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The Fattest Crocodile: Why Elected Judges Can't Ignore Public Opinion, Gerald F. Uelmen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Theology And The Function Of The Prayers In The Book Of Daniel, Paul Birch Petersen

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the theology and the function of the prayers in the Book of Daniel.

The introduction reviews the scholarly literature in regard to the prayers of the Old Testament in general and the prayers in the Book of Daniel in particular. Recent studies of prayers in the Old Testament have focused on their theological function in their final literary setting. They have also turned their attention to prayer as part of a process of communication, of a divine-human dialogue, and consequently this study is structured from the aspect of interpersonal relationships.

Chapter 1 deals with Daniel and his …

A Secondary Analysis Of Self Assessed Assets Of Ninth And Twelfth Grade Students, Carolyn H. Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the assets possessed by ninth and twelfth graders. This is a secondary analysis of data collected from a survey taken in rural northeastern lower Michigan. This study compared and discussed the similarities and differences in the community, family, and personal characteristics that can be interpreted as assets possessed by these students. Thirty - nine such assets were identified as being possessed by at least one of the student populations. These data can be used to help develop programs which can prevent adolescents from engaging in high - risk behaviors such as early …

Behavioral And Emotional Indicators Of Sexual Abuse: A Comparison With Physically Abused And Non-Abused Children, Janine L. Post-Anderle

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to identify behavioral and emotional symptoms among hospitalized children who were 1)sexually abused 2)physically abused 3)non-abused, and non-hospitalized non-abused children.

Information about children between the ages of 6 and 12 was obtained through a retrospective analysis of 120 closed records from two different child psychiatric hospitals. A convenience sample of 40 parents with non-hospitalized children was used to obtain data about non-hospitalized non-abused children.

The “Child Behavior/Emotion Checklist”, developed by the author, was used to collect data regarding symptoms exhibited by children. Results indicated no difference in symptoms among the hospitalized groups of children. …

Hiv/Aids Patients' Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Jennifer Lynn Jordahl

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine which nurse caring behaviors HIV/AIDS patient's perceived as most important. Subjects were recruited from an HIV/AIDS clinic in a large Midwestern city. Twenty-three subjects completed Cronin and Harrison (1988) Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) along with a patient demographic questionnaire and an open ended question asking, "Is there anything else a nurse could do to make you feel care for or about? If so what?".

Results of this study suggest that HIV/AIDS patients perceive expressive nurse caring behaviors, such as, listening to the patient, treating the patient with respect, and knowing when …

Patient Participation In Decision-Making Regarding Post-Operative Ambulation: How It Affects Patient Outcomes, Martha Ann Ruble

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation on ambulation behaviors, occurrence of post operative complications, and overall satisfaction for patients undergoing bowel surgery. A convenience sample consisted of 39 subjects, aged 20-80, who underwent bowel surgery at a 300-bed medical center in a midwest metropolitan area.

An active negotiated approach to encourage patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation was utilized for subjects in the experimental group (n = 19). It was hypothesized that subjects in the experimental group would ambulate farther and more frequently, would experience fewer post-operative …

Adolescents' Perceived Reasons For Choosing Abstinence Or The Use Or Non-Use Of A Condom During Sexual Intercourse, Susan L. Vrobel

Masters Theses

Adolescents’ perceptions of reasons for abstinence, safer sex, and unsafe sex were investigated. The study used a descriptive design, with a questionnaire administered to 82 Midwestern ninth grade students enrolled in a school health class. From a written scenario describing a couple who are sexually attracted to each other, students were asked to identify reasons the couple might choose to abstain from, or use or not use a condom if they chose to have, sexual intercourse. This study supported earlier research by Keller et al. (1996) which identified four factors perceived by adolescents as contributing to sexual behavior; social norms, …

Evaluation Of The Community Living Adaptation Scale, Jane M. Morris

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the CLAS. Seventy-three subjects participated from mental health case management agencies. The reliability coefficient for internal consistency o f the CLAS was .82. CLAS was compared to the Global Assessment of Functioning scale using the Pearson’s correlation. Convergent validity was significant to the .36 level indicating a significant relationship at the .01 level. The Self Profile Scale (SPS) was developed by this researcher as a parallel scale to compare the client’s perceptions to the case manager perceptions regarding functional status level. Item to item comparison of the CLAS and SPS indicated similar …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 6-12 Weeks Post Cardiac Event, Kristi L. Bianconi

Masters Theses

The hypothesis tested in this study was: Perceived benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy of individuals who are adherent to a cardiac exercise program will differ from individuals who are non-adherent. The study was a descriptive, correlational design using the Health Belief Model. Data were collected from 25 subjects, recruited from a private cardiology practice who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program 6 to 12 weeks post hospitalization for a coronary event, defined as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty or stenting, or coronary artery bypass grafting.

Measurement of subject’s responses to perceived benefits, barriers and self-efficacy were collected through mailed questionnaires. …

Managing Promises And Marketing Activities In The Cultivation Of Long-Term Relationship Commitment: The Development Of A Model For The Services Industries., John Michael Weber

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The concept of promises is important with services, because they can represent some tangible aspect of the service organization upon which the customer can develop expectations and partially evaluate the performance of the organization. It is also important to examine the marketing processes (external, internal, and interactive) the organization utilizes and the consumer can participate in, because these processes act as the communication avenue for the promises. Finally, it is important to evaluate the promises and marketing processes from the perspective of the consumer in order to determine the consumer's expectations, perception of service personnel, evaluations of actual service delivery, …

Beliefs And Practices Of Middle School Language Arts Teachers., Suzan Anderson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the instructional beliefs and practices of middle school language arts teachers as they relate to developmental appropriate/inappropriate instruction. Developmentally appropriate instruction is defined as matching the curricula to the level of children's emerging mental abilities. If the learner is seen as a growing individual with developing abilities, then the aim of education should be to facilitate this development. This in turn means that the curricula must be studied and analyzed to determine that level of mental ability that is required to comprehend curriculum materials (Elkind, 1970). There is some concern that what …

The Selective Digital Integrator: A New Device For Modulated Polarization Spectroscopy., Aljosa Vrancic

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A new device, a selective digital integrator (SDI), for the acquisition of modulated polarization spectroscopy (MPS) signals is described. Special attention is given to the accurate measurement of very small (AC component of interest $<$10$\sp{-3}$ x DC component), rapidly modulated ($\sim$50 kHz) signals at or below noise levels. Various data acquisition methods and problems associated with the collection of modulated signals are discussed. The SDI solves most of these problems and has the following advantages: it provides the average-time resolved profile of a modulated signal; it eliminates errors if the modulation is not sinusoidal; it enables separate measurements of the various phases of the signal modulation cycle; it permits simultaneous measurement of absorption, circular dichroism (CD) and linear dichroism (LD) spectra; it facilitates 3-D absorbance measurements; it has a wide gain-switching-free dynamic range (10 orders of magnitude or more); it offers a constant S/N ratio mode of operation; it eliminates the need for photomultiplier voltage feedback, and it has faster scanning speeds. The time-resolution, selectivity, wide dynamic range, and low-overhead on-the-fly data processing are useful for other modulated spectroscopy (MS) and non-MS experiments such as pulse height distribution and time-resolved pulse counting measurements. The advantages of the MPS-SDI method are tested on the first Rydberg electronic transitions of (+)-3-methylcyclopentanone. The experimental results validate the predicted SDI capabilities. However, they also point to two difficulties that had not been noted previously: the presence of LD in a gaseous sample and a pressure-dependence of the relative peak heights of the CD spectrum. Models for these anomalies are proposed. The presence of the oscillatory LD (but not an LD background) is explained with a sample cell model based on the observed polarization-dependent time-resolved profiles of transmitted light intensity. To obtain expressions for these intensities, a theoretical background, which provides a new approach to the treatment of light/matter interaction, is included as an Appendix. To explain the second anomaly, present only at high optical densities, a model based on the presence of scattered light is introduced and verified. The mode of correction for the scattering problem is outlined.

Creativity And The Cathartic Moment: Chaos Theory And The Art Of Theatre., Robert E. Brooks

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation investigates the potential applications of the scientific paradigm known as "chaos theory" in the examination of dramatic theory. By illuminating the limitations of traditional Newtonian physics and Euclidean geometry, chaos theory conveys philosophical implications that transcend the scientific and provide suitable tools for describing cultural and artistic phenomena. These implications include emphasis on unpredictability, interaction and feedback, qualitative rather that quantitative analyses, and a nonlinear, continuous, even holistic perspective of systems traditionally viewed as dischotomous (such as order and disorder or part and whole). This study examines several standard works of dramatic theory, concentrating on the relationship of …

Dialogue Between Confucius And Socrates: Norms Of Rhetorical Constructs In Their Dialogical Form And Dialogic Imagination., Bin Xie

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present dissertation consists of six parts: an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. It is intended to recapture the rhetorical norms governing the Confucian and Socratic dialogues--their voice of credibility, proto-scientific attitude, tragic consciousness, and use of irony--so as to demonstrate how rhetoric enables them to carry out their political, philosophical and epistemological pursuits; my research aims at the description of similarities and differences between Socrates's and Confucius's rhetorical methods, which are shaped by their respective historical and cultural contexts. Specifically, my major objectives are to foreground, in accordance with Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism, the significance of the …

John Jacob Niles's Settings Of The Early Poetry Of Thomas Merton In "The Niles-Merton Songs", Opp. 171 And 172., Melanie Boney Williams

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

John Jacob Niles (1892-1980) is renowned as a composer and performer of music in the folk style of his native Appalachia. However, his body of work also includes forays into opera, oratorio, symphony, and art song. In fact, Niles's final compositional endeavor was the setting of twenty-two poems by the poet and Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968), who resided at Our Lady of Gethsemani Monastery in Kentucky. The Niles-Merton Songs, Opp. 171-172 were composed between 1967 and 1970. This study focuses on text-music relations in seven settings of poems from Merton's first two poetry publications, Thirty Poems (1944) and A …

Multi-Institutional Collaborations In Science: Structure, Types, And Outcomes., Ivan Mihailov Chompalov

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The advent of modern "big science" brings about a new kind of research formation: multi-institutional collaborations involving teams of researchers from several organizations. Despite their recent proliferation and visibility, no general classification of these "virtual organizations" exists. This study adopts a macrosociological, comparative perspective to develop a variety of classification schemes that capture the systematic variation of interorganizational collaborations in science along basic structural dimensions and to examine the relationships of these classifications with important sociological outcomes. Qualitative, historical analysis of collaborations in high-energy physics, space science, and geophysics showed that, when we set aside field-specific differences, seven general dimensions …

Dyslexic College Students: Quest For Literacy., Frances Grace Crochet

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The initial purpose of this study focused on an Orton-Gillingham phonics remediation program and the effect the program had on college students. The emphasis of the study changed due to the fact that the Orton-Gillingham phonics program did not impact the college students' learning, which was mainly due to the students having previously received some form of phonics instruction. The students had learned to compensate for their poor spelling ability through invented spelling, and the use of the computer and the spell checker. The other accommodations that decreased their need for knowledge of a spelling program were the use of …

Media Priming In The 1980 Presidential Election., Gina Leigh Corell

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study will focus on a specific election, the 1980 presidential race. Through an examination of the media coverage, key issues, and the candidates, this research will provide a context for the statistical analysis that follows. This research explores the impact of media and other determinants of candidate assessment and vote choice. The findings in this study not only support the argument that news affects elections but also clarify the exact nature of that influence. The research uses the theory of priming as its theoretical base. The American National Election Study Survey for the 1980 presidential election is the data …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Principal Leadership Style And Student Academic Achievement In The Philippines., Mary Sylvette Tanjuan Gunigundo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Principal leadership has been identified to be a crucial factor in the success of a school. One measure of school success is student academic achievement. Effective school literature suggests that there exist a relationship between principal leadership and student academic achievement. Thus, this study explored the relationship between principal leadership style (transformational, transactional, or laissez-faire) and student academic achievement in the Philippines. Three control variables were considered in examining this relationship and these were teacher educational background, student population, and student socio-economic status (SES). This study was conducted in thirty-six elementary public schools in the Philippines. The revised Multifactor Leadership …

The Tiger And The Pangolin: Cultural Ecology, Landscape Ecology, And Nature Conservation In China's Southeast Uplands., Christopher Reed Coggins

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The Wuyi-Daiyun Mountains, which form the core of China's Southeast Uplands Region, support a mosaic of subtropical forest, grassland, and cropland habitats, with some 1,620 species of plants and 326 species of terrestrial vertebrates. Forty-two animal species are officially protected, including the highly endangered South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis). This study, based on one year of field research, examines relationships between village land use, landscape change, and wildlife management in the Meihuashan Nature Reserve of Southwest Fujian. It includes comparative studies of reserves in Longxishan and Wuyishan, further north, and Daiyunshan, to the east. Over 500 local gazetteer records …

Serological And Molecular Biological Studies Of Marine Predator-Prey Systems., Marilyn J. Hoyt

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Two aspects of species identification were addressed; a molecular approach to identify anchovy larval and serological methods for prey detection in predator gut washes. Analysis of the pattern of restriction fragments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from adult anchovies from the Gulf of Mexico was employed to speciate four anchovy species. MtDNA isolated from white muscle of adult Anchoa mitchilli, A. hepsetus, A. nasuta and Engraulis eurystole produced an amplified 2.4 Kb DNA product when primers for NADH dehydrogenase 5 and 6 genes were used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Digestion of the amplified sequence with Dpn II produced a unique …

A Validation Study Of The Assessment Of Dissimulation Scale Using Criminal And Civilly Committed Participants., Jill Suzanne Hayes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Dissimulation malingering, unlike simulation malingering, refers to downplaying actual psychological difficulties in order to achieve secondary gain. Although several psychological tests have subscales designed to detect dissimulation, only the Assessment of Dissimulation Scale (ADS) has been specifically designed for this purpose. This screening instrument had limited usefulness, as it was validated only with college students. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ADS was effective in detecting dissimulation in criminal and civilly committed populations which are likely to be the clinical targets for such a scale, and to establish a cut-off score on the ADS above which …

Molecular Systematics Of Selected Members Of The Black Basses, Genus Micropterus, With Concentration On The Spotted Bass (M. Punctulatus) Species Complex., Belinda Fuller

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined genetic relationships among selected populations of black basses. These centrarchid fishes, separated by both physical barriers (land formations) and distance, have shown varying degrees of differentiation, but retain many morphometric characters in common. Eight populations representing four taxa and geographical extremes in the genus Micropterus, with concentration on the spotted bass complex, were selected and evaluated for biochemical genetic characters. This study examined two species and two subspecies of spotted basses. The type species from Kentucky represented Micropterus punctulatus punctulatus; a population from Alabama represented M. p. henshalli. A Texas population, previously classified as conspecific with spotted …

Aflatoxin B(1) And Fumonisin B(1) Co-Contamination: Interactive Effects, Possible Mechanisms Of Toxicity, And Decontamination Procedures., Rebeca Lopez-Garcia

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current study evaluated interactions between the mycotoxins aflatoxin B$\sb1$ (AFB$\sb1$) and fumonisin B$\sb1$ (FB$\sb1$) in pure systems as well as in corn. During storage at 25$\sp\circ$C with high moisture (ca. 50%), corn contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (L13) and/or Fusarium moniliforme (A00102) presented different aflatoxin and fumonisin levels. Toxin production/degradation varied over storage time (0-45 days). Evaluation of the mutagenicity of unifungal or bifungal corn extracts with the Salmonella/microsomal assay (tester strains TA-100 and TA-98) with metabolic activation (S9) showed positive mutagenic responses. Different ratios of pure AFB$\sb1$/FB$\sb1$ produced divergent mutagenic responses (tester strains TA-100 and TA-98) with S9. The …

Service Recovery's Influence On Complainant Attitudes And Intentions: A Perceived Justice Framework., James G. Maxham Iii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

I conducted two field studies (one in the banking industry, n = 692, and one in the new home industry, n = 339) that examined service recovery's influence on complainant perceptions of perceived justice (i.e., distributive, procedural, and interactional justice), satisfaction (i.e., transaction-specific satisfaction and overall firm satisfaction), and intentions (i.e., word-of-mouth intent and purchase intent). The studies assessed these perceptions over multiple time periods (i.e., post failure, post service recovery, and two weeks subsequent to service recovery) to better capture the perceptions as they form over time. The dissertation uses an equity theory framework in a service recovery context, …

A Social Cognitive Theory Model Of Salesperson Performance., Robert Chapman Mcmurrian

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A primary objective of marketing practitioners, especially sales managers in organizations with personal selling functions and salesforces, has been an understanding of the factors related to effective sales performance. Much of the current research dedicated to understanding these factors has been grounded in Vroom's expectancy theory. Expectancy theory posits that successful performance of a task is a function of the level of effort that a person expends on the task. There are three factors that influence this level of effort: (1) an expectation that effort will result in better task performance; (2) a belief that better performance will result in …

Early Fertilization Events In The Freshwater Zebra Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha., Michael James Misamore

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The morphological and functional mechanisms involved in the early fertilization events in the freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Bivalvia:Veneroida:Dreissenidae) are presented. Mature adults release gametes in response to external applications of 5-hydroxytryptamine. Sperm retain a primitive morphology consisting of a head, midpiece and tail The head is approximately 1.6 $\mu$m in diameter and 4 $\mu$m in length. An acrosomal vesicle is highly compartmentalized with a central axial core containing actin. The midpiece is composed of 4 mitochondria and a pair of centrioles. A single flagellum is elaborated from the distal centriole. The eggs of D. polymorpha are 50-60 $\mu$m in …

Behavior Of Red Snapper, Lutjanus Campechanus, In Relation To Trawl Modifications To Reduce Shrimp Trawler Bycatch., Donna Reeve Rogers

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Behavioral responses of young-of-the-year red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, to alterations in water flow were examined in the laboratory and the field in an effort to facilitate their release from shrimp trawls. Experiments with red snapper, collected by divers, were conducted in a racetrack flume. Four vertical and two horizontal mesh and solid panel types were examined. Four snapper (out of 96) escaped with vertical panels and thirteen fish (out of 48) exited with horizontal panels. Escapes occurred primarily with solid panels containing 0.95-cm holes drilled at 5-cm intervals. However, snapper that escaped with solid horizontal panels frequently went back into …

Wavelet-Based Registration Of Medical Images., Raj Sharman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Registration is the process of spatially aligning two objects and is normally a preprocessing step in most object recognition algorithms. Registration of images and recognition of signatures of objects in images is important for clinical and diagnostic purposes in medicine. Recognizing structure, potential targets for defense purposes and changes in the terrain, from aerial surveillance images and SAR images is the focus of extensive research and development today. Automatic Target Recognition is becoming increasingly important as the defense systems and armament technology move to use smarter munitions. Registration of images is a preprocessing step in any kind of machine vision …

The New South Gubernatorial Campaigns Of 1970 And The Changing Politics Of Race., Donald Randy Sanders

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In 1970 four young racially moderate Democrats won the governor's chairs of Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. These southern gubernatorial elections and the subsequent inaugural speeches signaled a transformation of racial politics in the region. As the campaigns began, however, persistent ambivalence concerning the pace of integration and court-ordered busing of school children to achieve racial balances tempted many politicians to exploit these concerns. Their efforts failed; southerners had decided to obey the law. The successful candidates understood that the electorate had come to this decision with varying degrees of enthusiasm and that their campaigns must reflect this ambivalence; …