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LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

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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 …

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Ernest Renan And The Question Of Race., Jane Victoria Dagon Jan 1999

Ernest Renan And The Question Of Race., Jane Victoria Dagon

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Racism in France can be traced back to the 1560's when the nobles claimed to be of a separate race in order to obtain special rights and privileges. Soon after in the seventeenth century, scientists started to classify humans according to physical features. With the increase in travel, the slave trade, the fear of the unknown and the fear of contamination, these factors along with physiognomy and phrenology encouraged "biological racism." During the second half of the nineteenth century, Ernest Renan (1823--1892) denounces biological racism and the existence of the so-called "pure races." He is also the first dramatist to …

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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 …

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Situational Frequency And Retrieval: The Effect Of Revelation On The Judgments For Occurrence Of Events., Craig Barton Neely Jan 1999

Situational Frequency And Retrieval: The Effect Of Revelation On The Judgments For Occurrence Of Events., Craig Barton Neely

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Only one prior experiment has examined the effect of revelation on situational frequency judgments (Exp. 3, Greene, 1996). In the current study, three experiments examined the effect of revelation on frequency estimation. Experiment 1A and 1B replicated and extended the study done by Greene (1996) by increasing the frequencies of study items from one to eight in both a random (1A) and blocked (1B) design. Experiment 2 examined the relation between the frequency of study items and the degree of distortion of the items revealed at test. A significant effect of revelation was found across frequencies for the three revealed …

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An Evaluation Of Noncontingent Reinforcement Effects As A Function Of Baseline Reinforcement Schedules., Joel Eric Ringdahl Jan 1999

An Evaluation Of Noncontingent Reinforcement Effects As A Function Of Baseline Reinforcement Schedules., Joel Eric Ringdahl

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

An evaluation of fixed-time (FT) schedules and extinction was conducted with children who had mild to severe developmental disabilities. The principal research question was: Does the similarity between baseline (i.e., response-dependent) and FT reinforcement rates make behavior resistant to change? During Phase I for each of 13 participants, a reinforcer assessment was conducted. Those individuals for whom a reinforcement effect was demonstrated continued to Phase II. During Phase II, the effects of FT schedules with either similar or dissimilar reinforcer rates (relative to a response-dependent baseline) and extinction were assessed for each participant. Results suggested that both extinction and FT …

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Effects Of Low-Oxygen Atmosphere On The Growth And Development Of Arabidopsis Thaliana (L.) Heynh., Katrina Maria Ramonell Jan 1999

Effects Of Low-Oxygen Atmosphere On The Growth And Development Of Arabidopsis Thaliana (L.) Heynh., Katrina Maria Ramonell

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Interest in the improvement of crop productivity through repression of photorespiration led to experimental growth of plants in low O2 and the surprising finding that reproduction is inhibited under these conditions. Using Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. cv. Columbia, studies were undertaken to understand the mechanism behind oxygen control of plant development. The hypothesis that developmental changes observed in low O 2 are due to repression of the plant hormones ethylene and brassinolide (which require O2 for biosynthesis) was tested. Arabidopsis was grown for 35 days in Sun bags in one of five altered O 2 atmospheres (210, 160, 100, 50, …

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A Description And Analysis Of The Scholarly Response Paper As An Academic Genre: Determining How Linguistic, Social, And Psychological Variables Affect Its Success/Failure And The Professional Credibility Of Its Author., Lynna Dunn Peneguy Jan 1999

A Description And Analysis Of The Scholarly Response Paper As An Academic Genre: Determining How Linguistic, Social, And Psychological Variables Affect Its Success/Failure And The Professional Credibility Of Its Author., Lynna Dunn Peneguy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The study of various documents and genres within professional discourse communities can provide valuable insight into what does or does not constitute successful written communication within such groups. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine scholarly response papers published in five different "English" journals in order to (1) define and describe the scholarly response paper and (2) explore various theories/rules/studies which could be used to gauge its success: in this case, Grice's Maxims, studies of semantic (denotative and evaluative) verb force, Lakoff's Rules of Politeness, and studies of language intensity. Findings showed that the primary purpose of …

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A Critical Analysis Of Gender And The Role Of The Research Assistantship In Development Of Higher Education Faculty., Stephen Charles Scott Jan 1999

A Critical Analysis Of Gender And The Role Of The Research Assistantship In Development Of Higher Education Faculty., Stephen Charles Scott

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research is a mixed model study that explores the relationship between the research assistantship and development as a researcher for individuals serving as professors of higher education in Research I institutions. Also of interest in this research are the ways that research assistantship experiences vary based on gender and other identity characteristics such as rank, age, and race. Critical inquiry is used as the theoretical framework for this study given that it incorporates the use of both quantitative and qualitative means of data collection. A major quantitative finding from this study demonstrates that there were significant differences in the …

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Spectrum Of Solar Neutrinos Above 6.5 Mev., Robert Ellis Sanford Jr Jan 1999

Spectrum Of Solar Neutrinos Above 6.5 Mev., Robert Ellis Sanford Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The spectrum of recoil electrons from solar neutrino scattering above 6.5 MeV has been measured using the first 504 days of Super-Kamiokande detector data. The scattering rate is found to be 13.56 +/- 0.42(stat. ) +/- 0.29(syst.) events/day/22.5kton, which is a factor of 0.474 +/- 0.015(stat.) +/- 0.010( syst.) of the expected rate. The measured spectrum and the expected spectra from 8B and HeP Neutrino scattering are compared using a chi2 minimization process to find the best-fit match between the measured neutrino rates and a linear combination of the expected rates from 8B and HeP neutrinos. Using only the 8B …

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Discriminative Validity Of The Wide-Range Assessment Of Memory And Learning (Wraml) With Children With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd)., Heather Brewis Scheffler Jan 1999

Discriminative Validity Of The Wide-Range Assessment Of Memory And Learning (Wraml) With Children With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd)., Heather Brewis Scheffler

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined the discriminative validity of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), using the individual subscales, original indexes, and a factor structure proposed by Burton, Donders, and Mittenberg (1996) that includes an Attention factor. The sample consisted of 57 non-learning disordered children who were enrolled in the first through the seventh grade and met criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 62 Control children. The groups were matched by age, race, SES, and estimated intellectual ability. Group comparisons by MANCOVA revealed that, after controlling for the effects of math and reading achievement, differences between the groups …

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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), …

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Life Events, Social Support, And Blood Pressure Control In Low -Income Hypertensive Patients., Steven Christopher Ames Jan 1999

Life Events, Social Support, And Blood Pressure Control In Low -Income Hypertensive Patients., Steven Christopher Ames

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined whether minor, chronic, and major stressors predicted poor blood pressure control in low-income hypertensives, and whether social support served as a moderator of this relation. Additionally, whether the construct of social support served as an independent predictor of poor blood pressure control was also examined. Participants included 231 patients randomly recruited from primary care medicine clinics at a public medical center. The sample included in this study was selected from an existing data set. The existing data set consisted of 432 patients randomly chosen on consecutive days from a family practice and an internal medicine medical clinic …

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Analysis Of Self -Directed Learning In Secondary Business Educators., James Ernest Bartlett Ii Jan 1999

Analysis Of Self -Directed Learning In Secondary Business Educators., James Ernest Bartlett Ii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study (1) described secondary business educators on demographic variables; (2) described the self-directed learning level of business educators according to the OCLI and Bartlett-Kotrlik Inventory of Self-Learning; (3) determined if relationships existed between learning levels and selected variables; (4) developed a graphic model to explain the relationships of self-directed learning level; (5) determined if demographic variables can be used to explain variance in self-directed learning level; (6) determined if demographic variables can be used to explain variance in self-directed learning level; and (7) determined if the perceived importance of learning resources can be used to explain variance in self-directed …

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Georges Henein, Poete Des Marges., Evelyne M. Bornier Jan 1999

Georges Henein, Poete Des Marges., Evelyne M. Bornier

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the Franco-Egyptian cultural and literary interactions in the mid-20th century, and examines the importance of these exchanges in the writings and intellectual journey of poet Georges Henein (1914--1973). This study is divided into three chapters. In a first chapter, I define the origins and stakes of a francophone Egyptian movement born from a small group of intellectuals of various cultures, who embraced French as their lingua franca. I explore this movement from a socio-historical and literary point of view, and through an overview of the period (1910--1962), lay the ground to a study of Egyptian-born writer Georges …

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Selective Processing Of Sexual, Violent, And Neutral Information: A Study Comparing Individuals With And Without A History Of Sexual Trauma., Stephanie Irene Bush Jan 1999

Selective Processing Of Sexual, Violent, And Neutral Information: A Study Comparing Individuals With And Without A History Of Sexual Trauma., Stephanie Irene Bush

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current research investigated processing biases that influence responding to emotionally relevant information in individuals with and without a history of sexual trauma. Previous research (MacLeod, Mathews, & Tata, 1986; MacLeod & Mathews, 1988; Mathews & MacLeod, 1985) has indicated that individuals with anxiety disorders shift their attention toward threatening stimuli, resulting in reduced reaction times to probes appearing near such stimuli. This effect has been found to be content specific, in that individuals with certain fears respond faster to information congruent with their concerns. The current study was undertaken to explore the possible differences in attention allocation to sexual, …

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An Investigation Of Opinions Of Public Officials And The General Public Concerning Solid Waste Issues With Implications For Extension Programming., William A. Carney Jr Jan 1999

An Investigation Of Opinions Of Public Officials And The General Public Concerning Solid Waste Issues With Implications For Extension Programming., William A. Carney Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to determine opinions of public officials and the general public concerning solid waste disposal, and to make recommendations for future Extension programming. The study utilized four focus group interviews to obtain qualitative data. The two urban groups were composed of municipal public officials from the parishes of Jefferson, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Rapides and general public participants from the parishes of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, and Livingston. The two rural groups consisted of public officials from the parishes of Acadia, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion and general public participants from the …

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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. …

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The Role Of Trait And State Anxiety In Semantic Network Organization Of Information Related To Current Concerns., Gretchen Joan Diefenbach Jan 1999

The Role Of Trait And State Anxiety In Semantic Network Organization Of Information Related To Current Concerns., Gretchen Joan Diefenbach

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In the first study of this report empirically-derived cognitive networks were established for high trait test anxious participants ( n = 28) and low trait test anxious participants (n = 25) during periods of both high and low exam stress. Cognitive networks were created using the Pathfinder algorithm, which transforms pair-wise word similarity ratings into an associative network. Information included in the networks pertained to the following word categories: testing situations, positive performance evaluation, and negative performance evaluation. Contrary to predictions, there was no effect of either trait or state test anxiety on semantic network organization. These findings fail to …

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Detecting Simulated Memory Impairment After Closed Head Injury: Validation Of The Word Completion Memory Test (Wcmt)., Robin Colleen Hilsabeck Jan 1999

Detecting Simulated Memory Impairment After Closed Head Injury: Validation Of The Word Completion Memory Test (Wcmt)., Robin Colleen Hilsabeck

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Simulation is the intentional production or exaggeration of psychological symptoms (cognitive and/or emotional) in an effort to obtain secondary gain (e.g., avoiding work, obtaining financial compensation). While most current simulation measures can successfully identify obvious attempts at faking cognitive deficits (e.g., memory impairment), they have been much less successful at identifying more sophisticated simulators. The Word Completion Memory Test (WCMT) is the first measure specifically developed to detect more sophisticated attempts at feigning memory impairment. Unlike other simulation detection measures, a sophisticated coaching methodology was used in developing the WCMT. An initial validity study suggested the WCMT is a valid …

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Hyperdeprivation And Race -Specific Homicide, 1980--1990., Matthew Raleigh Lee Jan 1999

Hyperdeprivation And Race -Specific Homicide, 1980--1990., Matthew Raleigh Lee

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Research on the nature of the urban underclass suggests that socioeconomic deprivation is multidimensional and involves more than just the personal experience of poverty. When negative characteristics like poverty and unemployment are concentrated geographically, it means that one is not only deprived of personal resources, but also deprived of contact with those who do have resources. Thus, when social disadvantage is concentrated, as it may be in underclass communities, this augments the effect of poverty, creating a situation of hyperdeprivation, by placing beyond reach those segments of mainstream society that are necessary for success. This dissertation extends this line of …

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Asphalt Pavement Fatigue Cracking Modeling., Yongqi Li Jan 1999

Asphalt Pavement Fatigue Cracking Modeling., Yongqi Li

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Fatigue is a major structural distress that leads to a reduction in the serviceability of asphalt pavements. In a mechanistic pavement design, asphalt fatigue cracking is considered as one of the three design criteria along with rutting and low-temperature associated cracks. The successful application of this design method to practice thus relies on a reliable crack prediction model. Most existing crack prediction models are based on the results of laboratory beam fatigue tests. Beam tests are not adequate because they can't realistically simulate the propagation of a crack in an asphalt pavement layer. This research studied the asphalt cracking through …

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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 …

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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 …

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Intervention Implementation And Intervention Outcomes For Teenage Mothers In School -Based Treatment For Social And Academic Problems., Cherri Edenfield Penton Jan 1999

Intervention Implementation And Intervention Outcomes For Teenage Mothers In School -Based Treatment For Social And Academic Problems., Cherri Edenfield Penton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The effects of a strong treatment package, comprised of 2 types of performance feedback plus incentives, on the social behavior and academic progress of 9 minority teenage mothers attending an inner-city high school, was investigated. Treatment integrity of their teachers and parents was also evaluated. Research shows that academic deficits and conduct problems are strong correlates of early pregnancy, Many students experience academic failure and related disciplinary problems because no one monitors their behavior. In this study, a comprehensive treatment was developed to be used across settings (home, school and a school-based health clinic) and across treatment agents (parent, teacher, …

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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 …

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Characterization Of Pavement Layer Interfaces., Stefan Anton Romanoschi Jan 1999

Characterization Of Pavement Layer Interfaces., Stefan Anton Romanoschi

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The two primary objectives of the research were to derive constitutive models for the interfaces of flexible pavement layers, and to determine the effects of the mechanical properties of interfaces on pavement performance. A simple constitutive model was derived for the asphalt-to-asphalt interfaces using data provided by laboratory direct shear tests at several normal load levels. In the model, the shear displacement and stress are proportional until the shear strength of the interface is reached. After failure, a friction model represents realistically the interface condition. The test results proved that, if a tack-coat is not applied between layers, the shear …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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A Comprehensive Functional Assessment Of The Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Disruptive Behavior Of Children With Severe Mental Retardation., Victoria C. Swanson Jan 1999

A Comprehensive Functional Assessment Of The Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Disruptive Behavior Of Children With Severe Mental Retardation., Victoria C. Swanson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Methylphenidate (MPH) has proven efficacy with the disruptive behaviors of children with ADHD in regular education settings (Gully and Northup, 1997; Northup et el., 1999; in press). Blum, Mauk, McComas, and Mace (1996) researched the separate and combined effects of behavioral and MPH treatments on the task engagement and disruptive behavior of 3 children with severe to profound mental retardation. This study used a single-subject, multielement or alternating treatment design to assess the separate and combined effects of MPH and behavioral treatments on the performance of 5 children with severe to profound mental retardation. MPH effects were evaluated within and …

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