Theses and Dissertations
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Item 1/9: liquid thread and the fallow stone three euphonium concertos on one euphonium solo line(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Holden, Derek Michael; First, Craig P.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaFor every concerto written for euphonium and orchestra, there inevitably follows a poorly-crafted reduction of the orchestra’s material. Due to the acoustic properties of the euphonium, many lines of counterpoint that would work in an orchestra or wind ensemble simply will not be heard on piano. The act of reduction or arrangement in general of these original compositions puts the euphonium at odds with the original intent of the work. Orchestras, wind ensembles, and pianos vary significantly in their acoustical properties. Rather than try to force music where it does not belong, I have opted to write a euphonium concerto in three different versions. With each version, the euphonium solo line is treated like a cantus firmus. It remains totally unchanged, allowing any performer of the work to have three different pieces to perform out of one line. The counterpoint around the euphonium varies wildly among the three different versions: euphonium and piano, euphonium and orchestra, and euphonium and wind ensemble. The level of variation creates three pieces that sound totally different, yet are drawn from the same source material. Not only does this allow each ensemble to be treated idiomatically, but it allows for multiple treatments of a single line of counterpoint.Item 125 gev higgs boson mass from 5d gauge-higgs unification(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Carson, Jason Carl; Okada, Nobuchika; University of Alabama TuscaloosaIn the context of a simple gauge-Higgs unification (GHU) scenario based on the gauge group SU(3)×U(1)′ in a 5-dimensional flat space-time, we investigate a possibility to reproduce the observed Higgs boson mass of around 125 GeV. We introduce bulk fermion multiplets with a bulk mass and a (half) periodic boundary condition. In our analysis, we adopt a low energy effective theoretical approach of the GHU scenario, where the running Higgs quartic coupling is required to vanish at the compactification scale. Under this "gauge-Higgs condition," we investigate the renormalization group evolution of the Higgs quartic coupling and find a relation between the bulk mass and the compactification scale so as to reproduce the 125 GeV Higgs boson mass. Through quantum corrections at the one-loop level, the bulk fermions contribute to the Higgs boson production and decay processes and deviate the Higgs boson signal strengths at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments from the Standard Model (SM) predictions. Employing the current experimental data which show the the Higgs boson signal strengths for a variety of Higgs decay modes are consistent with the SM predictions, we obtain lower mass bounds on the lightest mode of the bulk fermions.Item The 2004 Alabama teacher tenure act: issues and application(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Mays, Allison M.; Dagley, David L.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaIn 2004, Alabama abolished its previous teacher tenure law that allowed for teachers to appeal adverse board decisions to a seven member Alabama State Tenure Commission. In its place, the Alabama legislature provided a process for teachers to appeal terminations, transfers, and major/minor suspensions to a hearing officer. The hearing officer was either selected from a panel of arbitrators through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services’ Office of Arbitration Services (FMCS) or could be mutually agreed upon by the parties. Unlike the previous tenure law, the hearing officer was not required to given any deference or consideration to the board’s decision below. Not long after its adoption and implementation, the 2004 Alabama Teacher Tenure Act came under fire for not fulfilling its intended goals of providing for an expedited and less-costly method of review for adverse employment actions. By 2011, Alabama’s (as well as most other states’) political landscape had changed significantly and the 2004 Alabama Teacher Tenure Act was repealed and replaced with the Students First Act. This qualitative research project analyzes the issues and application of arbitration-type hearings in 106 Alabama K-12 tenured certified personnel adverse employment actions. Specifically, the research addresses the issues regarding Alabama’s 2004 Teacher Tenure Act, including how hearing officers trained as employment law arbitrators decided for or against board decisions in adverse employment actions, what trends emerged from their decisions, and what legal principles remain applicable for school administrators.Item The 20th and 21st century literary afterlives of Nathaniel Hawthorne(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Kelly, Matthew; Beidler, Philip D.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThis project examines ways in which the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne has been appropriated, inscribed, and variously intertextualized in the writings of a collection of twentieth and twenty-first century authors. From William Faulkner's work in the 1920's to Jhumpa Lahiri in the new millennium, the project demonstrates Hawthorne's lasting impact on culture. Another thing this project demonstrates is that attempts to place Hawthorne at the center of a traditional "school" whose direction is unilateral are inherently limiting. This work examines Nathaniel Hawthorne's intertextual influence in the work of John Updike, William Faulkner, John Fowles, Maryse Condé, Suzan Lori-Parks, Jhumpa Lahiri and Bharati Mukherjee. By emphasizing an intertextual approach, this project demonstrates that once texts are placed in conversation, individually, those texts can never be read the same way again. Intertextualities move not just forward, but backward. They are not just Anglo-American but global. Finally, this project serves to remind us of the place of reading and writing about literature in our cultural lives. As a way to teach critical thinking, as a mode of understanding how we lived historically, how we live today, and how we may choose to live tomorrow, narrative matters.Item A 300-Year Record of Extreme Floods on the French Broad River, Tennessee(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Quimby, Alexander Chase; Davis, Lisa MStreamflow records in the southeastern United States are comparatively short (<100 years), resulting in higher uncertainties associated with estimates of extreme flood frequencies. Extreme floods, for the purposes of this thesis, include floods having an annual exceedance probability of 0.01 or smaller (i.e., a recurrence interval greater than or equal to 100 years). Uncertainty of flood frequency models can be reduced by including paleoflood hydrologic data, in which flood data are reconstructed from analyses of sediment deposits or tree-ring records. In this thesis, a paleoflood chronology was developed for the French Broad River, a major tributary of the Tennessee River, based on sampling and analyses conducted at an upstream floodplain (DT3A) site and a downstream rock shelter (DRS) site. A sediment core taken from DT3A was analyzed using laser granulometry to determine particle size of each centimeter of the core. Large flood events were identified based on the volume of sand and statistical analyses were used to eliminate sedimentological changes stemming from factors other than floods, using end member modeling and change point analysis. LOESS regression modeling was used to identify discrete, large magnitude paleofloods based on peaks (positive residuals) in sand volume. Paleoflood discharges were estimated using step-backwater modeling in HEC-RAS based on paleostage indicators found at DRS. Stratigraphic descriptions and floods ages (determined with radiocarbon dating) were used to identify three paleoflood events preserved at two different topographic levels at DRS. The paleoflood discharges and age information were combined with the modern gauge record and a new flood record for the French Broad River was developed that extends an additional 250+ years. Comparing the reconstructed chronology of flood events, to similar records in the southeastern United States, it appears that extreme flood events coincide with climate transitions.Item 3D application effectiveness on nursing students' level of electrocardiogram knowledge(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Holthaus, Abbey; Wright, Vivian H.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaNursing students have difficulty interpreting ECG rhythms. The current classroom environment often lacks application and practice opportunities, and as a result, students struggle with identification of ECG rhythms at the patient's bedside. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 3D app on nursing student's ECG level of knowledge as evidenced by exam performance. A gap in the literature exists examining 3D app technology used as a teaching methodology for nursing students learning ECG interpretation. A quasi-experimental research design consisting of one experimental group and one control group was implemented. The instrument used in this study included an identical 10-item pretest and posttest. Paired or dependent t-tests and an independent t-test were used for the statistical analysis. The pretest and posttest allowed the researcher to identify the differences in learning outcomes between these two groups. The statistical significance was set at p < .05. The findings from this study did not show a statistical difference in learning from 3D app technology for ECG knowledge. Both the experimental and control groups posttest mean scores increased.Item 5G wireless directional networking based on pattern division multiple access: algorithms, protocols and test-bed(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Qi, Ji; Hu, Fei; University of Alabama TuscaloosaWith the development of mobile services, the increase of wireless trac data will lead to higher requirements for the wireless communication networks. As one of the latest promising antenna techniques, multi-beam smart antennas (MBSAs) can achieve concurrent transmissions/receptions in multiple directions/beams. Thus it can significantly improve the network throughput. In this paper, we first describe the framework of our next generation MBSA wireless network. In our network, Pattern division multiple access (PDMA)is used for multi-user communication system, while Dynamic Channel Bonding (DyB) protocol is adopted to optimize the distribution of spectrum resource. Secondly, we present a Riverbed simulator implementation with both routing and medium access control (MAC) protocols for mobile ad-hoc network wireless networks with MBSAs. We describe the simulation models with the implementation of MBSA antenna model in physical layer, MAC layer, and routing layer protocols, all in Riverbed Modeler. Then we compare two routing scenarios, i.e., multi-hop diamond routing scenario and multi-path pipe routing. At last, we will elaborate our design methodology of a testbed for the study of multimedia over cognitive radio networks (CRNs) with directional antennas. We use compressive sensing to sample the wide bandwidth and cyclostationary domain features to detect the band signals. We also propose a Markov decision based spectrum hando control scheme that can switch channels in the proper times.Item δ15n in mollusk shells as a potential paleoenvironmental proxy for nitrogen loading in chesapeake bay(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Black, Heather Dawn; Andrus, C. Fred T.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaCrassostrea virginica is one of the most common oyster species in North America and is frequently found in archaeological sites and sub-fossil deposits, especially in the eastern US. Although there have been several sclerochronological studies on δ13C and δ18O in the shells of this species, little is known about δ15N stored within the shells, which could potentially be a useful paleoenvironmental proxy to determine nitrogen loading and the subsequent anthropogenic impacts within an area. In order to potentially serve as paleoenvironmental proxies for N loading, bivalve shells' organic matter needs to remain chemically unaltered. Since ancient peoples cooked most archaeological shells before depositing them in shell middens, it is necessary to determine if prehistoric cooking methods alter either %N or δ15N stored within the shells. Twenty C. virginica oysters and twenty-two Mercenaria spp. clams were treated to five different prehistoric cooking methods: direct exposure to hardwood coals, roasting above hardwood coals, roasting in a dry oven, boiling in freshwater, or boiling in seawater. Each shell was bisected through the resilifer with one half treated with one of the five prehistoric cooking methods and the remaining half serving as a control. With the exception of roasting above the hardwood coals, prehistoric cooking methods do not significantly alter either %N or δ15N within the shells. Those shells roasted above the coals were typically enriched in both %N and δ15N , which is likely an effect of smoke coming from the hardwood coals and infiltrating pore spaces within the outer layers of the shell. Ninety archaeological C. virginica shells ranging in age from ~120 to 3,400 years old and thirty-two modern C. virginica shells were collected in Chesapeake Bay at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. One valve from each shell was sub-sampled and the calcite powder was analyzed (without acidification pretreatment) using an EA-IRMS system equipped with a CO2 trap to determine the %N and δ15N content of the shells. Comparison of %N and δ15N in C. virginica shells from the six different time periods studied show relatively constant values from ~3,400 years ago to 1820 AD. Between 1820 and 1890, there are rapid increases in both %N and δ15N in the shells, which continue to exponentially increase in value to the modern shells. The increases in %N and δ15N are correlated with increased anthropogenic impact due to human population, sewage discharge, and urbanization in Chesapeake Bay at this time. Therefore, it is likely that C. virginica shells can be used as a paleoenvironmental proxy to measure the anthropogenic impact of a specific area over time. However, the constant, relatively low %N and δ15N values from ~3,400 years ago to 1820 AD compared to the increased N concentrations and enriched δ15N shells from the modern periods could be influenced by diagenetic alteration of the shell after burial in the midden. It is possible that the shells are losing N and preferentially losing 15N over time. More research is necessary to determine if bivalve shells are geochemically stable with regard to N over time or if diagenesis is likely to have occurred in these shells.Item A back-mix reactor system for the sulfonation of benzene(University of Alabama Libraries, 1975) Hart, David RItem A canonical study of locus of control and cultural participation among adolescents receiving special education services(University of Alabama Libraries, 1977) Mabry, Charlotte GaffordItem A case study of the speeches of the Birmingham, Alabama, Populist Party Convention, September 15-16, 1892(University of Alabama Libraries, 1952) Booras, Mary AItem A clarification of the term curriculum and its value referents(University of Alabama Libraries, 1971) Paige, AnnaItem A cloud chamber search for sub-ionizing particles(University of Alabama Libraries, 1958) Haque, Md. BazlulItem A comparative analysis of a nongraded and graded primary program(University of Alabama Libraries, 1973) Reid, Ben CItem A comparative analysis of manpower mobilization in Great Britain and the United States during World War II(University of Alabama Libraries, 1958) White, Rudolph AlbertItem A comparative analysis of perceptions concerning contributing factors to successful continuing education programs in emerging state institutions(University of Alabama Libraries, 1978) May, John P.Item A comparative analysis of selected member schools of the Association of Colombian Bi-National Schools and selected non-American schools in the same cities(University of Alabama Libraries, 1972) Sokol, Robert JItem A comparative analysis of the financial status of the Decatur City School System, 1957-1958 to 1966-1967(University of Alabama Libraries, 1969) McGee, Jerry CantrellItem A comparative analysis of three methods of teaching educational psychology(University of Alabama Libraries, 1978) Lee, Mickey MItem A comparative financial analysis of Florence city school system and selected school systems(University of Alabama Libraries, 1968) Wood, Freddie Wayne