mW to 50 mW and expected quadratic dependence of output power on input power was observed for both excitation wavelengths. SHG testing was performed on WSe2 at 1400 nm and 1500 nm. At both wavelengths, the characteristic 6-fold flower pattern was observed for the polarization-resolved SHG. The dependency of output power on input power was observed to be quadratic. Thus, SHG results at both wavelengths were consistent with both literary values and those predicted by MIRaGE. The work discussed here lays the groundwork for considering WSe2 for novel non-linear optical (NLO) devices in the future, including all-optical processes enabling high-speed and low-power consumption, while also offering exciting opportunities in quantum photonics more broadly.

Western Musical Structure And Eastern Music Elements In Chen Mao-Shuen's Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester

2026-06-24T21:57:27-05:00

This project presents a study, performance, and pedagogical exploration of Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester (Cello Concerto 2012) by Taiwanese composer Chen Mao-Shuen (1936-2023). Chen is known for his unique compositional style of blending Western musical structures with Eastern temple music elements in his music, yet Chen’s works remain underrepresented in the international repertoire. This project seeks to increase awareness of Chen’s music and establish his cello concerto as a valuable contribution to contemporary cello repertoire. The project is centered on two public lecture recitals featuring discussion and complete performance of the concerto. Supporting components include detailed program notes examining formal and cultural elements, a studio recording, and a pedagogical guide for cellists. By integrating performance, scholarly research, and pedagogy, this project promotes intercultural composition and advocates for broader inclusion of Taiwanese repertoire in contemporary cello literature.

Mathematical Modeling of Multi-Pathogen Systems: The Impact of Infection History on Co-Epidemic Dynamics

2026-06-24T21:56:57-05:00

This dissertation investigates the complex transmission dynamics of co-circulating respiratory pathogens, specifically focusing on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal influenza. While traditional epidemiological models often treat co-infection as a monolithic, aggregated state, this research develops a highly stratified Susceptible-Vaccinated-Infected-Recovered (SVIR) and Susceptible-Vaccinated-Exposed-Infected-Hospitalized-Recovered (SVEAIHR) framework to explicitly track individual infection histories. By establishing a novel system of mathematical "accounting identities," we decompose total disease incidence into specific transmission sources and pathways. This methodology reveals a profound sequence-driven asymmetry: while influenza remains largely driven by single-pathogen dynamics, COVID-19 transmission can be overwhelmingly fueled by a "sequential engine" of individuals recovering from a prior influenza wave. Furthermore, we derive closed-form analytical thresholds that predict when these sequential pathways will dominate population-level transmission. These findings provide a rigorous mathematical basis for "pathway-aware" public health strategies, demonstrating that the timing and sequencing of viral waves are critical determinants for optimizing layered intervention and vaccination efforts.

Reshaping Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogies with Onto-epistemic Practices of Korean/Korean American Women Educators

2026-06-24T21:55:25-05:00

This study examines the experiences of Korean/Korean American women who are Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) educators in the U.S. The data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth, individual interviews with eight teachers currently working at Korean heritage language schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. By centering lived experiences and stories of Korean/Korean American women educators entering ECEC professions, through an AsianCrit lens, this study reveals how their racialized, gendered, and transnational experiences have been (re)shaped, and how their onto-epistemologies are embedded in their approaches to culturally sustaining pedagogies and curriculum, including an emphasis on Korean culture in teaching and caring practices. By learning from Korean/Korean American ECEC women educators’ wisdom, insights and embodied knowledges, meaningful recommendations for creating culturally and racially just pedagogies, curriculum, and frameworks for Korean/Korean American children and other children of Color are provided. These can transform dominant narratives in mandated pedagogies and curriculums in U.S. schooling systems, by emphasizing educational practices that challenge dominant Eurocentric/White early childhood epistemologies, and center Korean/Korean American ways of knowing and being.

The Realities and Imaginaries of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Perspectives from High School Teachers and Students

2026-06-24T21:54:19-05:00

The public release of ChatGPT in 2022 led to rapid change in the field of education. When this research was conducted in summer 2025, use of artificial intelligence-based chatbots was widespread among teachers and students, but institutions like school districts and education technology companies were wrestling with questions about how AI should be used in classrooms. This research uses design anthropological methods such as ethnographic interviewing and imagined futures to both examine high school students’ and teachers’ current use and perceptions of generative AI in education, and explore their hopes and fears about how AI might change education and students’ future careers. The findings highlight the complexity of AI use in the classroom today, including the moralization of AI use in regards to academic misconduct, the potential for AI to undermine student-teacher relationships, and the impact of economic inequality on teachers’ ability to access resources that support classroom AI use. The findings also build on previous research in emerging technology to demonstrate how people understand the value of emerging technologies. The use of imagined futures reveals that students and teachers are most concerned about the potential that AI might replace human relationships in classrooms and remove teacher’s judgement in grading decisions, while they were enthusiastic about the potential for AI to customize learning to students’ skill levels and interests. This study also identifies an area for future research regarding how the intersection of socioeconomic circumstances and the emergence of LLM-based tools will impact the trajectory of students growing up alongside these shifts. In capturing a nuanced view of artificial intelligence use in education in 2025, this research adds to a growing body of literature about the use of artificial intelligence in education, and introduces important perspectives from potential users of the technology.

Perception and Trust In LLM-Based AI Chatbots for Healthcare Queries: A Cross-National Analysis Using the Technology Acceptance Model (UTAUT)

2026-06-24T21:53:55-05:00

As large language model (LLM)-based chatbots increasingly mediate access to health information, their role in shaping public understanding of health has become a key communication concern. This study examines how users perceive, trust, and adopt AI chatbots for health-related queries across cultural contexts, focusing on differences between health and general communication use. Using a cross-national mixed-methods design, the study analyzes survey data (N = 194) from the United States and Bangladesh alongside qualitative responses. Trust is measured using the Empirically Determined Scale of Trust in Automated Systems, while acceptance is assessed through constructs derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Findings show that chatbot use for health queries remains limited in both countries, while trust is moderate and context-dependent. In the United States, users tend to differentiate trust by context, showing relatively higher trust in health-related use but expressing concerns about privacy and data security. In contrast, users in Bangladesh demonstrate significantly higher trust and acceptance in general chatbot use, though concerns about personalization persist. Across both contexts, users report issues related to accuracy, contextual relevance, and trustworthiness. These findings highlight how cultural and communication contexts shape user trust and acceptance of AI-mediated health information.

Evaluating Effective Assessment Strategies for Cross-Examination of Cheating Mitigation

2026-06-24T21:53:48-05:00

Academic dishonesty in university settings has long been a concern, but the structure and demands of computer science coursework present distinct challenges. Traditional approaches to preventing cheating, such as strict proctoring, surveillance technologies, and plagiarism detection tools—focus on catching dishonest behavior rather than addressing the underlying factors that lead students to cheat. However, assessment design itself plays a critical role in influencing academic integrity. When assessments are designed in ways that either encourage or discourage cheating, they can significantly impact the prevalence of dishonest practices. This thesis explores how different types of assessment structures affect cheating behavior and seeks to identify strategies that foster academic integrity while maintaining rigorous and effective evaluation of student learning. This study evaluates a range of alternative assessment techniques and compares them against traditional multiple-choice and open-ended exams. The research investigates how factors such as class size, course level, proctoring methods, and instructor assessment choices influence academic dishonesty. Additionally, this study will incorporate insights from instructors and teaching assistants through a structured questionnaire, collecting data on how assessments are administered and how different strategies impact cheating behaviors. By analyzing trends in plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, AI-assisted cheating, and other dishonest practices, this research aims to determine which assessment designs are most effective at mitigating academic misconduct. Through experimental trials with computer science students and survey data from educators, this research will provide a comprehensive framework for designing assessments that balance academic integrity, fairness, and engagement. Rather than relying solely on punitive measures or technological enforcement, the findings will help universities implement scalable and ethical assessment models that reduce the incentive to cheat while enhancing student learning. By shifting the focus from surveillance to proactive assessment reform, this study contributes to the ongoing discussion on academic integrity and offers practical recommendations for educators seeking to create a more honest and effective learning environment in computer science education.

Low Melting Temperatures Glasses for Lunar Applications Using Additive Manufacturing Process

2026-06-24T21:53:32-05:00

large language model (LLM) with melting temperatures below 1000C. Some compositions of B2O3-Bi2O3-CaO were synthesis using melt-quench method under normal lab conditions. Synthesized samples were successfully melted below 1000C with amorphous microstructure, good thermal stabilities and high mechanical properties. Recycled soda-lime glass powders were used to study the feasibility of printing and processing glass materials using additive manufacturing process, in this case was binder jetting. The printed glass samples shows translucent sign and maintained compositions and microstructure of the glass powder. The study shows the printability of glass materials with binder jetting.

Enhancing Gridded Population Estimate through Settlement Function Analysis in Ghana

2026-06-24T21:52:31-05:00

Accurate gridded population data at finer spatial scale are essential for public health planning, disaster response planning, and sustainable urban development planning. However, traditional census data, especially in a developing nation like Ghana, are often spatially and temporally coarse, infrequently and costly. This study enhances a 100-meter spatial resolution estimate by incorporating building height and settlement function data from Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) in addition to the standard World Pop datasets. Using the 2021 population census for validation, the research evaluated four machine learning models: Random Forest (RF), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR). An ablation study was conducted to evaluate the influence of building height and settlement function and results from the study revealed that the tree based methods achieved the highest predictive performance with CART (R² = 0.861, RMSE = 2,224.50), slightly outperforming the Random Forest model (R² = 0.852, RMSE = 2,295.21), while SVM and MGWR performed poorly in both calibration and accuracy globally. MGWR provided superior spatial interpretability regarding local demographic drivers. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) feature importance and spatial error maps confirmed that footprint, nightlights, and height are dominant predictors of population density, especially in urban corridors like Accra–Tema and Kumasi. The findings from this study reveal the complementarity of tree-based models for predictive accuracy and MGWR for spatial interpretability. These findings demonstrate that integrating vertical building information and settlement function data refines population disaggregation, offering a robust framework for evidence-based planning, resource allocation, and sustainable development strategies.

Principal Self-Efficacy in Leading the Implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavior after Participating in a Principal PLC

2026-06-24T21:51:04-05:00

As safety measures in public schools continue to be a priority for educators in the United States, campus administrators struggle with the balance between ensuring staff and students feel safe on campus and ensuring students have access to evidence-based Tier 2 behavior interventions for struggling students. Research findings consistently support proactive behavioral supports that are implemented through a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) initiative rather than punitive measures such as in-school suspension (ISS) and out-of-school suspension (OSS). When campus principals feel confident in leading the implementation of Tier 2 behavior supports, the campus is more likely to have a strong system in place to support teachers, students, and families. The study involved semi-structured interviews with five elementary principals who had participated in a district-level principal professional learning community (PLC) with the purpose of aligning practices for the implementation of a specific Tier 2 behavior intervention. The findings revealed that principals perceived that the implementation of a PLC environment assisted in increasing their self-efficacy and understanding of the role of the campus principal in leading the implementation of MTSS Tier 2 behavior supports.

Computational Investigation of Transition Metal Nitride and Oxynitride as Electrocatalysts for Nitrogen and Nitrate Reduction Reaction

2026-06-24T21:50:32-05:00

The transition toward sustainable ammonia synthesis and nitrate remediation requires electrocatalysts capable of efficiently activating nitrogen-containing species under ambient conditions. This dissertation employs comprehensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations, supported by experimental observations from collaborating groups, to elucidate the mechanistic origins of activity, selectivity, and stability in transition-metal nitrides, oxynitrides, and Group VI chalcogenides for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) and nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR). The first part investigates vanadium oxynitride (VOxNy) surfaces, revealing that nitrogen reduction proceeds through two distinct, parallel pathways: reduction of lattice nitrogen and reduction of dissolved N2. Contrary to a classical Mars Van Krevelen mechanism, the lattice is not replenished during N2 reduction. Instead, O-ligated vanadium sites ([V]O) strongly stabilize key intermediates—including V≡N: and diazenide (V–NNH) relative to N-ligated sites. Proton-coupled electron-transfer analysis attributes this to the enhanced Lewis acidity of O-rich environments, aligning with experimental XPS features and explaining optimal NRR activity at neutral pH where HER remains suppressed. The second component compares cobalt oxynitride (CoOxNy) with VOxNy under identical electrochemical conditions. DFT calculations show that [Co]O sites bind and activate N2 more strongly than [Co]N sites, with cooperative Co(II) interactions further enhancing N–N bond weakening. However, Co-based surfaces also promote water dissociation and hydride formation, making HER energetically competitive or dominant, especially at alkaline pH. These computational insights mirror experimental findings where cobalt oxynitride exhibits NRR activity but poor selectivity due to fast hydrogen evolution. The third section addresses titanium oxynitride (TiOxNy), revealing strong N2 activation only under acidic conditions (pH 1.6–3.2). At neutral pH, the stability of surface Ti(IV)–oxide layers inhibit N2 adsorption and hydrogenation, explaining experimentally observed inactivity. The dissertation then examines nitrogen-vacancy energetics in Ti–Co nitrides, demonstrating how cobalt incorporation lowers vacancy formation energies and modifies the electronic structure, offering pathways to tune conductivity and catalytic response. Finally, Group VI chalcogenides (MoS2₋x, MoSe2₋x, WS2₋x, WSe2₋x) are evaluated for NO3RR, establishing how defect chemistry, metal identity, and chalcogen substitution govern proton-coupled electron-transfer energetics and NOx intermediate stability. Overall, this work establishes design principles linking electronic structure, ligand environment, defect chemistry, and pH dependence to catalytic performance, providing a foundation for developing next generation electrocatalysts for sustainable nitrogen conversion.

Ruhaniya: The Spirituality of Music

2026-06-24T21:49:26-05:00

Throughout recorded music history, many composers have had different interpretation of what consists of spiritual music. Many modern composers—including Arvo Pärt, Ivan Moody, John Tavener, and the author—have added to the conversation with the inclusion of instrumental works as spirituality. The question then arises: what makes music spiritual? This paper explores works by Pärt, Moody, and Tavener and compares their use of Byzantine chant quotations, ametric writing, specific textural and timbral writing, and structure to a composition by the author to determine that the combination of these techniques can make instrumental music theological, religious, and spiritual.

PROCOMP: A Problem-Driven Multi-Agent Framework for Comparative Paper Ranking

2026-06-24T21:48:33-05:00

The exponential proliferation of scientific publishing has imposed an unprecedented burden on conventional peer‑review mechanisms, giving rise to reviewer fatigue, heterogeneous assessments, and limited scalability. To evaluate the research quickly and fairly in modern academic communication, we introduce ProComp, a multi-agent large language model (LLM) framework aimed at automating structured manuscript evaluation by emulating the distributed expertise inherent in human reviewers. ProComp is different from single-prompt, monolithic automated review systems because it breaks the evaluation process into smaller parts, each with its own agent that looks at a different part of scholarly quality. This makes the process clearer, more accurate, and more detailed. The architecture uses specialized agents for problem formulation, the validity of the methodology, and the contribution of the research. A meta-reviewer then combines all of these results together to make a final analysis. ProComp uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to improve contextual grounding. This lets agents evaluate in the right citation and literature networks. The system provides authors with helpful feedback in the form of both qualitative comments and numerical scores that follow standard review standards. We looked at research articles of NeuroIPS conference and used metrics like mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and how well agent scores matched up with human judgments. Our multi-agent mechanism had a lower absolute error (MAE = 0.97). The structured baselines, such as zero-shot and AgentReview, on the other hand, had competitive error rates (MAE = 1.08). Ablation studies show that each agent with RAG is needed, and removing them made performance worse; the full multi-agent configuration reduces error by approximately 37% (MAE 1.04 → 0.65). These results show that multi-agent, RAG-enabled systems could help reduce the workload of reviewers, make evaluations more consistent, and support large-scale, high-quality scholarly evaluation.

Chinese Culture Fusion in Western Contemporary Opera: Cultural Historical Considerations of the Opera Madame White Snake by Chinese-American Composer Zhou Long

2026-06-24T21:48:23-05:00

The opera Madame White Snake was composed by Zhou Long in 2010 to a libretto adapted by Cerise Lim Jacobs and published by Oxford University Press. Madame White Snake premiered at Boston Opera in the Cutler Majestic Theatre on February 26, 2010, winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2011. The opera’s libretto is based on the Chinese mythological legend The Legend of the White Snake, which has been passed down through the centuries in China. Composer Zhou Long fuses musical and cultural elements of the East and West by combining folk, philosophical, and spiritual ideals, using the sounds of ancient Chinese musical traditions with modern Western instruments. Long combines elements of Peking Opera’s spoken dialogue with Western contemporary compositional techniques, designing an orchestration from perspectives of character portrayal, musical themes, and singing styles, and by adding traditional Chinese instruments with distinctively characteristic timbres. By incorporating unique cultural ideas that draw upon Chinese poetry and incorporating an a cappella chorus which functions much like a Greek chorus, Zhou Long creates a distinctly innovative form of contemporary opera.

Computational Methods and Pipelines for Peptide and Protein Identification and Quantification in Proteomics

2026-06-24T21:48:08-05:00

Protein identification is fundamental for elucidating protein function, understanding disease mechanisms, discovering potential drug targets, and advancing biomedical research. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become a widely adopted analytical platform for peptide and protein identification and quantification. However, interpreting mass spectrometry data remains challenging due to its intrinsic complexity, the presence of noise, and the difficulty of accurately reconstructing peptide and protein information from raw spectra. To address these challenges, we introduce CloudProteoAnalyzer, a cloud-based computational platform designed for the automated identification and quantification of peptides and proteins from data-dependent acquisition (DDA) mass spectrometry data. CloudProteoAnalyzer provides an intuitive web interface that enables researchers without computational expertise to perform comprehensive proteomic analyses. The platform supports fully automated workflows from raw mass spectrometry data to final identification and quantification results while also leveraging high-performance supercomputing resources to accelerate large-scale computations. CloudProteoAnalyzer has been evaluated using both single organism and metaproteomic DDA datasets, achieving performance comparable to classical baseline methods. In addition, we developed a novel computational method, IDIA, for extracting pseudo-spectra from data-independent acquisition (DIA) datasets, which are substantially more complex than DDA data. IDIA employs two complementary isotopic trace detection strategies to capture high quality isotopic traces from mass spectrometry signals. It then integrates overlapping isotopic traces detected by these strategies and constructs isotopic envelopes, which are subsequently used to generate pseudo-spectra compatible with conventional DDA database search engines. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that IDIA achieves performance competitive with state-of-the-art spectrum-centric library-free DIA analysis approaches. Finally, we present Binovo, a state-of-the-art deep learning model for de novo sequence prediction from DIA mass spectrometry data. Binovo employs a transformer-based architecture consisting of one encoder and two decoders, enabling direct prediction of peptide sequences from raw mass spectrometry data without reliance on database searching. Binovo outperforms existing deep learning based de novo sequencing methods, demonstrating superior accuracy and robustness across diverse datasets. All three tools improve the identification and quantification of peptides and proteins from more complex mass spectrometry data.

Glitter On The Floor: Essays

2026-06-24T21:48:03-05:00

Glitter on the Floor: Essays is a collection of creative nonfiction that explores forming the identity of a self as a collage built by trauma, grief, and relationships.

Analyzing The Effects Of a Video Game Intervention In Experimental Family Therapy

2026-06-24T21:47:31-05:00

Although mental health clinicians and researchers are dedicated to helping adolescents overcome their psychological struggles, the emotional neglect frequently experienced by this population remains a prevalent issue within individual, familial, and communal levels of society. Prior empirical studies have highlighted the significance of caregiver-adolescent dyads forming strong emotional connections with one another to help adolescents overcome their maladaptive behaviors, lessen their mental health issues, foster their relational skillsets, and ultimately self-actualize. In today’s modern society, adolescents frequently play cooperative multiplayer video games to build relationships with their peers. However, there currently is a dearth of research projects seeking to establish if integrating experiential family therapy with cooperative video games can be an effective avenue for caregiver-adolescent dyads to foster emotional connectedness with one another. This single-case research design (SCRD) sought to discover if an experiential therapy intervention that utilizes a cooperative video game has the potential to increase positive interactions and decrease potential barriers in communication between caregivers and adolescents. The researcher adhered to a three-phase SCRD protocol consisting of a baseline, an intervention, and a one-month follow-up. Individualized Daily Measures (IDM) and the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) were used to measure how the participants’ internal perceptions of their relationship dynamic with their family members changed throughout the duration of the study. The effect sizes for comparing the IDM results between phases and the descriptive analyses of the participants’ PACS results at three distinct points in time provide preliminary evidence that an experiential family therapy intervention that utilizes a cooperative video game could prove effective in strengthening parent and adolescent relationship dynamics.

Advanced Daily Technique for Violin & Viola: A Compact Maintenance System for Pre-Professional and Professional Performers

2026-06-24T21:45:53-05:00

Advanced Daily Technique for Violin & Viola presents a compact maintenance system designed to sustain advanced technical readiness under limited and variable practice conditions. Developed through long-term studio teaching and professional performance, the project addresses a practical gap between the breadth of canonical technical literature and the realities of contemporary academic and professional schedules. Rather than proposing an encyclopedic method, it defines a focused, reproducible protocol for daily technical maintenance under real-world time constraints. The system is organized in four modules, with Module I functioning as an optional warm-up and Modules II–IV forming the Core Cycle. A defining feature is the strict separation between Learning Mode and System Mode: Learning Mode supports preparation and repair under flexible conditions, whereas System Mode functions as verification under fixed parameters and continuous-run logic. The routine is further standardized through multiple daily time profiles that preserve internal architecture while adjusting only overall coverage. The project’s original contribution lies not in a new set of technical exercises, but in its system architecture: a reproducible daily technique framework centered on fixed protocol, explicit mode separation, binding decision logic, and verification under stable conditions. The portfolio documents the system through three integrated components: a workbook, a companion instructional video, and a lecture-style workshop. Together, these components codify the system in writing and notation, document execution under fixed conditions to support technical reproducibility, and demonstrate its pedagogical application for advanced pre-professional and professional performers and teachers.

A Pedagogical Study of Release as Articulation in the Chorale Prelude BWV 727 of Johann Sebastian Bach and Chorale Prelude Op. 122 No. 9 of Johannes Brahms

2026-06-24T21:44:25-05:00

This dissertation investigates articulation in organ performance, focusing specifically on note release as a primary determinant of touch and musical meaning. It argues that metrical hierarchy, stress patterns, and temporal grouping are central to historically informed keyboard articulation. Early and later treatises are examined to trace the evolution from ordinary, meter-based touch toward legato touch in nineteenth- and twentieth-century practice. Empirically, the study employs MIDI-based performance analysis to quantify articulation in recorded performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 727, and Johannes Brahms’s Herzlich tut mich verlangen, Op. 122 No. 9. Each excerpt is recorded multiple times under two controlled conditions, ordinary touch and legato touch, and converted to CSV data using MiniMIDIMaster 1.0. Drawing on historical notions of quantitas temporalis intrinseca and quantitas intrinseca, articulation is operationalized as a dimensionless ratio between measured note duration and inter-onset interval. Statistical analysis uses log-transformed ratios, paired and unpaired t-tests, and false discovery rate control via the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure to assess systematic differences across touches, metric positions, voices, and practice sessions. The results show that legato touch yields consistently higher articulation ratios than ordinary touch and that metrical hierarchy strongly shapes release behavior under ordinary touch. On the basis of several hundred recorded performances, the dissertation introduces the Bonamigo measure of articulation, an individualized, data-driven index of stylistic distance between performance practices. Articulation on the organ is thus reconceived as a continuum of release behaviors that regulate musical density, reveal interpretive priorities, and can be both empirically modeled and pedagogically cultivated.

Assessing the Relationship Between Tree Canopy Structure Metrics and Seasonal Land Surface Temperature Using LiDAR and Satellite Imagery: A Case Study of Denton, Texas

2026-06-24T21:44:02-05:00

Khanal, Saurav Raj, Assessing the Relationship between Tree Canopy Structure Metrics with Seasonal Land Surface Temperature Using LiDAR and Satellite Imagery: A Case Study of Denton, Texas. Master of Science (Geography), April 2026, 105 pp., 8 tables, 24 figures, 60 titles. The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is exacerbated by urbanization, and the role of tree canopies in controlling land surface temperature (LST) becomes increasingly important. The multidimensional correlation between three-dimensional tree canopy structure and seasonal LST in Denton, Texas (2020) is examined using high-resolution LiDAR and Landsat 8 data. Canopy derived from LiDAR showed high agreement with the NAIP MSAVI classification (90.48% overlap), and Landsat LST was well validated against MODIS products (r = 0.801 in summer; r = 0.755 in winter). Statistical tests were performed to assess correlation, multiple regression with bootstrapped stability evaluation, hierarchical partitioning, all-subsets regression with the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), and quantile regression. Findings indicate that canopy composition is the most common cooling control, with Percentage of Landscape (PLAND) accounting for 40-45 percent of the independent variation from season to season. Configuration measures have secondary effects: Mean Shape Index (SHAPE_MN) and Patch Density (PD) show stable negative correlations with LST, whereas Edge Density (ED) and Patch Cohesion Index (COHESION) have less significant, context-dependent effects mediated by canopy extent. Vertical structure depicts high seasonal differences. Mean canopy height (TH_Mean) and canopy height amplitude (TA) increase cooling during extreme heat events in summer, whereas maximum canopy height (TH_Max) and canopy height variability (TH_SD) are linked to an increase in summer LST in built-up environments. Canopy cover and space structure are the main controls on winter LST. All in all, maximization of PLAND offers the most stable cooling advantage, whereas the addition of vertical complexity further enhances cooling under the harshest summer conditions.

GenAI Tools Use Among International Students in Times of Crisis: Usage Behavior and Design Implications

2026-06-24T21:42:29-05:00

International students often struggle to obtain clear and timely information during crises, especially when policies shift suddenly and institutional guidance is limited. While GenAI tools could be a potential solution by providing multilingual, personalized, and accessible support, their current limitations make them unreliable in crisis contexts. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how international students use and perceive GenAI tools during crises, with the goal of identifying their behavioral patterns and functional improvements of GenAI tools. First, this study employed a survey research design to investigate GenAI tools usage behavior among international students in the US during drastic policy changes. It was found that policy-related stress intensified attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control, motivating students to turn to GenAI tools as coping resources during uncertainty. The findings extend TPB by illustrating that stress can enhance the psychological drivers of technology use in volatile contexts and suggest that GenAI tools support international students’ autonomy in managing emotional and policy uncertainties. The second section of this study conducted semi-structured interviews to capture user-centered perspectives on how GenAI systems can evolve to better support international students’ academic, informational, and emotional adaptation during crises. It was found that while GenAI supports rapid sensemaking and emotional regulation during crises, its limitations in accuracy, privacy, and cultural sensitivity reveal the need for specialized, crisis-oriented AI systems. Overall, this study contributes to both theoretical and practical discussions on how AI can be responsibly and sustainably integrated into crisis support.

Shuttling Across the Hyphen: Identity, Career Choices, Success, and Well-Being in Academically Talented Indian-American College Students

2026-06-24T21:40:50-05:00

This qualitative study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of second-generation immigrant Indian-American college students previously identified for gifted and talented services in K-12 schools. Using Dai’s (2017) Evolving Complexity Theory of talent development as a conceptual framework, the study focuses on four dimensions: identity formation, career path decision-making processes, personal definitions of success, and social-emotional well-being. Phinney’s (1993) ethnic identity development theory and Benet-Martinez and Haritatos’s bicultural identity integration (BII) framework (2005) were used to investigate the stages of ethnic identity exploration and individual’s perceptions of the dynamic between their cultural identities. Participants included 10 second-generation Indian-American undergraduates enrolled in Texas universities who were identified for and received gifted services during their K-12 education. Data were collected through in-person semi-structured interviews. The analysis followed Smith et al.’s (2022) seven-step IPA process to identify patterns while honoring individual experiences. This research addresses significant gaps in both gifted education and multicultural literature, responding to persistent calls to disaggregate data within the Asian American population and provide focused attention to the understudied Indian-American demographic. The findings contribute to developing culturally responsive approaches to talent development ultimately supporting the holistic development of these students.