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An Analytical Conductor's Guide To The Satb A Capella Works Of Arvo Part, Kimberly Anne Cargile

Dissertations

Arvo Part (b. 1935) is an Estonian composer whose works include film scores, piano and organ works, chamber music, choral/orchestral works, and unaccompanied choral works. This dissertation is limited to the composer's SATB a cappella works. During an eight-year "period of silence" from 1968 to 1976, Part ceased serious composition in order to find his true compositional "voice." During this hiatus, Part abandoned his Lutheran faith, converting to the Russian Orthodox Church, and discovered a fascination with sacred Medieval and Renaissance music, which had been denied him as a student in the USSR. These events, added to the lingering influence …

Instrumental Tango Idioms In The Symphonic Works And Orchestral Arrangements Of Astor Piazzolla. Performance And Notational Problems: A Conductor's Perspective, Alejandro Marcelo Drago

Dissertations

Tango performance practices and notational conventions included in the orchestral works of Astor Piazzolla belong in two groups. The first is tango performance manner, or the specific way of rendering the written musical text; and the second is tango special effects, which could be defined as a group of non-traditional (for European music) instrumental techniques specific to tango music. Both groups are part of a performance style that has been poorly systematized, if at all, and kept alive only by means of face-to-face transmission. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify and analyze the challenges that Piazzolla faced while …

A Comparison Of Two Distinctive Jazz Trombone Artists, David Steinmeyer And Curtis Fuller, Eddie Lee Elsey Jr.

Dissertations

This dissertation discusses two jazz trombonists, David Steinmeyer and Curtis Fuller. Six solos performed by these two artists are analyzed for the purpose of studying and comparing their individual styles of playing. Each solo is analyzed melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically with musical excerpts from each solo included to provide emphasis on a particular area.

This dissertation also includes comparisons of overall styles, full transcriptions of each solo, discographies for both artists, and brief biographical sketches of each artist. Although the artists play in different styles, they still share similar philosophies in approaching the performance of playing jazz trombone.

A Performer's Analysis Of Eric Ewazen's Sonata For Trumpet And Piano, Joseph Daniel Mcnally Iii

Dissertations

Eric Ewazen is a prolific composer whose works are becoming standard repertoire for not only trumpet players but also for brass quintets, soloists, and wind ensembles alike. Ewazen wrote the Sonata for Trumpet and Piano for the International Trumpet Guild, and it was premiered by Chris Gekker, trumpet, and Ewazen, piano, in 1995 in Bloomington, Indiana.

This document illuminates some of the characteristics of Ewazen's music, and summarizes the music's technical and performance demands, based on firsthand performing experience. It should also offer practical observations and recommendations for the performance of Eric Ewazen's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano.

A History Of The Tara Winds Community Band, Jonesboro, Georgia, 1988-2008, Myra King Rhoden

Dissertations

The Tara Winds Community Band is an all-adult symphonic band based in Jonesboro, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In its short twenty-year history, the ensemble has gained national recognition and has performed for a variety of audiences at regional and national conventions. Over seventy percent of the members are active or retired band directors from the metropolitan Atlanta area or are in the music profession as an elementary music teacher or private instructor. The ensemble contributes to the wind band repertoire through its commissioning project, and supports the community through its scholarship foundation. The information provided about this ensemble may …

Economic Inequality In The New European Union: Are Monetary Policies In The European Union Unfair For Certain Countries?, Gregory Eric Banach

Dissertations

This research is focused on the affect one uniform monetary policy will have on the less developed countries that entered the European Union (EU) in 2004. One of the challenges facing the new entrants involves the required implementation of monetary policy goals, even though these new entrants do not have a vote on how the monetary policy is determined. Monetary policy in the EU is the responsibility of the European Central Bank (ECB) who has a stated goal price stability. It is possible to use the Taylor Rule to test whether the ECB focuses on price stability for both old …

The Effects Of Strategic Modeling On The Development Of Dispositions In Preservice Teachers, Janet Susan Boyce

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the professional dispositions of preservice teachers could be developed through explicit instruction during a teacher education program. The use of the Strategic Modeling Protocol (SMP) consisted often weeks of short segmented intervention prior to the beginning of each class session. The first step of SMP focused on discussions of dispositional related topics. The participants, 45 preservice teachers in their second semester of a teacher education program, also practiced applying the principles outside the classroom, which served as the second step of SMP, and prepared reflections on their experiences as the third …

About Love, Kerri Ann Quinn

Dissertations

About Love is a novella and a collection of short stories written at the University of Southern Mississippi. It is accompanied by a critical preface.

Composition Programs And Practices In Sweden: Possibilities For Cross-Fertilization With The United States, Birgitta Linnea Sjoberg Ramsey

Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to several of the discussions that are taking place within the field of rhetoric and composition at this particular time: about the nature and definition of academic literacy; about the impact of a heterogeneous and multicultural student population on literacy practices in the academy; about the issue of academic socialization; and about the advantages and disadvantages of traditional first-year composition courses. Most importantly, this work is a contribution to cross-national research and an attempt to open up the field of composition to recognize and include voices other than the ones from North America. Even though the differences …

Marathon, Ohio, Alan Guido Rossi Jr.

Dissertations

Marathon, Ohio is an original collection of fiction, accompanied by a critical introduction. All of the stories were written between 2005 and 2008 at the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Writers. The stories are arranged for a thematic and formal effect, rather than by chronology.

We'll Hang Ourselves Tomorrow, Samuel Brendan Ruddick

Dissertations

This is a collection of short stories. They are all first person narratives. Most of them are told by men in their late twenties to mid-thirties. A couple of them are told by boys on the verge of adolescence. I can not tell you what they are about. I can tell you that they are very sad. I can also tell you that they are full of hope and wonder. Hence the title, a line taken from Godot. The reference to suicide might sound grim, but I would argue that if the world were without hope, we would hang ourselves …

Toward A Free Collegiate Press: An Analysis Of Influences That Can Lead To Censorship At College Newspapers, Shaniece Bell Bickham

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the impact that influences at the individual, organizational and societal levels had on content in college and university student newspapers. Specifically, this research examined the ways that influences at the three levels could lead to censorship of the student press. A quantitative study was conducted through the use of online survey research. Student editors, faculty advisers, and academic affairs administrators of journalism and mass communication programs that are recognized as being accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) were surveyed to gather information about the structure …

Photopolymerization And Characterization Of Crosslinked Thiol-Ene Networks And Poss/Thiol-Ene Nanocomposites, Tolecia Sharonda Shaunee Clark

Dissertations

Interests in the area of thiol-ene photopolymerization are rapidly expanding due to the numerous advantages over the polymers produced by traditional solvent based polymerizations. Although current research of photoinitiated thiol-ene polymerization is diverse, numerous opportunities are available for investigating structure/property and structure/reactivity relationships and novel material applications. This research in this dissertation includes a fundamental study of the effect of monomelic thiol functionality on thiol-ene polymerization kinetics and formation of the thiol-ene network structure, and an investigation of the development of novel silicate based thiol-ene nanocomposites. The first fundamental study investigates the effect of thiol functionality on the kinetics and …

An Analysis Of The Career Maturity Levels Of Intellectually Gifted Adolescents, Yolanda Yvette Baker Cobb

Dissertations

This research project was conducted to analyze the career maturity level scores of intellectually gifted middle school students. The Career Maturity Inventory-Revised (Crites & Savickas, 1995) was used to compare the career-choice readiness of the intellectually gifted students to their typical middle school-age peers, as well as to the 9th through 12th graders in the norm sample. In addition, a comparison of the career maturity levels of intellectually gifted male and female 6th and 7th graders was also conducted. It was also hypothesized that the intellectually gifted students' career maturity score would increase as the students' grade level increased T-tests …

In Vitro And In Vivo Techniques For Screening New Natural Product-Based Fungicides For Control Of Strawberry Anthracnose, Maritza Abril

Dissertations

Seven plant pathogenic fungi (Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum, C. fragariae, C. gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Phomopsis obscurans, and P. viticola) valuable in screening fungicide efficacy were tested. Optimal and reproducible conditions for germination of these selected fungi were established by incorporating Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640 (RPMI) as a medium of known composition and washing conidia to remove innate germination inhibitors. This step reduced average fungal germination times between 3.5 h and 21.2 h. The natural product-based fungicide, sampangine, seven sampangine analogs (4-bromo-sampangine, 4-methoxysampangine, benzo[4,5]sampangine, liriodenine Mel AMC-XIII-103, onychine, cryptolepine, and liriodenine CDH-II-37), plus seven conventional fungicides (benomyl, captan, cyprodinil, fenbuconazole, …

Reverse Recruitment: Activation Of Yeast Genes At The Nuclear Periphery, Terry Marvin Haley

Dissertations

The regulation of genes at the nuclear periphery is an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon in eukaryotes. The reverse-recruitment model of transcriptional activation postulates that genes are activated by moving to and contacting transcription machinery located at subnuclear structures. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae it has been reported that this platform for gene regulation may reside at the nuclear periphery. To test this hypothesis, I utilized a GFP-gene tagging technique, which uses LacI-GFP to visualize a tandem array of its DNA-binding sequence, to monitor localization ofSUC2 and GALL I found that both genes preferentially localized to the nuclear periphery when transcriptionally active. By developing …

Effects Of Nonfiction Guided Interactive Read-Alouds And Think-Alouds On Fourth Grader's Depth Of Content Area Science Vocabulary Knowledge And Comprehension, Tania Tamara Henderson Hanna

Dissertations

Effects of nonfiction guided interactive read-alouds and think-alouds as a supplement to basal science textbooks on three vocabulary measures, definitions, examples, and characteristics, and one multiple-choice comprehension measure were assessed for 127 fourth graders over three time periods: pretest, posttest, and a 2-week delayed posttest. Two of three fourth grade elementary science teachers implemented a series of 12 content enhanced guided interactive scripted lessons. Two of these teachers implemented two treatments each. The first condition employed basal science textbooks as the text for guided interactive read-alouds and think-alouds while the second treatment employed basal science textbooks in conjunction with nonfiction …

Use Of Monoclonal ∆-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Antibodies Chemically Bound To A Polystyrene Surface Using Glutaraldehyde For The Purpose Of Extracting ∆-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And ∆-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Carboxylic Acid From Postmortem Whole Blood Samples For Analysis By Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, Thomas Sidney Pittman

Dissertations

Quantitations of drugs and their respective metabolites in postmortem blood samples using gas chromatographic instrumentation is a primary analytical practice used to determine if drugs played a role in or were the cause of a victim's death. Postmortem blood samples often prove difficult to work with due to interfering substances formed during the putrefaction process. Attempts to eliminate interfering substances with present day extraction methods can be time-consuming, costly and often ineffective when dealing with drugs that exhibit toxicity or impairment at very low concentrations. This study was conducted using monoclonal antibodies chemically bound to a polystyrene surface to extract …

The Design, Synthesis, And Controlled Polymerization Of Cationic And Zwitterionic Norbornene Derivatives, David Allen Rankin

Dissertations

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has been exploited for the controlled polymerization of cationic and zwitterionic norbornene-based monomers and employed in the preparation of homo- and block-copolymer systems in homogeneous organic media without the use of post-polymerization modification or protecting group chemistries. Relying on previous knowledge of certain halogenated alcoholic organic solvents capable of solubilizing hydrophilic monomers, the first study, describes the synthesis and controlled polymerization of a series of new permanently cationic ammonium exo-7- oxanorbornene derivatives M31 via ROMP, with the first generation Grubbs catalyst 17, in a novel solvent mixture comprised of 1:1 vol/vol 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE)/methylene chloride (CH2CI2). This …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymeric Materials Derived From Multifunctional Alkyl A-Hydroxymethylacrylates, Jean-Francois Morizur

Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation covers the investigation of new materials derived from alkyl a-hydroxymethylacrylates (RHMA). The first project exposed in Chapter II involves the synthesis, characterization of RHMA-based reactive surfactants and their successful incorporation in acrylic latexes. The amphiphilic monomers testify of a good copolymerization behavior with other acrylic monomers such as methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate although their extensive bulkiness. They led to the formation of well-defined polymeric particles via a seeded emulsion polymerization process and permitted decreasing significantly the water sensitivity of the resulting films as compared to film incorporating conventional emulsifier such as sodium dodecyl …

Raft Synthesis Of Water-Soluble, Stimuli-Responsive Ab Diblock Copolymers, Ran Wang

Dissertations

A series of water-soluble, stimuli-responsive AB diblock copolymers were synthesized via the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique employing 2-(2- carboxyethylsulfanylthiocarbonylsulfanyl)propionic acid (CTA26) as the RAFT mediating agent.

First, a series of diacid functional trithiocarbonate chain transfer agents (CTA's) were synthesized and examined for their effectiveness as mediating agents in controlling the polymerization of «-butyl acrylate (nBA). Overall, CTA26 demonstrated good control in the homopolymerization of nBA with respect to the molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution, as well as its ability to form block copolymers with high reinitiating efficiency, and thus was chosen as the CTA for …

Effects Of Job Stereotype, Applicant Gender, And Powerful And Powerless Speech Styles On Telephone Interview Outcomes, Heather Deanna Palmer Mcfarland

Dissertations

By examining the effects of powerful and powerless speech styles, gender stereotyped jobs, and gendered voices during the employment interviewing process, this study sought to further the research of Parton (1996); Parton, Siltanen, Hosman, and Langenderfer (2002); and Juodvalkis, Grefe, Hogue, Svyantek, and DeLamarter (2003). This study was designed to further explore the possibility of longitudinal changes within acceptable communicative expectations during telephone job interviewing. Participants (undergraduate and professional) listened to two audio taped interviews manipulated by speech style, stereotyped job title, and interviewee gender. Variables were evaluated on semantic differential scales following the previous work of Parton (1996). Similar …

Regulation Of A Dna-Compacting Plastid Nucleoid Protein, Steven William Adamson

Dissertations

DCP68, a DNA-compacting nucleoid protein, was further characterized in order to understand how plastid nucleoid proteins affect the structure and function of chloroplast DNA. Previously, DCP68 was identified as ferredoxin: sulfite reductase, an enzyme that participates in reductive sulfur assimilation and inhibits chloroplast DNA replication and transcription in vitro [1, 2]. In this study, the portion of SiR that was found to be present in soluble and plastid nucleoid-enriched fractions indicated that most SiR was stromal in Arabidopsis and soybean plants. Although SiR was detected in Arabidopsis chloroplast nucleoid-enriched fractions, the study of nucleoid dynamics proved to be difficult due …

Trends In Historic And Modern Performance Practice For The Trumpet In Richard Wagner’S Der Ring Des Nibelungen, Michael Ryan Ellzey

Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to compare the Alto F trumpet used by the players of Richard Wagner’s orchestra to the modem trumpet, with reference to specific excerpts from Der Ring des Nibelungen. It will discuss topics pertaining to transposition, range, keys, timbre, and crooking. Other elements that will be explored are the evolution of the valved trumpet and how it led to the Alto F trumpet. The document will also discuss the eventual replacement of the Alto F trumpet by the modem C and B-flat trumpets. Included in this section will be a historic study of the …

Factors Which Impact The Conduct Of Fifth Grade African-American Males, Derricka Bashetta Thomas

Dissertations

This study examines the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American male students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend private and public schools. The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K’s Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to measure the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American …

An Examination Of Perception Toward Merit Pay In A Southern School District, Carol Lynn White Payne

Dissertations

The use of merit pay systems has been a part of educational history for one hundred years. States across the country have utilized different forms o f merit pay systems to increase student achievement. Career ladder merit pay systems may base teacher salary on the attainment of additional degrees, additional responsibilities and an increase in student achievement. School-based performance awards may reward all staff members of a school based on achievement of goals set by the school board. Individual teacher financial awards may be based on administrative evaluations, student achievement, attainment of additional degrees, and participation in professional development sessions. …

Crossing The Bridge From Eighth To Tenth Grade: Can Ninth Grade Schools Make It Better?, Eddie James Peasant Ii

Dissertations

Ninth grade is a complicated time period in the school years of young adolescents, They face many social, emotional, physical, and academic issues during the transition from eighth grade to the freshman year. In some cases, these problems in ninth grade lead to increased dropout rate. This matter is addressed in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). School districts across the country are establishing programs to deal with this dilemma of students transitioning from the middle grades to high school. One such program is the ninth grade school or academy. The general purpose of this study was to investigate …

A Laptop-Learning Initiative: Relationships With Student Achievement, Technology Proficiency, And Attitude Towards Technology, Kevin Scott Nicholas

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between a laptop learning initiative, student achievement, technology proficiency, and attitude towards technology. The initiative, Project One-on-One, was designed to provide teachers with the ability to teach technology integrated lessons in classrooms with a student-to computer ratio of 1:1. This was accomplished by utilizing two mobile laptop labs that were financed through a national grant competition. The variables that were examined in the study were three years of eighth-grade student achievement scores from the criterion-referenced Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test and the Louisiana Center for Educational Technology’s Technology Proficiency …

Teaching Music Theory In The Traditional Wind Band Rehearsal: A Rationale, Survey Of Materials, And Recommendations, Eric Lynn Harris

Dissertations

Band programs in today’s schools are facing pressures unheard of in the early days of the public school band movement. While budget limitations have always been a part of the public school dilemma, never before have directors been forced to fight so hard for the very existence of their programs. School administrators facing district, state, and federal testing pressures are spending more and more of the annual budget in an attempt to raise test scores. This means programs in the arts and even athletics are being greatly reduced (and in some cases eliminated) in school systems across the country. To …

An Overview Of Gerald R. Prescott’S 1935 “The Prescott Technic System” With Recommendations For A Contemporary Edition, Carson Lee Vermillion

Dissertations

Gerald R. Prescott (1902-2005) served as the Director of Bands at Mason City (Iowa) High School from 1927-31. During his tenure, Prescott established himself as an outstanding band director and music educator. While serving as the Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota, Prescott published The Prescott Technic System; a band curriculum employing excerpts from conservatory methods to develop individual technique. The system encompassed fourteen years of study, from beginning band through graduate school.

Due to the performance expectations placed on today’s instrumental music programs, little time remains for a sequenced individual course of study that adequately develops a …