bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Every Body Matters: College-Aged Women's Experiences of Body Positivity and Self-Acceptance
Authors:   , Rogers Jordan N.
Published: February 2025

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological inquiry was to explore college-aged women's experiences of body positivity and self-acceptance. I applied a conceptual framework that blended feminist identity development model (FIDM) and relational cultural theory (RCT) to answer the following questions: (a) what are the lived experiences of college-aged women who identify as having a positive and accepting body image? and (b) how do college-aged women's intersecting identities contribute to the development of positive and accepting body image? Ten college-age women participated in the current study. The participants provided detailed accounts of their experiences of body image throughout their life. Five overarching themes were identified through data analysis of the interview transcripts: (a) advocating for self and others, (b) beauty expectations and societal definitions, (c) intersecting identities, (d) journey of acceptance, and (e) relationships and community. Participants offered insight into the development of their current position of body positivity and self-acceptance that serve as implications for other relevant contexts. Implications and recommendations drawn from the participants' experiences can inform preventative and treatment care in educational settings, family environments, clinical practice, and integrated care.
Invariants of Polynomials Modulo Frobenius Powers
Authors:   , Drescher Chelsea
Published: February 2025

Rational Catalan combinatorics connects various Catalan numbers to the representation theory of rational Cherednik algebras for Coxeter and complex reflection groups. Lewis, Reiner, and Stanton seek a theory of rational Catalan combinatorics for the general linear group over a finite field. The finite general linear group is a modular reflection group that behaves like a finite Coxeter group. They conjecture a Hilbert series for a space of invariants under the action of this group using (q,t)-binomial coefficients. They consider the finite general linear group acting on the quotient of a polynomial ring by iterated powers of the irrelevant ideal under the Frobenius map. Often conjectures about reflection groups are solved by considering the local case of a group fixing one hyperplane and then extending via the theory of hyperplane arrangements to the full group. The Lewis, Reiner and Stanton conjecture had not previously been formulated for groups fixing a hyperplane. We formulate and prove their conjecture in this local case.
Australian Mateship and Imperialistic Encounters with the United States in the Vietnam War
Authors:   , Wos Nathaniel
Published: February 2025

This thesis attempts to prove the significance of the relationship between the United States and Australia, and how their similar cultures and experiences assisted creating that shared bond throughout the twentieth century. Chapter 2 examines the effects of the Cold War on both the United States and Australia, as well as their growing relationship during that period. There is some backtracking chronologically in order to make connections to important historical legacies such as the ANZAC Legend and settlement on the periphery of their respective societies. Then the first half of chapter 3 delves into the Vietnam War by examining the interactions of the American support unit, the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion, a helicopter unit that includes transports and gunships. Afterwards, the latter half of chapter 3 examines the Australians' after-action reports to better understand their tactical and operational methods. Finally, chapter 4 provides an overview of Australian and American interactions between the advisers and the Vietnamese, as well as their attitudes towards the end of the war and the withdrawal from Vietnam. The conclusion summarizes the significance of the thesis by reemphasizing the significance of US-Australian interactions in the twentieth century and the importance of continued studies on this topic between US and Australian historians.
Ayurveda as Medicine
Authors:   , Das Minakshi
Published: February 2025

Complimentary and alternate medicine, especially Ayurveda is gaining popularity in United States. However, there are various barriers that people face in adopting Ayurvedic practices into their lives and making cultural, familial and societal changes to better their health. This research explores these relationships and barriers behind why some people adopt and are able/unable to sustain Ayurvedic practices in the presence of traditional bio-medicine.
Epileptic Seizure Detection and Control in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Framework
Authors:   , Sayeed Md Abu
Published: February 2025

Epilepsy affects up to 1% of the world's population and approximately 2.5 million people in the United States. A considerable portion (30%) of epilepsy patients are refractory to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and surgery can not be an effective candidate if the focus of the seizure is on the eloquent cortex. To overcome the problems with existing solutions, a notable portion of biomedical research is focused on developing an implantable or wearable system for automated seizure detection and control. Seizure detection algorithms based on signal rejection algorithms (SRA), deep neural networks (DNN), and neighborhood component analysis (NCA) have been proposed in the IoMT framework. The algorithms proposed in this work have been validated with both scalp and intracranial electroencephalography (EEG, icEEG), and demonstrate high classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. The occurrence of seizure can be controlled by direct drug injection into the epileptogenic zone, which enhances the efficacy of the AEDs. Piezoelectric and electromagnetic micropumps have been explored for the use of a drug delivery unit, as they provide accurate drug flow and reduce power consumption. The reduction in power consumption as a result of minimal circuitry employed by the drug delivery system is making it suitable for practical biomedical applications. The IoMT inclusion enables remote health activity monitoring, remote data sharing, and access, which advances the current healthcare modality for epilepsy considerably.
Interference Alignment through Propagation Delay
Authors:   , Liu Zhonghao
Published: February 2025

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the demands for higher communication rates are increasing. Higher communication rate corresponds to higher DoF. Interference alignment, which is an emerging interference management technique, is able to substantially increase the DoF of wireless communication systems. This thesis mainly studies the delay-based interference alignment technique. The key problem lies in the design of the transmission scheme and the appropriate allocation of the propagation delay, so as to achieve the desired DoF of different wireless networks. In addition, through delay-based interference alignment, the achievability of extreme points of the DoF region of different wireless networks can be proved.
The Rise and Fall of Piano Improvisation in Western Classical Music Performance: Why Today's Piano Students Should be Learning to Improvise
Authors:   , Vigran Joshua
Published: February 2025

Improvisation is an art form which has arguably been present since the existence of music itself. Inventing music on the spot, like spontaneous speech, is a common expression of artistry throughout history and across musical boundaries. While improvisation has maintained its importance in jazz, classical organ music and the music of many eastern cultures, this dissertation will focus on the presence of improvisation as acceptable performance practice within the tradition of western classical music. At several points in history, this musical tradition was encouraged and even expected to be a regular part of a musician's life, and yet in the classical music tradition of the twenty-first century, improvisation is rarely, if ever, heard from the concert stage, nor is it regularly included in the general education of the conservatory student.
In the Tall Grass West of Town: Racial Violence in Denton County during the Rise of the Second Ku Klux Klan
Authors:   , Crittenden Micah Carlson
Published: February 2025

The aim of this thesis is to narrate and analyze lynching and atypical violence in Denton County, Texas, between 1920 and 1926. Through this intensive study of a rural county in north Texas, the role of law enforcement in typical and systemic violence is observed and the relationship between Denton County Officials and the Ku Klux Klan is analyzed. Chapter 1 discusses the root of the word lynching and submits a call for academic attention to violence that is unable to be categorized as lynching due to its restrictive definition. Chapter 2 chronicles known instances of lynching in Denton County from its founding through the 1920s including two lynchings perpetrated by Klavern 136, the Denton County Klan. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between Denton County Law Enforcement and the Klan. In Chapter 4, seasons of violence are identified and applied to available historical records. Chapter 5 concludes that non-lynching violence, termed "disappearances," occurred and argues on behalf of its inclusion within the historiography of Jim Crow Era criminal actions against Black Americans. In the Prologue and Epilogue, the development and dissolution of the St. John's Community in Pilot Point, Texas, is narrated.
Exemplary Teaching and Disciplinary Literacy in History and Social Studies
Authors:   , Walker April M
Published: February 2025

Disciplinary literacy is an approach to literacy in the content areas that helps students develop thinking and literacy skills that mimic experts in the field. The goal of this study was to explore the instructional practices of history teachers who have been nominated as exemplary and the role of disciplinary literacy in their instructional practices. Exemplary teachers were defined as those with strong content knowledge, experience teaching, and recognition for their teaching. This study used a qualitative multiple-case study research design. Data collection included interviews and classroom observations with nine participants across four school districts. Thematic data analysis was used as the method of analyzing data. In the cross-case synthesis portion of analysis, one of the strongest beliefs expressed by the participants was that teachers need to work to make history relevant for students. The observed teaching practices of exemplary teachers showed that exemplary teachers create strong classroom communities that focus on inquiry, discussion, and student-led learning opportunities. The findings from this study suggest that teachers need to have strong content knowledge (an in-depth knowledge of historical events) and discipline knowledge (understanding of how historians read, write, think, and discuss in their field) in order to build the pedagogical content knowledge (understanding of how to facilitate student growth in both content knowledge and discipline knowledge) needed to be able to facilitate a student-led classroom that engages in inquiry and disciplinary literacy skills.
An Historical Biography of Virginia Axline
Authors:   , Turley Stich Erin
Published: February 2025

Virginia Axline developed a new field of child psychotherapy by applying a nondirective approach to the burgeoning experimentation of utilizing play in therapeutic work with children. While much biographical information is available regarding other leaders in the fields of counseling and psychology, historical research into Axline and her development of child-centered play therapy represent a gap in the literature. The purpose of the current study was to: 1) examine the professional contributions of Virginia Axline; 2) gather personal information regarding Axline that contributes to deeper understanding of her theory; and 3) identify life circumstances or events that influenced Axline's professional contributions. Historical methodology was utilized to locate and examine artifacts and materials necessary to create an interpretive biography of Axline's life and work, with a focus on her professional influences, experiences, and contributions. Historical methods utilized include historiography, oral history, and interpretive biography, with an emphasis on established and accepted source criticism and data synthesis processes. The research yielded a number of historically significant and previously unknown documents valuable to the field of CCPT including personal correspondence, academic writings, and interviews, as well as academic and government records. The research also established new information about and understandings of several of Axline's professional relationships. The research also calls into question the original authorship of scholarly contributions in the field of counseling for which Axline may have deserved, but not received credit. Included in the biography is information related to Axline's early life, higher education, career timeline, professional development, mentoring relationships, research interests, student perceptions, collegial relationships, personal hardships, professional interests and advocacy, teaching and learning methods, and her decline in later life.
Impact of Increased High School Mathematics Requirements on College Entrance Exam-Taking and Scores
Authors:   , Richardson Connie J.
Published: February 2025

Research shows that students who take advanced mathematics courses perform better on measures of college readiness than students who take less rigorous courses. However, no clear effect has been shown on requiring all students to take more advanced courses. This study examined whether increases in the number and level of mathematics courses required for high school graduation have resulted in increased levels of college aspirations and preparedness. Specifically, twenty years of data from a rural school district in Texas were analyzed to determine whether the impact on college entrance exam-taking and performance differed by the mathematics requirements in effect for each class. Logistic and linear regression modeling revealed no statistically significant effect of higher requirements. And while overall results by gender and race mirrored previous research, with males tending to have higher scores than females and White students tending to score higher than African-American and Latinx students, the increased requirements were not associated with any mitigation in these inequities.
Efficient Solar Energy Harvesting and Management for Wireless Sensor Networks under Varying Solar Irradiance Conditions
Authors:   , Gurung Sanjaya
Published: February 2025

Although wireless sensor networks have been successfully used for environmental monitoring, one of the major challenges that this technology has been facing is supplying continuous and reliable electrical power during long-term field deployment. Batteries require repetitive visits to the deployment site to replace them once discharged; admittedly, they can be recharged from solar panels, but this only works in open areas where solar radiation is unrestricted. This dissertation introduces a novel approach to design and implement a reliable efficient solar energy harvester to continuously, and autonomously, provide power to wireless sensor nodes for long-term applications. The system uses supercapacitors charged by a solar panel and is designed to reduce power consumption to very low levels. Field tests were conducted for more than a year of continuous operation and under a variety of conditions, including areas under dense foliage. The resulting long-term field data demonstrates the feasibility and sustainability of the harvester system for challenging applications. In addition, we analyzed solar radiation data and supercapacitor charging behavior and showed that the harvester system can operate battery free, running on the power provided by supercapacitors. A battery is included only for backup in case the supercapacitor storage fails. The proposed approach provides continuous power supply to the system thereby significantly minimizing data loss by power failure and the frequency of visits to the deployment sites.
Relationship between the Big Five and Creative Self-Beliefs in Undergraduates in Terms of College Enrollment and Major
Authors:   , Soles Kathryn L.
Published: February 2025

Supporting creativity in undergraduate education is important for the future development of society. To do this, an understanding of undergraduate characteristics is needed. A systematic literature review of the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and little-c creativity in undergraduates identified 19 studies. The creativity assessments within these investigations represented several conceptions of the construct with domain-general, self-reported measures of Person as most common. Results suggest that both Openness to Experience and Extraversion have strong, consistent, positive relationships with creativity. Few significant relations were found concerning Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Notable differences were found between NEO and IPIP inventories in regard to the strength of the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and creativity. Additional differences were also found concerning which students were assessed. Given these results along with previous research, six descriptive discriminant analyses (DDAs) were conducted to identify differences between honors and non-honors undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and those in non-STEM majors in relation to personality and creative self-beliefs. Surveys, which included a 120-item, 5-point scale measure of the Big Five and a 50-item, 5-point scale measure of creative self-beliefs, were completed by 573 undergraduates. No interaction effects were observed. However, each DDA had a statistically significant effect for having a STEM major and two had a statistically significant main effect for honors college enrollment. Most notable was the relationship between having a STEM major and Mechanical/Science creative self-belief. Limitations and implications are discussed.
The Effects of Instructions on Schedule Sensitivity
Authors:   , Butcher Grayson M
Published: February 2025

There are many situations in which human performances appear insensitive to changing contingencies of reinforcement when compared to nonhuman operant performances. Explanations of these discrepancies have appealed to rule-governance and have provided some evidence that instructions produce these differences by restricting response alternatives as well as functioning as discriminative stimuli for other contingencies. In order to further evaluate these potential functions, a canonical study on rule-governance was systematically replicated. Five undergraduate participants were tasked with earning blocks by pressing a button during LED-signaled, fixed-ratio 7 and differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 5-s schedules of reinforcement. Phase 1 of the experiment switched between these two schedules, with the schedule alternating every 1 minute. Phase 2 added instructions to "Go Fast" and "Go Slow" to the LEDs and programmed the lit LED to switch 30 seconds into each 1-minute session. Phase 3 removed the instructions from the LEDs and returned to the procedures of phase 1, with only one LED lit during each 1-minute session. Results showed that instructions influence the response rates as well as stimulus control over those rates. Results also showed that all participants ignored instructions conflicting with the reinforceable rate by the end of Phase 2. These findings indicate that instances of insensitivity may result from instructions restricting response alternatives and their stimulus control, as opposed to instructions signaling a second contingency. These findings are discussed in terms of the nature of instructional stimulus control, its relation to the operant unit of analysis, and alternative interpretations of other instances of insensitivity.
Benjamin Britten's Neglected "Gemini Variations," Op. 73 and Its Place in the Chamber Music Repertoire
Authors:   , Gibb Charles
Published: February 2025

In 1964, Benjamin Britten met the multi-instrumentalist twins Zoltán and Gábor Jeney while traveling in Budapest. At their behest, Britten composed Gemini Variations: Twelve Variations and Fugue on an Epigram by Kodály, a work which exploited the brothers' abilities on multiple instruments: Zoltán on flute and piano, and Gábor on violin and piano. In foreseeing the difficulties of programming this work, Britten simultaneously arranged a version for four players: flute, violin, and four-hand piano, eliminating the need for switching instruments. Despite this arrangement, as well as a very public and highly anticipated premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1965, Gemini Variations has remained neglected by performers and scholars alike. This document serves to 1) promote a work that can justifiably be considered as part of the chamber music repertoire involving flute; 2) advocate for its musical merit and appropriateness for chamber music concerts made up of more traditional groups of players; 3) compare the two-player and four-player versions Britten wrote; and 4) explore the likely reasons why a piece by one of the most celebrated composers of the twentieth century has remained largely ignored for over fifty years.
A Spatial Decision Support System to Dynamically Compute and Map Neighborhood Indices
Authors:   , Barnett Melissa Marie
Published: February 2025

Neighborhoods are organic entities that are in a state of constant change and are driven by the specific context of the problem being investigated. The subsequent lack of consensus on a universal geographic definition for what constitutes a neighborhood can lead to biased interpretations of relationships between human activities and place. Further, while existing geographical information system software allows users to combine a range of geographic objects to generate regional units of analyses, their design does not explicitly assess how changing patterns, such as populations, impact the data expressed within them. This research develops an exploratory geographical information system framework that allows users to dynamically delineate neighborhoods based on user-specified characteristics. These include socioeconomic and similar measurements of neighborhood classification from information obtained from secondary data sources, including parcel data, land use/land cover information, and attribute data provided by the United States Postal Service. The proposed methodology creates custom geographies from readily available tract data obtained from various federal and state data repositories to produce indices. By allowing the user to dynamically weigh the combinations of variables used to define their neighborhood, this thesis introduces a solution to a common analytical problem in the discipline.
When Women Swipe Right and Men Swipe Left: An Exploration of the Online Dating Preferences and Desirability of African American Women
Authors:   , Ford Stacey L
Published: February 2025

The purpose of this research study was to conduct an exploration of the dating preferences of African American women and U.S. men between the ages of 30-74 years old. This research focuses on the dating preferences and desirability of African American women and if they are influential on the high unmarried rates of African American women. A weighted stratified sampling of 2,800 personal advertisements of African American, Asian, Latino and White men and women from Match.com were collected to conduct the research. The five research hypotheses of this study were tested using frequency and percentage distribution, logistic regression and cross-tabulation models. The findings partially support the hypotheses African American women are more likely to prefer a mate with a bachelor's degree or higher and African American women are more likely to prefer a mate of the same race compared to U.S. women of other races. The findings also suggested non-African American men are less likely to have an interest in dating African American women and non-African American men, who are interested in dating African American women, are less likely to prefer women with a bachelor's degree or higher or a more socially desirable body type.
Copper Wire-Bonding Reliability: Mechanism and Prevention of Galvanic Aluminum Bond Pad Corrosion in Acidic Chloride Environments
Authors:   , Asokan Muthappan
Published: February 2025

With the reliability requirements of automobile microelectronics pushing towards near 0 ppb levels of failure control, halide induced corrosion issues in wire bonded devices have to be tightly controlled to achieve such a high reliability goal. With real-time corrosion monitoring, for the first time we demonstrated that the explosive H2 evolution coupled with the oxygen reduction reaction, occurring at the critical Al/Cu interfaces, is the key driving force for the observed aggressive corrosion. Several types of passivation coating on Cu wire surfaces to effectively block the cathodic H2 evolution were explored with an aim to disrupt this explosive corrosion cycle. The properties of the protective coating were evaluated using various analytical techniques. The surface coating exhibited high thermal stability up to 260 °C (evaluated using TGA analysis). A uniform, highly hydrophobic coating (surface contact angle of >130° with water), was achieved by carefully controlling CVD parameters such as time of deposition, surface control of Cu metal, amount of inhibitor compound loading, temperature of coating process etc. FTIR spectroscopy combined with corrosion screening was used to optimize the CVD passivated coating with strong chemisorption. SEM and EDX, XPS were carried out on various coated surfaces to understand the composition and selectivity of the film formed through this surface treatment. The surface selective nature of this coating (towards Cu) proved helpful in preventing potential delamination issues during epoxy molding process. The corrosion testing was carried out via HAST testing at 130°C, 2 atm pressure and 100% RH for 48 hours. Delamination analysis and continuity test showed that the inhibitor compound was able to effectively prevent the corrosion even after exposure to harsh HAST conditions.
The Consequences of Early Life Stage Thyroid Suppression on Immune Function in the Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)
Authors:   , Thornton Hampton Leah Marie
Published: February 2025

Current evidence suggests that thyroid hormones (THs) may impact development of the immune system. However, studies that explore the role of THs in immune development are limited, and the mechanisms leading to alterations in immune function are poorly understood. It is important to elucidate the role of THs in immune development given that many environmental contaminants have been shown to disrupt TH homeostasis and may also have negative impacts on the immune system. As such, the main goal of this study was to determine the long-term consequences of early life stage (ELS) hypothyroidism on immune function. To achieve this goal, it was first necessary to further characterize basic immune function in the selected model species, the fathead minnow (FHM, Pimephales promelas). Preliminary studies were conducted to describe the transcriptomic response to Yersinia ruckeri and adapt assays for the assessment of respiratory burst and phagocytic cell activity. To determine the long-term effects of ELS hypothyroidism, FHMs were exposed to the model thyroid suppressant propylthiouracil (PTU) from <1 to 30 days post hatch and reared under normal conditions. Upon reaching adulthood, ex vivo immune cell function and the in vivo immune response to Y. ruckeri were assessed. Fish exposed to PTU experienced significant alterations in gene networks associated with immune cell function as well as significant decreases in phagocytic cell activity. However, immune-related alterations at the molecular and cellular levels did not manifest themselves at higher levels of organization as ELS hypothyroidism did not affect any other immune-related endpoints, including pathogen resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence that ELS hypothyroidism causes long-term effects on the immune system in fish.
The Effects of Leadership Development on Student Retention in STEM
Authors:   , Smith Caleb Michael
Published: February 2025

The Science Teaching and Research (STAR) Leadership Program at Austin College was designed to intentionally include leadership development into the science curriculum and provides an opportunity to determine the effects of student leadership development on the retention of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This dissertation used a quasi-experimental design to determine: 1) if STEM retention can be explained though the inclusion of leadership development into the curriculum; 2) if there is a difference between Austin College students who choose a STEM major compared to students who do not; and 3) if there is a difference between Austin College students who complete a STEM degree compared to students who do not. Census data were collected on 2,137 students who enrolled in STEM courses beginning in the fall of 2008 through the spring of 2017, and factors affecting retention were compared across three 3-year time periods that spanned before the program was initiated through wider implementation. A logistic regression showed that there was no significant positive association between leadership development and STEM retention when taking into account other pre-college and demographic factors that have been linked to retention in the literature. However, a one-way ANOVA showed that the academic factors significantly decreased as the STAR program progressed. Further studies are required to understand student benefits associated with the current program.
Mortal Ghosts
Authors:   , Vesely Garrett
Published: February 2025

Collection of poems.
Rebels, from the Beginning to the End: Rebel Origins and the Dynamics of Civil Conflicts
Authors:   , Widmeier Michael W.
Published: February 2025

This dissertation addresses the puzzle of whether rebel group origins have an effect on rebel wartime behavior and the broader dynamics of civil conflict. Using a quantitative approach over three empirical chapters I study the relationship between rebel origins and conflict onset, duration and intensity, and wartime group capacity. Two qualitative cases examine the relationship between rebel origins, wartime group capacity, and adaptation during war, further unpacking the theoretical mechanisms linking group origins and conflict dynamics. I posit that rebel groups emerge from pre-existing organizations and networks that vary along military and civilian dimensions and condition the development of military and mobilization capacity of their successor insurgent groups. Groups with more developed militarization and mobilization mechanisms prior to conflict are likely to enter into civil conflict earlier in their existence and fight in longer and bloodier conflicts. I also find a strong relationship between origins characteristics and the development of military and civilian wartime capacity. Origins exert a strong legacy effect on the type and strength of intra-war capability, indicating that significant rebel adaptation is difficult.
A Performance Guide to George Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 25, Emphasizing Its Use of Romanian Lăutari Violin Techniques and Style
Authors:   , Noh Yuri
Published: February 2025

In Romanian, the word lăutari refers to highly skilled professional Romani (Gypsy) musicians. By interacting with Romanian culture and tradition, the lăutari settled down in the country and developed a unique musical tradition. Their music is characterized by intricate, elaborate, and refined ornamentation; its execution requires a highly level of technique. George Enescu, regarded as Romania's most influential musician, was affected by lăutari music. He created a unique musical language that recreates Romanian character by using lăutari elements. This dissertation examines how to approach Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 and perform it by understanding the characteristics of lăutari music as well as the work's use of such lăutari violin techniques as diverse expressive slides, vibrato, double stops, various ornaments, artificial harmonics, imitation of folk instruments, and a variety of bow strokes. Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 is regarded as a challenging work in the violin literature requiring a high level of violin technique. Although the standard violin repertoire is enormous, many violinists are looking to rediscover new and challenging repertoire, distinguish themselves from others, and promote themselves as professional performers. Therefore, this study should help violinists to approach the idiomatic violin writing of Enescu's sonata, especially its lăutari techniques and style.
Thermo-Mechanical Processing and Advanced Charecterization of NiTi and NiTiHf Shape Memory Alloys
Authors:   , Ley Nathan A
Published: February 2025

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) represent a revolutionary class of active materials that can spontaneously generate strain based on an environmental input, such as temperature or stress. SMAs can provide potential solutions to many of today's engineering problems due to their compact form, high energy densities, and multifunctional capabilities. While many applications in the biomedical, aerospace, automotive, and defense industries have already been investigated and realized for nickel-titanium (NiTi) based SMAs, the effects of controlling and designing the microstructure through processing (i.e. extreme cold working) have not been well understood. Current Ni-Ti based SMAs could be improved upon by increasing their work output, improving dimensional stability, preventing accidental actuation, and reducing strain localization. Additionally, there is a strong need to increase the transformation temperature above 115 °C, the current limit for NiTi and is especially important for aerospace applications. Previous research has shown that the addition on ternary elements such as Au, Hf, Pd, Pt, and Zr to NiTi can greatly increase these transformation temperatures. However, there are several limiting factors with these ternary additions such as increased cost, especially with Au, Pd, and Pt, as well as, difficulty in conventionally processing these alloys. Therefore, the main objectives of this research is to study how processing can alter the mechanical properties of NiTi and characterizing it using in situ synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction (SR-XRD), understanding how we can process ternary SMAs (NiTiHf) by conventional means, and lastly how this processing alters precipitation characteristics and mechanical properties of these alloy systems.
A Comparison Study of Student Academic Performance by Male African American Students in a Traditional Public School and Male African American Students in a Single Gender Academy
Authors:   , Walker Carlos L
Published: February 2025

A quantitative, causal-comparative study between single gender and traditional mixed gender schools was conducted to examine how single gender schooling affected the academic achievement of African American males in a high-poverty urban community. This study examined the differences in TSI and EOC scores between African American males who attended a single gender male high school and a traditionally mixed gender high school serving students in the same community in Fort Worth, Texas. A two sample t-test was used to compare the STAAR and TSI scores of the two groups of African American males. Microsoft Excel was used to collect the descriptive statistical data and analysis was conducted in SPSS version 25.0 for Windows. A detailed description of the participants, the research design that was used in the study, a description of instruments that was used to analyze the data, research problem, research questions on which the study was based, and a description of data analysis methods that was used. This quantitative research compared the STAAR and TSI scores in language arts, math, and reading. The findings of study indicate the single-gender school model impacts the academic achievement of African American males in a particular community in Fort Worth, Texas. The single-gender school had 100% of the African American males in its first graduating class during the 2017-2018 school year were accepted into college.
Charlotte Bray's "Here Everything Shines": Interview, Analysis and Performance Guide
Authors:   , Kuscer Lana
Published: February 2025

This dissertation examines a recent work for flute and piano, Here Everything Shines, by a living composer, Charlotte Bray, including a study, analysis and performance guide. The composition was largely inspired by the late Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora and her song Petit Pays. My research explores the influence of Évora's song on Here Everything Shines, including the melodic development, tonal center, style and freedom of her singing and the impact the song has on a performer's interpretation of Here Everything Shines. The study examines the text of the song, the emotions evoked and reflects on the compositional elements in Here Everything Shines. Originally written for flute and guitar and commissioned by Tom Kerstens for International Guitar Foundation, Here Everything Shines was published in 2015. Bray transcribed it for violin and piano at request of Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea and subsequently for flute and piano at my request. This dissertation compares the three versions for flute and guitar, violin and piano, and flute and piano and examines the variations between flute and violin as well as guitar and piano parts. The performance guide includes the composer's input on both interpretation and implementation of her ideas throughout the work.
Still House
Authors:   , Edwards Stephanie Lorraine
Published: February 2025

Still House is a poetry manuscript that explores the relationship between traditional gender roles and traditional poetic forms. The poems in this collections seek to revise the role of the homemaker and interrogate whether it is okay to take comfort and pleasure in tasks that are often labeled as feminine (i.e. cooking, baking, decorating, organizing, shopping, choosing outfits) while rejecting other parts of the homemaker archetype, such as subservience to and dependence upon men. Limited gender roles, patriarchy, sexist comments, capitalism, toxic masculinity, the cis-hetero-white-male gaze, trauma, physical pain, illness—these all can make it feel like we are not fully in control and ownership of our bodies, like something is encroaching. The poems in Still House are invested in using the poetics of embodiment (a poetics centered around telling stories about the body through immersive sensory details) to reclaim the body from trauma, patriarchy, and chronic pain and illness.
Assessing Agricultural and Hydrologic Potential of Ancestral Puebloan Community Centers using Open Source Data
Authors:   , Zarzycka Sandra Elzbieta
Published: February 2025

The Pueblo III period marks a critical shift in settlement location of Ancestral Puebloan people within the Mesa Verde region. Community centers during the Pueblo I and Pueblo II periods were built on mesa tops, whereas canyon-rims and alcoves became the preferred settlement location during the Pueblo III period. Beginning in the Pueblo I period, community centers consisted of linear roomblock villages. By the late Pueblo II period great house community centers influenced by the Chaco culture system spanned the Mesa Verde region. The Pueblo III period hallmarks the transition to canyon-rim villages and cliff dwellings. The location of these Pueblo III centers is thought to be related to the need for a defensive position on the landscape, and access to water sources. This shift in settlement locations undoubtedly led to change in the access to resources, such as water, arable farmland, and wild food plants and game. This study aims to evaluate whether the change in community center location impacted the accessibility to arable farmland and water sources immediately available to Ancestral Puebloan people throughout time. Specifically, several variables related to farming potential and hydrologic potential, including soil type, soil moisture, elevation, cropland suitability, distance to water sources, drainage density, and hydrogeologic units were evaluated. Nine community centers within the McElmo drainage area in southwestern Colorado ranging in age from the Pueblo II to Pueblo III periods were included in this study.
Investigation of Specialized Laser and Optical Techniques to Improve Precision Atomic Spectroscopy of Helium
Authors:   , Currey Ronnie
Published: February 2025

The aim of this thesis is to develop both Yb and Tm fiber laser sources with all fiber cavities. Both wavelength ranges provide useful laser sources for optical pumping of helium. The goal is to develop Tm laser sources operating at 2058 nm to optically quench 3He (2058.63 nm) and 4He (2058.69 nm) singlets (21S0). We also have developed Yb laser sources at 1083 nm to optical pump the triplet states of helium and laser cool an atomic beam of helium.
An Evaluation of Long-Term Air Quality Trends in North Texas using Statistical and Machine Learning Techniques
Authors:   , Lim Guo Quan
Published: February 2025

While ozone design values have decreased since 2000, the values measured in Denton Airport South (DEN), an exurban region in the northwest tip of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, remains above those measured in Dallas Hinton (DAL) and Fort Worth Northwest (FWNW), two extremely urbanized regions; in addition, all three sites remained in nonattainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) ozone despite reductions in measured NOx and CO concentrations. The region's inability to achieve ozone attainment is tied to its concentration of total non-methane organic compounds (TNMOC). The mean concentration of TNMOC measured at DAL, FWNW, and DEN between 2000 and 2018 were 67.4 ± 1.51 ppb-C, 89.31 ± 2.12 ppb-C, and 220.69 ± 10.36 ppb-C, respectively. Despite being the least urbanized site of the three, the TNMOC concentration measured at DEN was over twice as large as those measured at the other two sites. A factor-based source apportionment analysis using positive matrix factorization technique showed that natural gas was a major contributing source factor to the measured TNMOC concentrations at all three sites and the dominant source factor at DEN. Natural gas accounted for 32%, 40%, and 69% of the measured TNMOC concentration at DAL, FWNW, and DEN, respectively. The Barnett Shale region, an active shale gas region adjacent to DFW, is a massive source of unconventional TNMOC emissions in the region. Also, the ozone formation potential (OFP) of the TNMOC pool in DEN were overwhelmingly dominated by slow-reacting alkanes emitted from natural gas sources. While the air pollutant trends and characteristics of an urban airshed can be determined using long-term ambient air quality measurements, this is difficult in regions with sparse air quality monitoring. To solve the lack in spatial and temporal datasets in non-urban regions, various machine learning (ML) algorithms were used to train a computer cluster to predict air pollutant concentrations. Models built using certain ML algorithms performed significantly better than others in predicting air pollutants. The model built using the random forest (RF) algorithm had the lowest error. The performance of the prediction models was satisfactory when the local emission characteristics at the tested site were like the training site. However, the performance dropped considerably when tested against sites with significantly different emission characteristics or with extremely aggregated data points.
Soil Carbon Accumulation in an Urban Ecosystem: Canopy Cover and Management Effects
Authors:   , Kang Katherina A
Published: February 2025

Black carbon (BC), a stable form of organic carbon (OC), is a byproduct of the incomplete combustion of biomass, biofuels, and fossil fuel. The main objectives of this research are to examine the spatial distribution of OC and BC in urban soil and determine the influence of tree canopy cover and landscape maintenance on soil carbon accumulation. Soil sampling was conducted at 29 sites throughout the City of Denton, Texas, in May 2019. Samples were collected from underneath post oak canopies and in adjacent open areas and were analyzed for total carbon (TC), total organic carbon (TOC), total N (TN), C:N ratio, and BC. Although maintenance levels had no significant effect, TOC was greater underneath trees (5.47%, 5.30 kg/m2) than lawns (3.58%, 4.84 kg/m2) at the surface 0-10 cm. Total nitrogen concentration was also greater underneath trees (0.43%) than lawns (0.31%) at the surface 0-10 cm. Preliminary results for BC were closely correlated to TOC. The lack of difference in C:N ratio between cover types indicates that leaf litter quality may not be the primary driving factor in soil C and N accumulation. Instead, differences in soil properties may be best explained by manual C inputs and greater atmospheric deposition of C and N to soils with tree canopy cover. Identifying patterns and potential drivers of soil OC and BC accumulation is important because soil carbon sequestration not only reduces atmospheric CO2, but also may provide additional pollution mitigation benefits, thereby contributing to a more sustainable urban environment.
Mobile Technologies for Language Learning: A Case Study of Beginning Learners of French
Authors:   , Dikosso-Bebe Lydie Marina
Published: February 2025

Over the past 25 years, research on the effectiveness of new technologies in teaching has been constantly evolving as teachers try to keep up with educational trends. With the current evolution of technology, it is important to find out how students feel about the use of technologies in both the classroom setting and the non-traditional learning environment. The objective of this project is to determine which applications the students of French 1010 (first semester of college-level French) at the University of North Texas use for language learning to supplement and reinforce the concepts learned in class. Two questions guided this project: (1) what are the new technologies that students in French 1010 use? and (2) if UNT were to implement hybrid classes, would students be interested in taking them? In order to answer these questions, a survey was distributed to 184 students of French 1010 at UNT during the fall 2019 semester. From these surveys, 100 were selected for analysis in the present study, and three students were interviewed as a way to collect additional data. The results of the survey showed that Duolingo was the most used application for language learning purposes, while the interviews showed that the students would be open to the possibility of taking hybrid classes. From these results arise questions related to ways in which mobile applications can be effectively incorporated in language classrooms.