Doctoral Recital

List of performers and performances

The Chamber Chorale

Program listing performers and works performed

Master\u27s Recital

List of performers and performances

Community Social Disorganization Theory Applied to Adolescent Academic Achievement

Over the years, the public education system has been transformed by outside political and societal forces to provide an equal opportunity for all students. Investigations of the public education system were not consistent and yielded divergent results on how to improve adolescent academic achievement. These divergent results were caused by different operationalizations of variables, data analytical procedures that possibly provided biased parameter estimates, and a failure to use a comprehensive theory. Although these results were inconsistent, the latest transformation of the public education system currently involves holding schools, administrators, parents, and students accountable for learning. The measurement of success in adolescent academic achievement was reflected by the results of standardized tests. Throughout the relevant literature, a strong link can be found between adolescent development, adolescent academic achievement, and adolescent social deviancy. In past and current research, the community social disorganization theory was used to explain variance in adolescent social deviancy. The purpose of this dissertation was twofold. First was conducting explanatory research using community contextual variables to investigate adolescent academic achievement. Second was the extension of multilevel analyses to investigate the school within its social context of the community. This dissertation employed community social disorganization theory to explain variations in adolescent academic achievement as measured by standardized tests. In addition to employing theory, this dissertation utilized structural equation modeling and multilevel analyses to reduce biased parameter estimates and to investigate the relationships between community contextual variables. These procedures were also used to determine whether contextual variables at the school level or the school district level influenced adolescent academic achievement and which was more significant. The first structural equation model of the school district for school year 1997–98 accounted for 68% of the variance in adolescent academic achievement. This model was replicated on a different school year and it accounted for 75% of the variance in adolescent academic achievement. Next, contextual variables at the school level were modeled and 65% of the variance was accounted for. A multilevel analysis with structural equation modeling was used with both school district and school contextual variables included. Within the school district, 80% of the relative variance in adolescent academic achievement was accounted for and at the between school district level 97% of the relative variance was accounted for. Although these findings of the multilevel analyses should be interpreted cautiously (Bollen, 1989; Gustafsson & Stahl, 2000; Joreskog, 1999b), this study advances the use of multilevel analyses. These strong models hold great promise for investigating adolescent academic achievement using the community social disorganization theory along with appropriate statistical methods of structural equation modeling and multilevel analyses. The multilevel analyses must be replicated with future data to provide confirmation and support of the current results

The Relationship Between Chronic Low Back Pain and Functional Movement

ABSTRACT Movements of the spine are different in those who have chronic low back pain (CLBP) compared to those who do not. By using inertial measurement units (IMUs), we assessed the angular acceleration of L5 and the sacrum in both healthy and CLBP individuals. PURPOSE: To determine if there is a difference in the movement patterns of L5 and the sacrum during spinal flexion in those with CLBP compared to those without. METHODS: Movement acceleration patterns were evaluated in 10 individuals between the ages of 35-65 years of age. 5 of the individuals reported having CLBP so they were categorized into the CLBP group and the other 5 were used as controls since they reported having no LBP. While the subjects were in the standing position, the IMUs were placed on the spinous process of L5 and S1. Participants were then asked to do forward flexion for 6 repetitions as quickly as they were able to. Angular acceleration was determined by using the output given by the gyroscope feature of the IMU. This feature measures changes in angular velocity. Changes in angular velocity were taken over changes in time to calculate angular acceleration ( ). RESULTS: Data showed that there was no statistical difference between the CLBP group and controls for both lumbar (p = 0.90) and sacral (p = 0.68) angular acceleration. CONCLUSION: Our study found that those with CLBP did not have a difference in how their L5 and sacrum moved during spinal flexion compared to those with no LBP. However, spinal flexion was the only movement measured. This could mean there is the possibility that if more movements of the spine were to be measured a difference in movement of L5 and the sacrum could be seen. The IMUs may also not be the best at measuring spinal movement, so a different method of measuring could better help us to determine if movement of the spine is different in CLBP individuals. Further research would need to be done to determine this

Interpreting Schubert Lieder through Transcription: Four Composers’ Techniques in Solo Piano Transcriptions of Lieder from Die schöne Müllerin

Franz Schubert wrote Lieder familiar to many singers and collaborative pianists that were subsequently transcribed for solo piano by other composers. This paper will give a brief introduction to the art of transcription and delve into compositions of four composers who wrote Schubert Lied transcriptions: Godowsky, Rachmaninoff, Thalberg and Smetana. Two Lieder from Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795 have been chosen in order to unify the content and limit the original texts to compare and contrast how each composer handles the material differently. The primary purpose of the research is to offer an interpretive analysis of the transcriptions, including the expansion of piano techniques needed to achieve the layout and timbre of the original Schubert Lieder. Transcription that is carefully crafted to suit the essence of the text can improve the musical understanding of the text, draw both pianists and listeners to revisit the original score and allow for a new and effective aesthetic experience of the original material. The evidence in scores, texts, and translations will be collected. An analysis of transcription techniques will be done in order to reach the goal of interpreting these texts. The secondary purpose of this research is to enrich the repertoire of pianists by discovering Schubert Lieder through the genre of solo piano transcription. While many are familiar with the transcriptions of Schubert Lieder from Franz Liszt, the works offered by other composers for analysis in this paper are lesser known and of enduring value in the genre

Doctoral Recital

Program listing performers and works performe

UNLV Horn Day Recital

Program listing performers and works performed

Computer simulation of shear flows of granular material

The purpose of this paper is to present results from computer simulations of Couette flows of granular materials and to examine the detailed rheological behavior inherent in these simulations. Comparison is made with the experimental results of Bagnold (1954) and Savage and Sayed (1980, 1982) as well as with the various theoretical constitutive models

Grand County Agriculture Profile

This publication includes a report that gives agricultural facts and statistics pertaining to Grand County