Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Louisiana State University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 7951 - 7980 of 9875

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Portraits Of Teachers: The Professional And Personal Characteristics Of Twelve Primary Teachers., Veronica Faye White Jan 1999

Portraits Of Teachers: The Professional And Personal Characteristics Of Twelve Primary Teachers., Veronica Faye White

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the personal and professional characteristics of six teachers who reported high developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices and six teachers who reported low developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices. The sample was identified using teachers' scores on a self-reported survey measure of developmentally appropriate practice based on the 1987 guidelines by NAEYC. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with open-ended questions. By providing an in-depth description as a literary portrait of each teacher, this study provides insight into the beliefs and practical knowledge that inform the teaching practices of 12 primary grade teachers. A …

Go to article

Numerical Simulation And Experimental Verification Of Cone Penetration Rate And Anisotropy In Cohesive Soils., Daekyu Kim Jan 1999

Numerical Simulation And Experimental Verification Of Cone Penetration Rate And Anisotropy In Cohesive Soils., Daekyu Kim

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research focuses on the effects of cone penetration rate and anisotropy on the results of piezocone penetration and subsequent dissipation tests. Finite element analyses, and miniature piezocone penetration and dissipation tests in a calibration chamber were performed, then the results were compared. The anisotropic elastoplastic-viscoplastic; bounding surface model was chosen as a soil model and it was implemented into a computer program, ANCALBR8. The isotropic/anisotropic triaxial compression, creep tests, and oedometer tests were performed to determine the model parameter values and verify the model. The model showed very good agreement with the triaxial test results. The theoretical formulation was …

Go to article

Thickness Of Knots, R. A. Litherland, J. Simon, O. Durumeric, E. Rawdon Jan 1999

Thickness Of Knots, R. A. Litherland, J. Simon, O. Durumeric, E. Rawdon

Faculty Publications

Classical knot theory studies one-dimensional filaments; in this paper we model knots as more physically "real", e.g., made of some "rope" with nonzero thickness. A motivating question is: How much length of unit radius rope is needed to tie a nontrivial knot? For a smooth knot K, the "injectivity radius" R(K) is the supremum of radii of embedded tubular neighborhoods. The "thickness" of K, a new measure of knot complexity, is the ratio of R(K) to arc-length. We relate thickness to curvature, self-distance, distortion, and (for knot types) edge-number. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Go to article

Image Segmentation With A Finite Element Method, Blaise Bourdin Jan 1999

Image Segmentation With A Finite Element Method, Blaise Bourdin

Faculty Publications

The Mumford-Shah functional for image segmentation is an original approach of the image segmentation problem, based on a minimal energy criterion. Its minimization can be seen as a free discontinuity problem and is based on Γ-convergence and bounded variation functions theories. Some new regularization results, make possible to imagine a finite element resolution method. In a first time, the Mumford-Shah functional is introduced and some existing results are quoted. Then, a discrete formulation for the Mumford-Shah problem is proposed and its Γ-convergence is proved. Finally, some numerical results, computed from both artificial and real images are presented and discussed.

Go to article

The Condition Number Of The Schur Complement In Domain Decomposition, Susanne C. Brenner Jan 1999

The Condition Number Of The Schur Complement In Domain Decomposition, Susanne C. Brenner

Faculty Publications

It is shown that for elliptic boundary value problems of order 2m the condition number of the Schur complement matrix that appears in nonoverlapping domain decomposition methods is of order d h , where d measures the diameters of the subdomains and h is the mesh size of the triangulation. The result holds for both conforming and nonconforming finite elements. -1 -2m+1

Go to article

Balancing Domain Decomposition For Nonconforming Plate Elements, Susanne C. Brenner, Li Yeng Sung Jan 1999

Balancing Domain Decomposition For Nonconforming Plate Elements, Susanne C. Brenner, Li Yeng Sung

Faculty Publications

In this paper the balancing domain decomposition method is extended to nonconforming plate elements. The condition number of the preconditioned system is shown to be bounded by C[1 + ln(H/h)] , where H measures the diameters of the subdomains, h is the mesh size of the triangulation, and the constant C is independent of H, h and the number of subdomains. 2

Go to article

Close-Limit Approximation To Neutron Star Collisions, Gabrielle D. Allen, Jorge A. Pullin Jan 1999

Close-Limit Approximation To Neutron Star Collisions, Gabrielle D. Allen, Jorge A. Pullin

Faculty Publications

We develop a close-limit approximation to the head-on collision of two neutron stars similar to that used to treat the merger of black hole binaries. This approximation can serve as a useful benchmark test for future fully non-linear studies. For neutron star binaries, the close-limit approximation involves assuming that the merged object can be approximated as a perturbed, stable neutron star during the ring-down phase of the coalescence. We introduce a prescription for the construction of initial data sets, discuss the physical plausibility of the various assumptions involved, and briefly investigate the character of the gravitational radiation produced during the …

Go to article

An Overview Of Canonical Quantum Gravity, Jorge Pullin Jan 1999

An Overview Of Canonical Quantum Gravity, Jorge Pullin

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a brief review of current results on the canonical quantization of general relativity using Ashtekar's variables and loop quantization.

Go to article

The Close Limit Of Colliding Black Holes: An Update, Jorge Pullin Jan 1999

The Close Limit Of Colliding Black Holes: An Update, Jorge Pullin

Faculty Publications

This is the writeup of the talk I gave at the Yukawa International Symposium at Kyoto, Japan on June 29, 1999. The talk summarizes the present status of the close limit approximation for colliding black holes.

Go to article

Minor-Equivalence For Infinite Graphs, Bogdan Oporowski Jan 1999

Minor-Equivalence For Infinite Graphs, Bogdan Oporowski

Faculty Publications

Two graphs are minor-equivalent if each is isomorphic to a minor of the other. In this paper, we give structural characterizations of the minor equivalence classes of the infinite full grid GZ×L and of the infinite half-grid GZ×N. A corollary of these results states that every minor of GZ×z that has a minor isomorphic to GZ×N is minor-equivalent to one of GZ×Z or GZ×N. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Go to article

An Empirical Test Of A Structural Model Of The Dispositional Antecedents Of Motivation To Improve Work Through Learning., Sharon Smith Naquin Jan 1999

An Empirical Test Of A Structural Model Of The Dispositional Antecedents Of Motivation To Improve Work Through Learning., Sharon Smith Naquin

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The development and success of employee training programs necessitates employer awareness of the individual differences of their employees that contribute to their motivation to improve work through learning. And, because of the potential benefits associated with employees who are highly trained, employee motivation to improve work through learning should be a chief concern within organizations. Therefore, a better understanding of the relationship between personality type, affectivity, values, level of work commitment and motivation will provide organizations with valuable insights that will enhance training efforts and contribute to the competitiveness and success of organizations. The purpose of this study was to …

Go to article

Analysis Of Non-Linear Formation Fracture Resistance Tests Obtained During Oil Well Drilling Operations., Gursat Altun Jan 1999

Analysis Of Non-Linear Formation Fracture Resistance Tests Obtained During Oil Well Drilling Operations., Gursat Altun

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A leak-off test (LOT), commonly known as formation pressure integrity test (PIT), is a verification method to estimate the fracture pressure of exposed formations. After cementing each casing string, a LOT is run to verify that the casing, cement, and formation below the casing seat can withstand the wellbore pressure required to drill safely to the next casing setting depth. Fracture pressure determined from the test is used as the maximum pressure that may be imposed on that formation. Critical drilling decisions for mud weights, casing setting depths, and well control techniques are based upon the result of a LOT. …

Go to article

Weierstrass Pairs And Minimum Distance Of Goppa Codes., Gretchen L. Matthews Jan 1999

Weierstrass Pairs And Minimum Distance Of Goppa Codes., Gretchen L. Matthews

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

We prove that elements of the Weierstrass gap set of a pair of points may be used to define a geometric Goppa code that has minimum distance greater than the usual lower bound. We determine the Weierstrass gap set of a pair of any two Weierstrass points on a Hermitian curve and use this to increase the lower bound on the minimum distance of certain codes defined using a linear combination of the two points. In particular, we obtain some two-point codes on a Hermitian curve that have better parameters than the one-point code on this curve with the same …

Go to article

Inequalities Between Pythagoras Numbers And Algebraic Ranks In Witt Rings Of Fields., Sidney Taylor Hawkins Jan 1999

Inequalities Between Pythagoras Numbers And Algebraic Ranks In Witt Rings Of Fields., Sidney Taylor Hawkins

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation establishes new lower bounds for the algebraic ranks of certain Witt classes of quadratic forms. Let K denote a field of characteristic different from 2 and let q be a quadratic form over K. The form q is said to be algebraic when q is Witt equivalent to the trace form qL∣K of some finite algebraic field extension L∣K . When q is algebraic, the algebraic rank of q is defined to be the degree of the minimal extension L∣K whose trace form is Witt equivalent to q. It is an important, unsolved problem to find reasonable bounds …

Go to article

On Biodata Construct Validity, Criterion-Related Validity, And Adverse Impact., Michelle Ann Dean Jan 1999

On Biodata Construct Validity, Criterion-Related Validity, And Adverse Impact., Michelle Ann Dean

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the personnel selection technique of biographical information (biodata) in terms of theory, criterion-related validity, and adverse impact. First, the construct validity of biodata was examined to determine if biodata theory was useful in explaining biodata's strong criterion validity. Items from an existing biodata inventory were mapped onto construct domains drawn from Mumford, Stokes, and Owens' (1990) ecology model. Relationships between subjects' biodata responses and training performance was examined for consistency with the model's predictions in an organizational sample. The ecology model did not fit the data well. Follow up exploratory analyses did yield good fit when the …

Go to article

Metals Release From Freshwater And Estuarine Sediments In Thin-Disk Leaching Columns., Tommy Eldridge Myers Jan 1999

Metals Release From Freshwater And Estuarine Sediments In Thin-Disk Leaching Columns., Tommy Eldridge Myers

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Column leaching tests were conducted on two freshwater sediments and two estuarine sediments. Leachate samples were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC), cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, nickel, and zinc. Metal and TOC elution curves for freshwater sediments were fundamentally different from estuarine sediment elution curves. The difference was due to colloid-facilitated transport of metals and TOC in estuarine sediments that was caused by salt washout during leaching with distilled-deionized water. Metals and TOC concentrations in freshwater sediment leachates tended to monotonically decrease from initial pore water concentrations. Leaching of metals and TOC from freshwater sediments was modeled with …

Go to article

Parameter Estimation For The Finite Fourier Distribution In Civil Engineering Application., Ching-Nien Tsai Jan 1999

Parameter Estimation For The Finite Fourier Distribution In Civil Engineering Application., Ching-Nien Tsai

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A solution to a one dimensional diffusion equation applicable to a finite interval was adapted to be a probability distribution function. This distribution function can accommodate various shapes of distribution such as those similar to the uniform, single-modal, and bi-modal distributions. This distribution is bounded at both boundaries. It was named the finite Fourier distribution (FFD) to recognize the form of the distribution. The FFD was extended to include a linear combination of the FFD termed two-component FFD. Monte Carlo simulation technique was used to evaluate four parameter estimation techniques, Method of Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), Method of Moments (MOM), …

Go to article

A Rate Dependent Anisotropic Damage Model For Metal Matrix Composites At Elevated Temperatures., Babur Deliktas Jan 1999

A Rate Dependent Anisotropic Damage Model For Metal Matrix Composites At Elevated Temperatures., Babur Deliktas

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A rate dependent plastic and anisotropic damage model is developed for a metal matrix composite (MMC) system at elevated temperatures. The developed constitutive model will enable one to predict the inelastic response of the composite material at different loading rates at elevated temperatures. The formulation is thermodynamically based using the concept of internal state variables. Two sets of internal variables are introduced into the thermodynamic potential. One set characterizes the viscoplastic behavior of the ductile matrix and its effect on the overall inelastic response of the composite while the second set characterizes the damage for each constituent of the composite. …

Go to article

General Riemann Integrals And Their Computation Via Domain., Bin Lu Jan 1999

General Riemann Integrals And Their Computation Via Domain., Bin Lu

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work we extend the domain-theoretic approach of the generalized Riemann integral introduced by A. Edalat in 1995. We begin by laying down a related theory of general Riemann integration for bounded real-valued functions on an arbitrary set X with a finitely additive measure on an algebra of subsets of X. Based on the theory developed we obtain a formula to calculate integral of a bounded function in terms of the regular Riemann integral. By classical extension theorems on set functions we can further extend this generalized Riemann integral to more general set functions such as valuations on lattices …

Go to article

Tragicomedy: An Attempt At Classification., Jeri Laureen Lowe Jan 1999

Tragicomedy: An Attempt At Classification., Jeri Laureen Lowe

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study has attempted to identify the specificity of tragicomedy in light of the lack of any critical consensus as to its nature by looking at tragicomedy as theatre. Theatre's difference from other genres lies in the importance of the spectator's role in the theatrical event, and it is the premise of this analysis that it is in the role of the spectator that the specificity of tragicomedy is to be identified. Whereas in tragedy and comedy the spectator is made to participate in closure by a well-constructed structure which leads him/her to a conclusion ("catharsis" or "epiphany"), this study …

Go to article

The Applications Of The Method Of Quasi Reversibility To Some Ill-Posed Problems For The Heat Equation., Xueping Ru Jan 1999

The Applications Of The Method Of Quasi Reversibility To Some Ill-Posed Problems For The Heat Equation., Xueping Ru

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work, we study the Cauchy problem for the heat equation, as well as the inverse heat conduction problem, both of which are ill-posed problems in the sense of Hadamard. The first chapter provides the background material about the previous investigations on the ill-posed Cauchy problem for the heat equation and the inverse heat conduction problem by other mathematicians. The method of Quasi-Reversibility is also introduced. In the second chapter we apply the method of Quasi-Reversibility to the Cauchy problem for the heat equation and obtain a formal approximate solution. We prove that the convergence of the approximate solution …

Go to article

Psychometric And Historical Predictors Of Behavior In Incarcerated Female Juvenile Offenders: A Longitudinal Analysis., Michael P. Santa Maria Jan 1999

Psychometric And Historical Predictors Of Behavior In Incarcerated Female Juvenile Offenders: A Longitudinal Analysis., Michael P. Santa Maria

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether factors known to predict recidivism and future misbehavior are useful in predicting behavior of offenders while incarcerated. This study examined the population of all incarcerated and recently released female juvenile offenders in Louisiana (n = 211). Predictive equations were developed based on demographic, offense-related, and psychological test variables including: age, race, age at first offense, number of prior offenses, history of a violent offense, history of physical abuse, history of sexual abuse, history of alcohol abuse, history of drug abuse, IQ, and Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Reading Comprehension …

Go to article

The Effects Of Problem Constraint Analysis On Analogical Transfer., Ann Elizabeth Speed Jan 1999

The Effects Of Problem Constraint Analysis On Analogical Transfer., Ann Elizabeth Speed

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

One primary goal of education, either in the schools or in a training situation, is for the students to use the information learned in the classroom in other relevant situations. This goal of transfer of training proves difficult to attain. Several manipulations used in the literature have increased transfer (Catrambone & Holyoak, 1989; Gick & Holyoak, 1980,1983). However, all of these manipulations are not feasible for real-world use. The current experiments were designed to increase the ecological validity of manipulations and stimuli used previously by providing feedback to participants about their initial solution to a problem. Interestingly, the feedback manipulation …

Go to article

On Harmonic Analysis For White Noise Distribution Theory., Aurel Iulian Stan Jan 1999

On Harmonic Analysis For White Noise Distribution Theory., Aurel Iulian Stan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is composed of two parts, each part treating a different problem from the theory of Harmonic Analysis. In the first part we present an inequality in White Noise Analysis similar to the classical Heisenberg Inequality for functions in L2Rn . To do this we replace the finite dimensional space R n and its Lebesgue measure by the infinite dimensional space E' , which is the dual of a nuclear space E , and its Gaussian measure. Choosing an arbitrary element eta in E , we may define the multiplication operator Q&d5;h , which is the sum between the …

Go to article

Structure And Minors In Graphs And Matroids., Galen Ellsworth Turner Iii Jan 1999

Structure And Minors In Graphs And Matroids., Galen Ellsworth Turner Iii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation establishes a number of theorems related to the structure of graphs and, more generally, matroids. In Chapter 2, we prove that a 3-connected graph G that has a triangle in which every single-edge contraction is 3-connected has a minor that uses the triangle and is isomorphic to K5 or the octahedron. We subsequently extend this result to the more general context of matroids. In Chapter 3, we specifically consider the triangle-rounded property that emerges in the results of Chapter 2. In particular, Asano, Nishizeki, and Seymour showed that whenever a 3-connected matroid M has a four-point-line-minor, and T …

Go to article

Totally Ordered Monoids., Gretchen Wilke Whipple Jan 1999

Totally Ordered Monoids., Gretchen Wilke Whipple

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work, we explore properties of totally ordered commutative monoids---we call them tomonoids. We build on the work in [E]. Our goal is to obtain results that will be useful for studying totally ordered rings with nilpotents. Chapter 1 presents background information. In Chapter 2, we present some criteria for determining when a tomonoid is a quotient of a totally ordered free monoid by a convex congruence. In Chapter 3, we show that every positive tomonoid of rank 2 is a convex Rees quotient of a subtomonoid of a totally ordered abelian group. In Chapter 4, we provide a …

Go to article

The Effects Of Team-Member Attributes On Team Performance: A Model Of Individual Contribution To Team Performance., Joe J. Yum Jan 1999

The Effects Of Team-Member Attributes On Team Performance: A Model Of Individual Contribution To Team Performance., Joe J. Yum

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Although team composition is one of the most frequently studied topics in team research, much remains unknown regarding what attributes to look for when selecting team-members and how these attributes affect team performance. The purpose of this study was to present and to test a theoretical model that depicts how individual attributes affect team-member performance and how team-member performance ultimately affects team performance. The proposed model is based on the integration of research on team and individual performance. From a practical standpoint, understanding the relationships among the variables in the proposed model may be important for the selection of employees …

Go to article

Integrative Approach To Online Quality Management: Process Control And Packout Verification In An Intelligent Manufacturing Workcell., Turuvekere R. Sethumadhava Jan 1999

Integrative Approach To Online Quality Management: Process Control And Packout Verification In An Intelligent Manufacturing Workcell., Turuvekere R. Sethumadhava

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current global competition and the economic situation in the United States and the world is forcing industries to produce quality products quickly and at a competitive price. Many industries are aiming towards world class manufacturing objectives like responsive delivery, defect free product and declining cost. Industries in the present environment can survive and produce the quality products to customer expectations only if they implement new technologies. The key element in the success of industries is using the continuous process improvement strategies like reducing process variability and reducing response time to process deviations. Achieving quality in manufacturing processes is an …

Go to article

An Engineering Equation Of State: Square-Well Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (Saft)., Hertanto Adidharma Jan 1999

An Engineering Equation Of State: Square-Well Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (Saft)., Hertanto Adidharma

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Molecular thermodynamics is an engineering discipline rooted in molecular physics and physical chemistry and aimed at developing practical models that predict the properties of matter. The goal of this work is to develop a molecular thermodynamic model for predicting fluid densities, phase equilibria, and energy functions, such as enthalpy and heat capacity. Chemical engineers need these properties to develop and design new processes and materials, and to make these processes energy efficient and environmentally benign. The approach is to hypothesize a mathematical approximation that captures interactions among real molecules on the basis of a molecular theory called the statistical associating …

Go to article

Helium And Heavy Ion Measurements With The Crres Satellite., Edmund Gary Clayton Jan 1999

Helium And Heavy Ion Measurements With The Crres Satellite., Edmund Gary Clayton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The CRRES satellite was in service from July 1990 to October 1991, during a period of high solar modulation and solar activity. The ONR-604 experiment aboard CRRES measured helium with isotopic resolution in the energy range 38--110 MeV/nucleon, and heavy ions through iron at 200--500 MeV/nucleon. Although solar modulation was high throughout the CRRES mission, the mission included periods of solar quiescence as well as a number of large solar flares and associated solar energetic particle events. Measurements were made of helium and heavy ions during both the quiet times and the flare periods. A study was made to search …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last