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Stories, Ann Castellana Holley

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This is a short story collection about someone on the outside reaching in.

African-American Garden Culture: A Study Of Tradition And Translation, Sally Akers Joachim

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Many studies have been done on cultural gardening practices and their resulting forms: a Japanese meditation garden or the Italian use of water elements are two examples. This research revolved around the assumption that African-Americans have distinct ways of expressing their ethnic history, values, and traditions in their built environments. Studies have been conducted in rural areas with African-American subject gardeners; this study investigates the urban and suburban yards and gardens of African-Americans in San Antonio, Texas to leam how cultural heritage affects the design or arrangement of personal space in the city, and to identify physical elements that could …

Interpretative Planning For A Neglected Historic Site In Istabul, Turkey, Ulvi Erhan Erol

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In the 20th Century, war and other misfortunes have taught us to protect our historic and archeological past, in terms of both buildings and landscapes. While the world has already lost much of the past, much remains to be discovered, protected and interpreted. In the small pocket of urban open space located in Istanbul, Turkey that is the subject of this study, for example, the past usage's have been obliterated by contemporary employment of the site for automobile parking. This study presents an alternative way to use the site that takes better advantage of its central location among world-famous antiquities. …

Dark Phoenix: The Representation Of Black Woman In Je Suis Martiniquais By Mayotte Capecia And Mon Examen De Blanc By Jacqueline Manicom, Sybil Shevron Jackson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Black women writers in the French West Indies were conspicuously absent from the literary canon during the negritude movement in the 1940's. Mayotte Capecia was one of the few who managed to write during this time. Capecia was criticized severely for her novel Je suis Martiniquais by Frantz Fanon and accused of betraying her race because of the inter-racial love affair between her heroine and a French soldier. Jacqueline Manicom, her literary descendant who wrote Mon Examen de Blanc in 1972, was ostracized from the medical profession for her political beliefs concerning women's rights.

This dissertation examines images and representation …

Mechanisms Of First Language Forgetting., Ludmila Isurin

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present research explored the processes and mechanisms of first language forgetting from linguistic and psychological perspectives. Two studies, one---a case study, another---a controlled experimental study, yielded evidence on L1 loss. The case study involved a 9 year old Russian girl who was adopted by an American family, brought to the US and completely taken out of a Russian-speaking environment. Over the course of one year, changes in L1 morphology, syntax, and vocabulary were investigated using various tasks, e.g. picture description, picture naming, story telling. Data on L1 retention, L2 acquisition, and reaction time were gathered. The results of the …

An Examination Of The Spaced-Retrieval Technique: A Method To Improve Memory In Older Adults With Probable Alzheimer's Disease., Shannon S. Simmons-D'Gerolamo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this study, we used the spaced-retrieval technique as a mnemonic device for those persons with cognitive deficits such as probable Alzheimer's Disease. Three main goals of this research were to gain insight into the long-term effectiveness of the spaced-retrieval technique, examine ways to enhance the overall effectiveness of the spaced-retrieval technique, and adapt spaced-retrieval for applied use in real-world settings. Results indicated that participants did not show savings-in-relearning over a two year follow-up span, but did show it over a one year and six month span. Results provided modest evidence of the effects of exposure to the target-item orientation …

Hellenism And The Independent Theatre Movement In America., Eric Wiley

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation considers influences of the Greek tradition on the rise of the independent theatres in America during the first quarter of the twentieth century. These influences are of two major kinds, those present in the earlier European independent theatre movement, dating back to 1877, with the creation of the Theâtre Libre in Paris, and those found in the American cultural tradition in general. The American branch of the independent theatre movement harbored from its inception a confluence of both these Hellenist strains, as seen in the work of figures such as Maurice Browne, leader of the Chicago Little Theatre, …

Effects Of Repeated Restraint Stress On Tissue Metabolism In Rats., Jun Zhou

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

It has been reported that repeated restraint stress (RS), 3 hours/day for 3 days, in rats caused sustained weight loss and a temporary drop in daily food intake with no subsequent compensatory overeating during the post stress period. The hypothesis tested in the present study is that RS causes peripheral tissue metabolism changes which account for the abnormal regulation of body weight and food intake during the post stress period. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to control, pair fed (PF) or RS groups. One day after the end of RS, midbrain urocortin mRNA was at control levels in …

Ultrathin Iron Oxide Films On Cu(100)., Jeevananda Karunamuni

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this investigation, I have focused on understanding the structure and morphology of ultrathin iron oxide films and characterizing them by STM and LEED. The room temperature Fe deposition results in a layer by layer growth. The oxidation was accomplished by annealing the sample to 810K in ambient oxygen. Two distinct oxide surface structures were observed depending on initial Fe coverage. For deposited Fe films of less than 2 ML, an oxide layer was formed with preferential growth along two perpendicular directions with a banded coarse and a hexagonal fine superstructure. As the initial Fe coverage above 2 ML, a …

Integral Kernel Operators In The Cochran -Kuo -Sengupta Space., John Joseph Whitaker

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation contains several results about integral kernel operators in white noise analysis. The results found here apply to the space of test functions and generalized functions that were constructed in the paper of Cochran, Kuo, and Sengupta, based on a sequence of numbers &cubl0;an&cubr0; infinityn=0. . We shall prove results about existence, restrictions, and extensions of integral kernel operators based on the conditions on &cubl0;an&cubr0; infinityn=0. contained in the paper of Kubo, Kuo, and Sengupta. Also, we shall prove an analytic property and growth condition of the symbol of a continuous operator in CKS space. Our results are similar …

Influence Of Environment And Genotype On The Expression Of Host Plant Resistance In Sweet Potato To The Sweet Potato Weevil, Cylas Formicarius (Fab.)., Lixin Mao

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to study the influence of environment and genotype on the expression of sweetpotato resistance to the sweetpotato weevil (SPW), Cylas formicarius (Fab.). Roots of four genotypes ("W-244", "W-250", "Beauregard", "Centennial") were evaluated for SPW feeding and oviposition at three different storage times. Roots from Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi were also evaluated. Genotype had a significant effect on feeding and oviposition. Storage time and production sites appeared to affect resistance expression; the outcomes depend on the genotypes. The effect of nitrogen on sweetpotato resistance to SPW was studied. Four genotypes were grown in the …

Evaluation Of A Continuous Performance Test., Sandi Louise Spera

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Continuous performance tests are frequently used to measure attention and impulsivity in children and adults. These instruments are particularly popular for assessing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The ecological validity of continuous performance tests has not yet been established as acceptable (Barkley, 1991). Additionally, questions remain regarding the diagnostic utility of these instruments. This study examined the ecological validity and diagnostic utility of the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT; Conners, 1995). Specifically, the relationship between CPT scores and behavior in a classroom setting was investigated. The ability of the Conners' Continuous Performance Test to discriminate between children who meet DSM-IV criteria …

Estimating The Returns To Investment In Louisiana's Agricultural Research System., Yongli Zhu

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study demonstrates one way in which the combined nonparametric and parametric estimates of returns-to-research can be used to build a stronger argument for public investment in agricultural research. The data used in this study were constructed from time series information covering the period 1949--95. Tornqvist-Theil quantity indices were calculated to determine the implicit state price for each input category. The returns-to-research in Louisiana agriculture were estimated using both nonparametric and parametric estimators, with appropriate emphasis given to lag structures, data coherence, and functional forms. Model misspecification testing for the parametric model was examined. Internal rates of return were calculated …

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 …

Bromoxynil And Pyrithiobac Weed Control Systems In Transgenic Bxn Cotton., Christopher Brett Corkern

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Field studies conducted in 1996 through 1998 evaluated grass control with the graminicides clethodim, fluazifop-P, quizalofop-P, and sethoxydim alone and in combination with bromoxynil. Sequential application of bromoxynil at 1.7 kg ai/ha 7, 3, and 1 day (d) before or 1, 3, and 7 d after each graminicide reduced antagonism of rhizome johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.] control when compared with bromoxynil plus clethodim, fluazifop-P, or quizalofop-P. Antagonism of johnsongrass control associated with bromoxynil and graminicide mixtures reduced cotton yield 17%. A 3 d or greater interval between bromoxynil and graminicide application was necessary to maximize cotton yield. Bromoxynil at …

Sediment And Particulate Organic Carbon Transport Dynamics In The Barataria Basin, Louisiana., John Gregory Booth

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The transport of sediment and particulate organic carbon (POC) in the Barataria Basin was examined using techniques from the fields of geochemistry, remote sensing and environmental modeling. Monthly (deposition) and decadal (burial) rates of sediment and POC transport were quantified from bottom sediment samples. Sediment and POC deposition rates, based on 7Be inventories, ranged from -1.6E3 to 1.42E4 g m-2 yr-1 and 122 to 1066 g C m-2 yr-1, respectively. Sediment and POC burial rates, based on excess 210Pb down-core distributions, ranged from 3.8E2 to 2.0E3 g m-2 yr-1 and 27 to 37 g C in 2 yr-1, respectively. Deposition …

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 …

Effects Of 4 X 4 Block Scheduling On Student Discipline, Faculty Collegiality, And Obstacles To Teaching In Louisiana High Schools., Mary Helen Smith Mccoy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

During the last decade, the allocation of time emerged as an important reform initiative in secondary schools. For nearly a century, secondary school students attended approximately six to seven classes daily. In the early 1990s, more flexible scheduling configurations were proposed, including block scheduling. One block scheduling format, known as 4 x 4, allows students to attend four classes daily for 90-minute blocks of time. Block scheduling advocates claimed benefits for students, teachers, instructional innovation, and school climate, but provided little empirical base for these claims. The present study examined the effects of 4 x 4 block scheduling on four …

Single And Combined Effects Of Nematode Communities And Pythium Arrhenomanes On The Growth And Yield Of Sugarcane In Louisiana., Jason Payton Bond

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A survey conducted from May 1995 through August 1998 revealed diverse nematode communities in sugarcane fields in Louisiana. High populations of Mesocriconema, Paratrichodorus, Pratylenchus, and Tylenchorhynchus were widespread in nine sugarcane production parishes. Comparisons of plant cane and ratoon sugarcane crops indicated that nematode community levels increase significantly in successive ratoon crops. Greenhouse experiments evaluated the susceptibility of sugarcane cultivars to a nematode community comprised of Mesocriconema xenolax, Paratrichodorus minor, and Tylenchorhynchus annulatus. Across years (1995 and 1996) and cultivars (CP 65--357, CP 70--321, LCP 82--89, HoCP 85--845, and LCP 86--454), plant height, shoot length, top and root dry weight, …

Path Analysis Of Psychosocial Models Of Binge Eating In Obesity., Leslie Garl Womble

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to test a cross-sectional psychosocial etiological model of binge eating in obesity using path analysis. Depression, dietary restraint, self-esteem, weight cycling, history of teasing, body dissatisfaction, concern for physical appearance, negative perception of physical appearance, media exposure, and social pressure to maintain a thin ideal were 'state' social learning constructs that were tested as correlates of binge eating. Personality variables such as neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were stable 'trait' variables that were tested as correlates. The study sample was 808 adults, including 444 women with a mean age of 33.35 (SD = 13.60) …

Parental Participation In A Title I Family Literacy Program: Results From A Mixed -Model Study., Karen Boudreaux

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A family literacy, Title I program was studied to determine the attitudes and beliefs which affect parental participation in a family literacy program. The theoretical framework of cultural capitol assumed that parents who chose to participate in a family literacy program possess different components in their cultural capitol than parents who choose not to participate. There were 3 Hypotheses and 6 Study Questions which guided this parallel mixed model study with dominant (qualitative)-less dominant (quantitative) design. A Title I Family Literacy Program located in a large, urban, public school system was the study site. The sample size consisted of 40 …

Characterization Of A Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Large Envelope Glycoprotein Gene And Its Product., Xiaochun Wang

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The goal of this project was to determine the genome organization, replication strategy and identification of the large envelope glycoprotein (GL) gene of simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV). This virus is the fourth member of the new virus family Arteriviridae. The 3' end of the RNA genome from the prototype isolate of SHFV was cloned and sequenced. This 6,314 nucleotide (nt) sequence consisted of nine complete overlapping open reading frame (ORFs 2, 2a, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9). At the 5' end of this sequence is a partial ORF, ORF 1b, and the 3' end is a …

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 …

Expecting Women: Constructing The Pregnant Woman In Twentieth Century United States And British Dramatic Representation., Amelia Lynn Cuomo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Pregnancy and issues surrounding pregnancy such as paternity and legitimacy have been presented in Western Drama since its inception. Pregnancy in the modern era, however, has become a complex issue. Abortion, birth control, and the advent of new reproductive technologies (such as in vitro fertilization) alter understandings of reproduction. This study explores twentieth century British and U.S. dramatic representations of the pregnant woman and analyzes how pregnant women are constructed in drama. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One explores four plays by male playwrights: Harley Granville Barker's Waste, Eugene O'Neill's "Abortion," and Sidney Kingsley's Men in White …

You Can't Imagine This Life. Diaries And Letters Of A Southern-Jewish Grande Dame, Josephine Joel Heyman, 1901-1993., Cynthia Betty Levy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Josephine "Jo" Joel Heyman (1901--1993) provides an intimate and touching record of twentieth century upper-middle-class Atlanta-Jewish life through her teenage and young adult diaries and letters. Through her autobiographical writings, this twentieth century Southern-Jewish woman's regional, ethnic, and gender identities are revealed. Mrs. Heyman, an influential civic leader in Atlanta, Georgia, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College. She began writing diaries as a child to express her private feelings and thoughts, and as a young adult she wrote letters from college to her future fiance. The backdrop of her personal story is the story of the Southern-Jewish community, which …

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. …

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict, Situational Formality, And Personality As Causes Of Interpersonal Equivocation., Richard Steven Bello

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the causes of a widespread and important communication phenomenon, interpersonal equivocation. Literature is reviewed which shows clearly that a sufficient cause of interpersonal equivocation is situational avoidance-avoidance conflict, but also which suggests the possibility of additional situational (formality of social setting) and trait (self-monitoring) precursors of equivocation. Using a questionnaire technique, participants were asked to imagine themselves in three different interpersonal situations, which were manipulated to vary the level of situational formality. In addition, in each situation, they were asked to respond to a question from their hypothetical conversational partner. These questions were designed to manipulate the …

The Values-Ethical Dimension: Do Bsw Students In State-Supported And Religiously Affiliated Programs Differ?, Wade Milton Tyler

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Although an important aspect of any baccalaureate social work program is the inculcation of social work values, there has not been an abundance of studies in this area. Many of those that exist have been criticized for their methodology in measuring values. It is appropriate to examine that which has been termed the "fulcrum" of social work practice relative to the educational processes which purport to put that fulcrum in place. The purpose of this study was to compare BSW students in religiously-affiliated institutions of higher education with those in state-supported institutions on three dimensions: adherence to social work values, …

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 …

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 …