This study of adoption procedures in Tarrant County, Texas provides evidence with which the program in Tarrant County may be evaluated. In addition, the study outlines a general idea of the adequacy or inadequacy of the adoption statutes of Texas.

The study proposes to analyze the tax sources of the State of Texas and to evaluate these sources on the basis of certain principles of sound taxation.

The object of writing this thesis was to present a brief history of the development of Texas minerals other than petroleum and sulphur.

The National Guard in America began in the Revolutionary War. The Texas units resulted from the earlier concept and emerged in 1835 to resist Mexican oppression. Following achievement of statehood, Texas militiamen served in the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. As the twentieth century began, Texans had a long history of service in reserve military organizations in spite of a prevailing attitude of contempt for citizen soldiers held by influential regular army officials.

The Recent as represented on the Texas coast may be separated chronologically into the Ingleside, Alazan, and Post-Alazan or Present times. Each subdivision is associated with a major climatic fluctuation, the Ingleside and Post-Alazan with the “first and second climate optimums”, respectively, and the Alazan with the “Little Ice Age”. Characteristic of the Ingleside and Present times, and possibly of Alazan time, are the associated coastal barrier and lagoon systems. The physiographic features of the Present coastal barrier system forming the outer Texas coast, manifest a direct relation to the climatic characteristics of the Present, favoring onshore movement of sediments. The sediments carried by mainland streams to the bay systems, then moved through the barrier passes by tidal currents, and contributed to a southwestward moving longshore current. Wave transport and eddy action transfer the sediments to an inshore drift current, which is reversible in direction with the longshore component of the local wind. The direction of the inshore drift current affects directly the orientation of foreshore features: spits, bays between cusps, and the associated backwash channels and ripple marks. Three basic profiles representing calm, normal, and storm wind conditions result from secretion or removal of beach sediments. Hurricanes, occurring at any one locality on the Texas coast about once every 25 years, produce great waves that flood the barrier system in the region where the storm track crosses the coastline. A hurricane flood flattens low foredunes, breaks through gaps in higher foredunes, forms washover fans and temporary passes, and carries the material across the island channels, depositing the sediments in front of back dune fields and in the lagoon. The dry portion of the present wind regime (that free of precipitation) transports the Gulf beach sands inland over the barrier system. Precipitation, occurring more often with northerly winds than with southerly winds, reduces the effect of the former on sand movement. SE is the prevailing wind direction and also the resultant effective direction causing Aeolian movement of sand over the barrier system, producing an over-all resultant NW movement. Blowout tongues, barchans, and seif dunes of the barrier system, also the dune fields and wind-cut ridges and furrows of the mainland, have developed trends in agreement with the NW direction of Aeolian sand movement. The NW trends are superimposed on a sand sheet that centers at 27°N latitude on the mainland and extends W from Laguna Madre. The sand sheet was probably the product of a different wind regime because of its non-agreement with the present direction of sand movement. A gradual change of physiographic features southwestward along the coast is the direct result of the different degrees of sand movement corresponding with a climatic range from humid in the vicinity of Sabine Pass to semi-arid on northern Padre Island. Desert-type dunes, the seifs and barchans typical of the great ergs of the world, are found in the semi-arid portion of the Texas barrier system. Of the entire continental shores of the United States, only along the Texas shores do such dunes develop for no other shore in the United States approaches the same degree of aridity. / text

Dr. Jim Luecke, a rural family physician in Alpine, Texas, is one of six doctors responsible for thousands of patients across a sprawling 25,000 square foot remote region of the state. He is a community doctor that travels between three towns to treat patients with various illnesses, injuries and income levels. But his type of general medicine is a dying practice in Texas, especially in rural areas. Texas, with a primary care and family physician shortage likely to get worse over the next several years, faces continued obstacles in providing access to quality healthcare in some of its most isolated areas. Luecke, while he embodies some of the challenges that come with practicing rural medicine, is in some ways an exception to those challenges. / text

The purpose of the research was to treat immunodeficient mice, implanted with colon-25 tumors, with continuous and interrupted electrochemical therapy (ECT). ECT involves the placement of two electrodes, an anode near the center of the tumor and a cathode into the tumor periphery. A constant voltage is applied across the electrodes for a given period of time. The data showed that the interrupted and continuous ECT resulted in a decrease in mean tumor growth as compared to that of the sham controls. The histology of both ECT groups showed an increase presence of large vacuoles, randomly distributed tumor cells as well as the presence of "crevicing" in the medullary tissue. The differential leukocyte counts showed a distinct neutrophilia and lymphopenia in all groups at day 20 post tumor implantation. The results from the experimental groups appeared to support the findings of previous investigators.

Assessment of aquatic plant selection by waterfowl has been conducted during the winters of 1997-2000 on 49 0.2-0.79 ha research ponds in north central Texas. Ponds were categorized by dominant plant species into eight habitat types. Census with waterfowl species identification were performed to investigate impacts of aquatic vegetation and water depth on waterfowl. Eighteen waterfowl species were observed. Peak migration occurred in late December/early January. Mixed native ponds and mixed native/hydrilla ponds were the most frequently selected habitat types. The study included correlation analysis between pond water levels and waterfowl use. Full ponds received greatest use followed by half full ponds, while almost empty ponds received minimal use. Time activity budgets were conducted on waterfowl utilizing mixed native and hydrilla ponds to compare waterfowl time partitioning on native aquatic vegetation versus hydrilla. Although only minor differences were found in time budgets, social status appears to be strongly related to habitat selection. Ducks on native ponds were paired (86%), conversely no ducks on hydrilla ponds were paired. Hydrilla pond although frequently utilized, were populated by lower status birds mostly single hens.

In their efforts to make the selection and hiring process more efficient, school administrators utilize teacher selection instruments such as the Web-based TeacherInsight™ assessment tool (The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ). Tools such as these instruments are now used regularly by school systems across the nation to assess teachers regarding their knowledge, talents, skills, attitudes, and values. According to Gallup, the TeacherInsight is a predictor of teacher talent and is based on 12 themes. This study utilized 132 elementary and secondary teachers and approximately 4,500 students currently enrolled in Grades 3 through 11 to determine if the TeacherInsight is a predictor of student achievement. This study considered: (1) the relationship between the TeacherInsight and student achievement as measured by the Texas Growth Index (TGI); (2) the relationship between teacher characteristics (years of experience, level [primary or secondary], gender, age, degree) and the TeacherInsight instrument; (3) the relationship between teacher characteristics (years of experience, level [primary or secondary], gender, age, degree) and student achievement as measured by the TGI; and (4) the relationship between student classifications (limited English proficient, economically disadvantaged, at-risk) and student achievement as measured by the TGI. The analyses found a very weak positive relationship between the TeacherInsight and student achievement using the TGI in the subjects of English/ reading and math. Additional analysis based on levels (primary and secondary) between TeacherInsight scores and TGI values were not significant. Teacher characteristics were poor predictors of scores on the TeacherInsight. Of the characteristics, years of teaching experience was the strongest predictor of scores on the TeacherInsight. Although the overall analyses indicated significant relationships, they were very weak for both English/reading and math. Teacher characteristics were also poor predictors of student achievement. Again, the overall analysis indicated a significant but weak relationship for both English/reading and math. When considering the relationship between student classifications of LEP, economically disadvantaged, and at-risk, only at-risk had a weak relationship to student achievement. The findings provide little support to the validity of TeacherInsight in terms of its ability to predict student achievement scores and its usefulness as a tool for the selection of teachers by school systems. Until more extensive research is completed on the TeacherInsight and its impact on student achievement, no definitive answers for school systems can be made. Suggestions and recommendations for future studies are provided in the discussion section.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of alternative school intervention on subsequent student performance. The literature review examined the history and development of alternative schools, the legislation pertaining to alternative schools, and related studies. The population consisted of students placed in the discipline alternative education program (DAEP) of an alternative school located in a large suburban school district in north Texas. Students placed in DAEP in the spring semester of 2001 in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 were included in the sample. Data on student success was gathered for the one semester prior to placement (pre-intervention) and for the two semesters after placement (post-intervention). Student success was measured in terms of course grade averages and attendance. The student sample was divided into the following subgroups: grade level, sex, ethnicity, and qualification for the school meal program. The students' grade averages were compared within the subgroups utilizing a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Tukey's post hoc comparison was utilized on the groups when ANOVA was found to be significant. The students' attendance was analyzed by comparing the proportion of days attended in each of the three semesters included in the study. A normal test of two independent means was conducted on the attendance proportions. The results of the study indicated the following significant findings (p <. 05): the eighth-grade students' grade averages were significantly lower in the second post-treatment semester, the 7th-grade students had lower attendance in the first post-treatment semester, the 8th-grade students had lower attendance in the second post-treatment semester, and the 10th-grade students had higher attendance in the first post-intervention semester. The female students' attendance was higher in both post-intervention semesters and significantly higher in the second. A discussion of the dropout rate for this group and recidivism to DAEP was included.