abstract: Concert bands as we know them today started in the nineteenth century. The repertoire at that time consisted primarily of orchestral transcriptions penned almost exclusively by people who identified as white male. In the twentieth century, even as the creation of original works for concert band became common place, the rate of compositions written by someone other than a white male was minimal. Composers from other communities were seldom played or introduced into the canon. Today, the instances of concerts including only white male composers are increasingly rare. Diverse and innovative programming have become much more the norm and the opportunities for composers from underrepresented communities have never been greater. This project describes the commissioning and recording process of six new compositions for concert band from composers of traditionally underrepresented communities and backgrounds. And since several of the pieces are playable by public school bands, it also includes a pedagogically-based performance guide for each work. / Dissertation/Thesis / Bahay Kubo for Wind Ensemble by Francisco Javier de Alba / !? (interrobang) by Janet Song Kim / Shearwater for Wind Ensemble by Emily McPherson / Reflections for Concert Band by Cait Nishimura / Allied with Pride for Concert Band by Cody Ray / Incendio for Concert Band by Kristian Rodriguez / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

No description available.

I examine whether and how racially/ethnically diverse board impacts the quality of reported earnings. Agency theory suggests that the board of directors acts as a robust governance mechanism to reduce opportunistic managerial behavior that may harm shareholders' wealth. Further, diversity coalesces a variety of attributes from different directors that are valuable in predicting organizational outcomes. The majority of extant literature focuses on gender-diverse boards and various firm outcomes, while little is known about how directors' race/ethnicity affects earnings quality. Using a sample of firms publicly traded in the U.S., I find that increased board racial/ethnic diversity is associated with better earnings quality as proxied by lower discretionary accruals and lower probability of internal control weaknesses and financial statement restatements. I further examine whether firms with increased diversity (racial/ethnic and gender diversity) enjoy incrementally higher earnings quality than other firms. However, I fail to find support that racial/ethnic and gender intersectionality is associated with improved earnings quality. Lastly, based on critical mass theory, I test whether an industry descriptive norm is necessary for firms to enjoy increased earnings quality. I find that racial/ethnic directors have a meaningful impact on a firm's earnings quality regardless of the level of diversity; even firms with lower than the industry descriptive norm of racial/ethnic diversity enjoy improved earnings quality. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Purpose: The study aims to investigate whether female representation on corporate boards impacts company financial and non-financial performance. Existing studies show conflicting results regarding the impact that female representation on the boards of directors may have on financial and non-financial performance, namely social and environmental performance. Studies suggest that critical mass may influence the impact that a woman on the board may have on company performance. Existing studies have observed behavioural changes in female directors when there are three or more women on the board compared to when there are less than three women on the board. The study will explore the effects of critical mass on the impact of board female representation on firm performance. Furthermore, studies posit that singlecountry studies contribute to conflicting results due to the influence of country-level factors. Country-level factors (including cultural norms, gender parity in terms of educational attainment, economic employment and opportunity) may influence the level of impact that female representation on the boards of directors have on company performance. Thus, this study explores whether country-level factors influence the impact of board female representation on company performance. Design: Using a linear mixed regression, an analysis of female representation (as measured by the percentage of women on the board and critical mass) of the top 100 listed companies from Australia, Japan and South Africa between financial and nonfinancial performance during 2016 to 2018 is performed. Both accounting and market measures are used to determine a holistic measure of financial performance. Nonfinancial performance is measured using a social and environmental performance score. To determine the influence of country level factors, interaction terms are used to compare the level of impact that female representation on the boards of directors have on company performance between Australia, Japan and South Africa. In addition, an analysis of the mean female representation by country is conducted to understand the existing level of female representation per country. Findings: The descriptive statistics show that female representation was highest in Australia with an average of 29% over the three-year period; South Africa was at 22% and Japan at only 7%, demonstrating that each country in the study has varying levels of female representation on the boards of directors. The regression results show that female representation on boards of directors, as measured by the percentage of women on the board, is shown to have a positive and significant relationship with accounting performance, market performance and social performance. Critical mass of female representation on corporate boards is shown to positively and significantly influence financial performance but has little impact on non-financial performance. Conversely, country-level factors do not significantly influence the level of impact of female representation on performance measures. However, the descriptive statistics suggest that country-level factors are shown to influence the number of women on the boards of directors. Originality and Value: This study is relevant to shareholders and stakeholders when considering board composition and the value of gender diversity on corporate boards for both financial and non-financial performance. In addition, this study aids the understanding of the current status of female representation on boards of directors. The study adds to the existing body of research by exploring the influence of critical mass and country-level factors on the impact of board gender diversity on company performance. Lastly, the study is relevant to regulators and policy-makers as it highlights factors which contribute to increased female representation on corporate boards.

There has been a widespread assessment of the capacity of grasslands to restore after several forms of disturbance. In South Africa forestry is a significant habitat disturbance within the Eastern Highveld grasslands where this study was conducted. The study compared ant communities between disturbed grasslands that have been rehabilitated after pine forestry and undisturbed grasslands. Ant sampling was conducted using pitfall traps within rehabilitated sites of age 10 years to 40 years and undisturbed grassland sites. We expected that exposure to pine plantations would result in remarkable differences in ant species richness, assemblages and abundance. A total of 17 genera and 31 morphospecies were collected; 25 species within the rehabilitated and 22 species from the undisturbed grasslands. The sites did not show any significant differences in their species richness, although they had distinctive species assemblages. Ant diversity showed recovery with increasing age after pine with older sites (38 years and 40 years) showing higher diversity compared to the younger sites especially the 10 year old site. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc (Environmental Ecology))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Zoology and Entomology / Unrestricted

Millions of people in South Africa watch television commercials on a daily basis. Advertising either shapes or reflects society. Either way, the relationship between diversity in advertising agencies and the diversity reflected in the work they produce is important in South Africa. This research is exploratory and qualitative. Four case studies were conducted which entailed four campaigns (two from each agency) and two clients (one per agency). There were ten commercial outputs from the four campaigns. Content analysis was conducted on the commercials with particular reference to the portrayal of age, gender and race. Creative team members from each of the four creative teams were interviewed, as well as other staff from agency and the clients. In total 27 in-depth interviews were conducted. Cross case analysis sought to identify relationships between creative team level diversity and multiculturalism in creative outputs, as well as emerging themes or explanatory factors. This revealed that creative teams’ race and gender diversity appeared to have an influence on the portrayal of race and gender in television commercials. Age in advertising agencies and agency creative outputs was consistently youthful across all four campaigns. Market segmentation and targeting using age, gender and race emerged as a contributory factor. Diversity in creative teams appeared to have an influence on the depiction of diversity in commercials, and larger more diverse teams emerged as a possible mechanism for targeting multicultural audiences. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Aquatic primary productivity mainly depends on pelagic phytoplankton. The globally abundant marine picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus comprises a significant fraction of the photosynthetic biomass in most tropical, oligotrophic oceans. The Red Sea is an enclosed narrow body of water characterized by continuous solar irradiance, and negligible annual rainfall, in addition to elevated temperatures and salinity levels, which mimics a global warming scenario. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences of bacterioplankton communities indicated the predominance of a high-light adapted ecotype (HL II) of Prochlorococcus at the surface of the Northern and Central Red Sea. To this end, we analyzed the distribution of Prochlorococcus at multiple depths within and below the euphotic zone in different regions of the Red Sea, using clone libraries of the 16S–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Results indicated a high diversity of Prochlorococcus ecotypes at the 100 m depth in the water column and an unusual dominance of HL II-related sequences in deeper waters of the Red Sea. To further investigate the microdiversity of Prochlorococcus over a wider biogeographical scope, we used a 454-pyrosequencing approach to analyze rpoC1 gene pyrotags. Samples were collected from the surface of the water column to up to 500 m at 45 stations that span the Red Sea’s main basin from 4 north to south. Phylogenetic analysis of abundant rpoC1 OTUs revealed genotypes of recently discovered strains that belong to the high-light and lowlight clades. In addition, we used a rapid community-profiling tool (GraftM) and quantitatively analyzed rpoC1 gene abundance from 45 metagenomes to assess the Prochlorococcus community structure across vertical and horizontal physicochemical gradients. Results revealed the clustering of samples according to their depth and a strong influence on ecotypic distribution by temperature and oxygen levels. In efforts to better understand how the cells survive the unusual features of the Red Sea, a Prochlorococcus strain of the HL II adapted clade from the euphotic zone was cultured, enabling morphological analyses and growth rates measurements for the strain. In addition, we successfully sequenced and annotated the genome of the strain, which was then used for genomic comparison with other ecotypes. Interestingly, the set of unique genes identified in the draft genome included genes encoding proteins involved in salt tolerance mechanisms. The expression level and pattern of these genes in the Red Sea water column was explored through metatranscriptomic mapping and revealed their occurrence throughout, independent of the diel cycle. This led to the hypothesis that Prochlorococcus populations in the highly saline Red Sea are able to biosynthesize additional compatible solutes via several pathways to counterbalance the effects of salt stress. The results presented in this dissertation provide the first glimpse on how the environmental parameters of the Red Sea can affect the evolution, diversity and distribution patterns of Prochlorococcus ecotypes.

<p></p><p>A significant body of work has demonstrated the importance of diversity and representation in racial and ethnic minority jobseekers’ organizational judgements. While representation is often conceptualized as the general percentage or count of underrepresented minorities (URM) within an organization, a broader definition has been proposed that distinguishes this general or numerical representation from hierarchical representation which considers the placement of those URM employees within an organization. Although the separate effects of these two forms of representation have been evaluated, the present study extends on earlier work by considering the interactive effect. Additionally, the current research considered a potential mechanism to explain the influence of these forms of representation on URM’s organizational judgements. As expected, results showed that an organization depicting more URM employees (high numerical representation) and including Black leadership personnel (hierarchical representation) increased URM’s identity-safety relative to those which had low numerical representation and only White leadership. Moreover, and importantly, both representation effects could be explained indirectly via feelings of anticipated tokenism. </p><br><p></p>

Pyrimidine salvage pathways are essential to all cells. They provide a balance of RNA synthesis with the biosynthetic pathway in pyrimidine prototrophs and supply all the pyrimidine requirements in auxotrophs. While the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway is found in almost all organisms and is nearly identical throughout nature, the salvage pathway often differs from species to species, with aspects of salvage seen in every organism. Thus significant taxonomic value may be ascribed to the salvage pathway. The pyrimidine salvage pathways were studied in 55 microorganisms. Nine different salvage motifs, grouped I-IX, were identified in this study based on the presence of different combinations of the following enzymes: cytidine deaminase (Cdd), cytosine deaminase (Cod), uridine phosphorylase (Udp), uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (Upp), uridine hydrolase (Udh), nucleoside hydrolase (Nuh), uridine/cytidine kinase (Udk), 5'-nucleotidase and CMP kinase (Cmk).

Thesis advisor: Ana Martínez Alemán / Persistent critiques regarding the lack of racial diversity in higher education have sparked institutions to implement an array of diversity programs and policies. In concert, states have crafted policies mandating the benchmarking and reporting of institutional diversity efforts. These policies have resulted in the development of institutional reports that both monitor an institution's efforts and highlight aspirations. The increased focus on diversity has occurred within the landscape of shifting institutional diversity. The diversification of institution type is exemplified by the growth in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), which in the past 20 years, have doubled and grown to educate over 60 percent of Latinx students (Galdeano, Hurtado, & Núñez, 2015). This dissertation considers unaddressed questions regarding diversity discourse within diversity plans and key institutional artifacts HSIs. Specifically, it examines the characterizations of racial diversity, how the discourse of race informs campus framing of Latinx students as raced subjects, and how policy problems and solutions are constructed within these institutions. Engaging critical discourse analysis, this study examines the diversity, equity, or inclusion report at 24 public institutions located in three distinct policy environments - Florida, New York, and California. Through a critical race theory framework, this work explores the discourse of racial diversity at these institutions. Key finding from this study includes the ways in which the diversity plans serve to both lay a foundation for a shared definition of diversity but, in so doing, advance the erasure and essentialization of various identities resulting in a narrow characterization of Latinx. Additionally, the research illustrates how institutions leverage their HSI identity for financial gains. Given the national discourse of advancing racial diversity in higher education, this research presents findings on the current landscape as well as provides recommendations for practitioners aiming to promote the construction of diversity policy that can deliver on this agenda. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.