Screen Time, Sleep, And Mental Health: An Investigation Of Electronics Use And Sleep Habits, Robert Nicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Internet addiction (IA) is classified as a compulsive-impulsive behavior disorder involving excessive use of the internet, withdrawal, tolerance, and negative repercussions (Block, 2007). Internet usage is becoming more widespread across all industrialized people, and younger people are using the internet more and more as it becomes more ubiquitous (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). The purpose of the current study is to investigate internet usage habits, sleep disturbance, and IA as it appeared in a national United States sample, and a sample seeking clinical psychological help in the Southwestern United States. The results of the current study suggested that IA predicted …

Mercury In Big Cypress Bayou And Caddo Lake Watersheds In Marion And Harrison Counties Texas, Joseph Watkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caddo Lake has been included on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 303(d) list for impairment due to mercury (Hg) content since 1996. One of the primary tributaries, Big Cypress Bayou, flows across Eocene-aged rocks and sediments associated with the Wilcox Group; the Wilcox is of interest because it contains lignite coal, which has a direct link to mercury. Previous research has focused on dry deposition from fossil fuel combustion as the primary source of mercury but has not addressed the potential watershed contribution to mercury concentrations in Caddo Lake.

Big Cypress Bayou flows through Harrison and Marion counties in …

Syntheses Of A Tin (Iv) Meso-Tetra(4-Pyridyl) Porphyrin Dichloride-Tetrachlorobis (Bipy)2 Ruthenium (Ii) Complex And Studies Of Photophysical Properties Of 1-Nitropyrene, Phillip Sharp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of a photosensitizer that can work in both aerobic and anaerobic environments would increase the robustness of the cancer treatment known as photodynamic therapy. The development of a photosensitizer was first attempted by synthesizing a tin (IV) meso-tetra (4-pyridyl) porphyrin dichloride-tetrachlorobis (Bipy)₂ ruthenium (II) complex. The synthesize of the tin porphyrin was done by a method from literature and had a percent error of 31.58 and 37.31 when comparing the theoretical percentages of carbon (55.39) and nitrogen (12.92) meaning that photosensitizer was not synthesized.

The second type of chromophore that was studied was 1-nitropyrene do determine if it …

Delineation Of Karst Potential Using Lidar And Gis Analyses, Fort Hood Military Installation, Texas, Colby Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Traditional karst surveys require extensive field investigations to completely characterize large areas. They are often time-consuming, requiring up to several years to collect and categorize data. Bias is given to areas that are most easily accessible and false negatives are common. The implementation of geographic information systems (GIS) has aided in the aggregation and standardization of karst data; however, these systems have also been used to develop terrain models that allow the user to remotely delineate sinkholes and other surficial features. The Fort Hood Military Installation is a karst landscape that has been altered significantly for use in military …

Establishment Of Turfgrass From Seed And Sod In Sand Based Systems Combining Sprinkler And Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems, Roshaan Ahmed Khan Niazi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The establishment of turfgrass using subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in sand based media has limited success. However, it is unknown if starting with overhead (sprinkler) irrigation and transitioning to SDI can enhance turfgrass establishment. Two experiments were conducted at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) to investigate the establishment of “L-93” creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) from seed and “TifEagle” ultra dwarf hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis) from sod using sand based media. Each experiment consisted of two trials conducted in summer 2017 and spring 2018. Both creeping bentgrass trials and the spring ultra dwarf …

Making Summer Feature: A History Of Sfa Student Productions, Dudley Kyle May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will discuss the documentary film Summer Feature: A History of SFA Student Productions, which I filmed, directed and produced. It will discuss how this documentary came into existence and the process I went through to film and edit the interviews featured in the final film. It will also detail the process of discovering the theme of the film, from the initial concept through post-production.

An Outcrop Based Study Of The Weches Formation In Sabine County, Texas: Investigating Its Unconventional Resource Potential Through The Study Of Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, Petrology, And Geochemistry, Talban Kantala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fresh Weches Formation (Middle Eocene) exposures found in aggregate quarries in Sabine County, Texas, were sampled, measured, and logged with gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS). Sedimentology and petrology characteristics of Weches samples were analyzed through thin section, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and GRS Th/K ratios analyses. The source rock quality of the Weches was evaluated with geochemical techniques involving total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and GRS Th/U ratios.

The Weches, in the study area, is 27.4 meters thick, and delineated into three major stratigraphic facies: an upper marginal marine prodeltaic facies (Therrill Member) comprised of silty claystones and …

Groundwater Hydrogeolgy And Hydrochemistry Of Karst Springs In The Eastern Peninsula Of Fort Hood Military Installation, William Scribner Welles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eastern peninsula of Fort Hood Military Installation is underlain by a complex karst spring network. These springs are a primary water source in a protected habitat for endangered songbirds, which has only recently begun to be fully investigated. These Fredericksburg Group springs express both epigenetic and hypogenetic karst signatures. The study area is part of a paleo reef trend, a hydraulically disconnected segment of the northern section of the Edwards Aquifer. This study utilized standard ion index values, repeated measures, and principal component analyses on the chemical profiles of six perennial springs to classify spring water sources and their …

Effectiveness Of Prescribed Fire On Meeting Fuel Load And Wildlife Habitat Management Objectives In East Texas National Forests, Trey Wall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using standardized methodology outlined by the United States Forest Service and the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas’ Fire Monitoring Program for data collection, the efficacy of current Forest Service prescribed burn regimes were analyzed for 24 study sites in East Texas National Forests. Study sites were located within Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and Angelina/Sabine National Forests. Efficacy was determined by comparing defined management objectives established by the Forest Service to the data collected at the study sites. The results conclude that most objectives, as outlined by the Forest Service, are not being met with the current practices. Re-visitation of …

Physical And Chemical Controls On Suffosion Development In Gypsic Soil, Culberson County, Texas, Jonah Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Gypsum Plain, suffosion processes have encouraged road failure through dissolution and transport of gypsic soils; however, no prior research has been conducted within the Delaware Basin in regard to these processes. These phenomena were evaluated in both field and laboratory settings in order to assess the parameters of suffosion development associated with Ranch to Market (RM) 652 in Culberson County, Texas, where infrastructure extends across Castile and Rustler strata. Field studies simulated surficial ponding in various gypsic soils and correlated suffosion potential with soil composition and thickness. Soluble fractions of gypsic soils were delineated through geochemical analyses, further …

Depositional Environment And Facies Analyses Of The Owl Mountain Province, Fort Hood Military Installation, Bell And Coryell Counties, Texas, Jacob Meinerts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Owl Mountain Province is a plateaued, karst landscape located in the eastern section of the Fort Hood Military Installation and is characterized by Lower Cretaceous Fredericksburg Group carbonates. The topography is capped by thick sequences of the Edwards limestone; steep scarps and incised valleys along the edges of the plateaus host inter-fingering outcrops of the Edwards and Comanche Peak limestones, and the lower valleys are covered by alluvial sediments and intermittent outcrops of the Walnut Clay. These formations were deposited to the north and west of the main Edwards trend, and are thought to be part of a series …

Brain Activity In College Students With The Broad Autism Phenotype, Amy Gaylord Beaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when …

The Challenges Faced By The Freedmen’S Bureau Agents Of Deep East Texas, Jacy D. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The years following the Civil War proved to be tumultuous for the nation and caused great social and economic upheaval in the South. Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in 1865 to provide a smoother transition in former Confederate states and to guard the liberties of the former bondsmen. The agents of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Deep East Texas faced the same challenges and hardships as their counterparts in other areas of the state and throughout the South. Numerous historians have written on Reconstruction and the Freedmen’s Bureau in Texas, but in a broader sense.

This …

Bryophyte Assemblages On American Hornbeam (Carpinus Caroliniana) And The Surrounding Arboreal Communities Within The Forest Of East Texas, Cassey Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The bryophytes, the non-vascular plants, include the mosses (Bryophyta with approximately 13,000 species), the liverworts (Marchantiophyta with approximately 5,000 species), and the hornworts (Anthocerotophyta with approximately 150 species). Initial observations indicated that the midstory tree Carpinus caroliniana Walter (American hornbeam) has a bryophyte composition with an unusually high diversity of leafy liverworts. Voucher samples were taken from the four intercardinal directions (Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast) from six Carpinus trees and their nearest neighbor that was neither Pinus nor another Carpinus at each of six sites across East Texas. Percent coverage, species richness, Shannon’s diversity and Pielou’s evenness were computed. …

Topological Properties Of A 3-Rung Möbius Ladder, Rebecca Woods

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we discuss the properties of the 3-rung Möbius ladder on the torus. We also prove ℤ₂ is an orientation preserving topological symmetry group of the 3-rung Möbius ladder with sides and rungs distinct, embedded in the torus.

Demographics, Experiences, And Management Preferences Of Backcountry Campers In Yellowstone National Park, Ryan P. Grisham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A questionnaire was distributed to backcountry campers in Yellowstone National Park for the summer of 2016. Upon registering for a backcountry camping permit, park rangers asked if campers would like to participate in the survey, which included questions regarding demographics and opinions on visitor experiences and management policies. Participants provided their names and email address and were sent a link to the questionnaire about two weeks after their trip. The survey was a partial replication of a study by Tim Oosterhous conducted in 1999 and results for both years were analyzed and compared to identify any changes in backcountry use …

Exploding Aliens And Other Offspring, Jonathan Patrick Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of Exploding Aliens and Other Offspring is to capture my specific surrealist world point of view provided by the closed-knit crazy community I grew up in alongside my love for cartoonish melodrama. The collection progresses in order of images and the evolution of such themes as the venture from childhood to adulthood, societal obligations, religion, parenting, death and the hereafter.

A Multi-Case Study Of Electronic Communication Policy In Rural East Texas School Districts, Laura Lynn Dacus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to conduct a policy analysis regarding electronic communication between educators and students in three rural East Texas school districts. The policy analysis for each district began with the initial implementation of teacher communication via electronic sources provided by the districts. The focus of the study was limited specifically to the policy regulating nonschool related, electronic communication by educators with students. The challenge faced by school districts to embrace technology with one-to-one classrooms, virtual classrooms, constant connectivity, school texting applications, and open availability to teachers via email, complicates restrictions placed on non-school related …

Self-Regulation Abilities Of Low-Income Mothers In Community Based, Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program, Alyssa Abreu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diet is strongly associated with many risk factors for chronic disease. Educational programs such as the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) are designed to improve dietary behaviors among low-income populations. Although EFNEP has seen improvements, they are not yet up to recommendations. Previous studies have been successful in eliciting behavior change when improving self-regulation in conjunction with dietary education. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine self-regulation in EFNEP participants and its relationship to participants change in dietary behavior. All participants were currently enrolled in an EFNEP program and were asked to complete an additional self-regulation …

The Effectiveness Of Best Management Practices On Water Quality In The Attoyac Bayou Watershed Of East Texas, Cheryl Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan, best management practices (BMPs) were developed for livestock, wildlife, and on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs), using bacteria source tracking (BST), spatially explicit load enrichment calculation tool (SELECT) model, as well as a cost benefit analysis. An evaluation of these BMPs was conducted on the Attoyac Bayou (AB), Big Iron Ore Creek (BIO), Naconiche Creek (NC), Terrapin Creek (TC), and Waffelow Creek (WC) to see if they were meeting their designated use criteria for elevated Escherichia coli (E. coli). Water quality parameters were monitored for five sample locations within the Attoyac Bayou Watershed during March …

Analysis Of Sampling Techniques By J Dilla In Donuts, Zachary Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The late James Yancey, known by his producer name of Jay Dee or J Dilla, is considered by many hip-hop scholars and musicians to be one of the most influential producers of the genre. His techniques of sampling are some of the most creative and intricate in the world of hip-hop beat making and are viewed as virtuosic in their own right. By analyzing his compositional process through selected tracks on his seminal (and final) album Donuts, I will be exploring how Dilla used over seventy-five samples from a variety of music genres and artists to create a sonic collage …

Characterization Of Sites For Native Herbaceous Understory Restoration In West Gulf Coast Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Savannas, Brooke Mccalip

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas were once dominant in East Texas and parts of western and central Louisiana. Native understory species have since been removed or reduced by exotic plants that were introduced and from the reduction in the frequency of both wild and prescribed fires. A diverse layer of understory species can still be seen today, but not often in the historical savanna setting that is desirable in longleaf pine ecosystems. This project aimed to identify site characteristics associated with longleaf ecosystems that support a dense, herbaceous understory with little to no midstory cover.

A total of …

Economics Of Managing Loblolly Pine Plantations For Increased Wildlife Biodiversity, Melissa Griffith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis was to identify the differences between the costs incurred and revenues gained from managing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in East Texas for strictly timber production or a combination of timber production and wildlife biodiversity. Management regimes evaluated had varying planting densities, thinning frequency and intensities, prescribed burn intervals, and site indices. Economic analyses used to evaluate management regimes over a range of nonindustrial private landowner (NIPF) alternative rates of return (ARRs) and site indexes were net present worth, land expectation value, and equal annual annuity. These economic analyses demonstrated that altering management …

The Effects Of Power And Religiously Motivated Ingroup Preference On Social Affiliation, Hernan Escobar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human beings are fundamentally social animals motivated by a need to establish and maintain close social relationships. The creation of these relationships inevitably leads to the creation of groups, along with a desire for power as a method of determining how resources are to be allocated within these groups. Most groups are characterized by individuals who belong to the ingroup and those who are relegated to an outgroup, and one powerful motivator of ingroup favoritism is religious affiliation. Although research has shown that feelings of low power increase the drive to socially affiliate, research has not yet explored how religious …

Breeding Bird Response To Post Oak Savanna Restoration Seven Years Post Management In Eastern Texas, Courtney Mcinnerney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oak savannas were once an abundant vegetation type in the Midwestern United States that have now declined to <1% of their original distribution. Historically, natural disturbances such as periodic fire and grazing maintained oak savannas, but these have been reduced or eliminated, resulting in woody encroachment and subsequent habitat loss and degradation. In 2009-10, a baseline, pre-restoration study was completed to determine vegetation characteristics, breeding bird abundances, nest success, and nest site selection at the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area (GEWMA) in eastern Texas. The results showed a lack of savanna vegetation structure on degraded sites and few savanna or grassland obligate bird species. The goal of this study was to determine how breeding birds of oak savanna vegetation types in eastern Texas respond to restoration effects 7 years after initial management. Post-restoration surveys completed in 2016-17 showed a change in avian assemblages from a more woodland dominated community to grassland/savanna community. The presence and breeding of savanna obligate species dickcissel (Spiza americana) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) indicates that the restoration was successful. The presence of savanna species can be linked to the herbaceous vegetation that was restored to more closely resemble historic oak savanna structure and can quantify the success of restoration efforts.

Characterization Of Sites For Native Herbaceous Understory Restoration In West Gulf Coast Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Savannas, Brooke Mccalip

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas were once dominant in East Texas and parts of western and central Louisiana. Native understory species have since been removed or reduced by exotic plants that were introduced and from the reduction in the frequency of both wild and prescribed fires. A diverse layer of understory species can still be seen today, but not often in the historical savanna setting that is desirable in longleaf pine ecosystems. This project aimed to identify site characteristics associated with longleaf ecosystems that support a dense, herbaceous understory with little to no midstory cover.

A total of …

Wald Confidence Intervals For A Single Poisson Parameter And Binomial Misclassification Parameter When The Data Is Subject To Misclassification, Nishantha Janith Chandrasena Poddiwala Hewage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is based on a Poisson model that uses both error-free data and error-prone data subject to misclassification in the form of false-negative and false-positive counts. We present maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs), Fisher's Information, and Wald statistics for Poisson rate parameter and the two misclassification parameters. Next, we invert the Wald statistics to get asymptotic confidence intervals for Poisson rate parameter and false-negative rate parameter. The coverage and width properties for various sample size and parameter configurations are studied via a simulation study. Finally, we apply the MLEs and confidence intervals to one real data set and another realistic …

Examining The Meaning Of Course Evaluation, Tyesha Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching evaluations significantly influence faculty members’ annual evaluations and progress toward tenure and promotion within academic programs in higher education. Those with consistently strong, positive, teaching evaluations have been deemed effective instructors and often validated with increases in salary, teaching awards, and promotion and tenure. This is especially the case when strong course evaluations are received in addition to documented scholarship and research activities and positively evaluated professional service. However, questions are being raised about the meaningfulness of students' ratings of course instruction. Do these measures effectively assess competence as instructors or do they measure other unknown processes in the …

The Comparison Of Effects Of Synthetic And Natural Arachidin-3 On Rotavirus Infected Cells, Rebekah Napier-Jameson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rotavirus (RV) causes severe, life-threatening diarrhea, in infants, young children and immunocompromised adults. There are several effective vaccines for young children, however they are strain specific and are not protective against many RV strains in developing countries. Therefore, it is important to investigate anti-RV therapeutic agents. Our laboratory has shown arachidin-1 (A1) and arachadin-3 (A3) significantly inhibit RV replication in two cell lines, however the molecular mechanism(s) of action are not known. A synthetic molecule of A3 (sA3) has been produced, but its’ antiviral effects have not been examined. Our hypothesis is that sA3 produces the same effects on RV-infected …

Novel Relative Spontaneous Ignition Temperature Determination Using Carbon Dioxide Onset With Sta/Ir, Antonio David Trevino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Simultaneous thermal analysis, coupled with infrared spectroscopy (STA/IR), was utilized to monitor the evolution of gaseous products during the thermal degradation of samples from Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow), Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet), and Ilex vomitoria (yaupon) plants. Identification of carbon dioxide was successful with a spectral match of 90.2 percent and further used in the determination of relative spontaneous ignition temperature, or RSIT. The RSIT value during the growing season for Chinese tallow, Chinese tallow stem, Chinese privet, and Yaupon were 208.4°C, 250.3°C, 210.1°C, and 232.3°C respectively. During the dormant seasons, the values for Chinese tallow stem, Chinese privet, and …