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1998

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Using Scaffolded Interaction To Improve Lld Readers' Inferencing And Narrative Abilities., Kathryn Patrice Dekemel Jan 1998

Using Scaffolded Interaction To Improve Lld Readers' Inferencing And Narrative Abilities., Kathryn Patrice Dekemel

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A time series control group study was completed to investigate the efficacy of Communicative Reading Strategies (CRS) as an instructional approach for improving the oral reading, question answering, and narrative retelling abilities of LLD students. The participants were 10 LLD students who ranged in age from 9 to 12 years and 5 reading-age matched (RAM) peers who ranged in age from 7 to 9 years. Five of the LLD subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment group (TLD), while the remaining 5 LLD subjects were assigned to a no-treatment group (NLD). All three groups participated in a series of probes …

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A Review Of The North American Squalodontidae (Mammalia, Cetacea)., Alton Cline Dooley Jr Jan 1998

A Review Of The North American Squalodontidae (Mammalia, Cetacea)., Alton Cline Dooley Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

All available North American specimens of squalodont whales were examined to determine species assignments, and to determine functional aspects and ecological implications. Only two existing species of the 17 referred to Squalodontidae from North America are members of that family, Squalodon atlanticus and Squalodon calvertensis. Of these two species, only S. calvertensis is based on adequate material for consideration as a valid species. Squalodon calvertensis is redescribed, based on the material which has been collected since 1923. These specimens indicate that the species is found from New Jersey to North Carolina, in the Miocene Kirkwood, Calvert, and Pungo River Formations. …

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Subterranean Echoes: Curriculum Theory As Cultural Studies., Toby Allan Daspit Jan 1998

Subterranean Echoes: Curriculum Theory As Cultural Studies., Toby Allan Daspit

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Cultural studies has emerged in recent decades as a popular realm of academic inquiry (During, 1993). Giroux (1994), while noting the field's increased acceptance, ponders why cultural studies has yet to permeate critical analyses of education and simultaneously questions cultural studies' reticence in considering schools as an important site of cultural production. Edgerton (1996) concurs with Giroux and notes that cultural studies' use in colleges of education is extremely rare. The realm of popular culture, one of the central foci of cultural studies, has especially been marginalized in academic discourses. My project is to explore the implications of curriculum theory …

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Computer-Assisted Instruction: Enhancements For Language-Learning Applications., William Lawrence Harrell Jr Jan 1998

Computer-Assisted Instruction: Enhancements For Language-Learning Applications., William Lawrence Harrell Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Presently, computer-assisted instruction is in use in many educational venues. Unfortunately, the application of computer-assisted language learning at a distance has virtually been ignored. This is an opportunity that needs to be explored. In order to do so, a number of considerations must be attended to. First, effective monitor display design is critical for the optimal presentation of distance learning material. Second, gender and equity factors that impact computer use must be understood to minimize the detrimental effects they might have on computer-assisted distance learning. Third, the needs of students involved with the particularly-demanding application of distance learning principles of …

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Materials Fluxes Across Different Scales Of Time And Space In The Rhone Delta, France., Philippe Francois Hensel Jan 1998

Materials Fluxes Across Different Scales Of Time And Space In The Rhone Delta, France., Philippe Francois Hensel

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A study of materials fluxes across different scales of time and space was conducted in the Rhone Delta, France, to test the applicability of a conceptual model of deltaic ecosystem function in a scenario of accelerated sea-level rise to a mediterranean delta which has been heavily altered by human activities. Natural pulsing events such as tides, river floods and storms cause sediment surfaces to maintain elevation in the face of relative sea level rise through the process of soil formation. These pulses also enhance ecosystem function through habitat creation, food production, materials transformation, water quality and storm and flood protection. …

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A Brief Method For Evaluating The Effects Of Stimulant Medication And Behavioral Interventions On The Classroom Performance Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd)., Veronica Schilling Gulley Jan 1998

A Brief Method For Evaluating The Effects Of Stimulant Medication And Behavioral Interventions On The Classroom Performance Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd)., Veronica Schilling Gulley

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the separate and combined effects of varying dosages of methylphenidate (MPH) and behavioral interventions of varying strengths on the disruptive behavior and academic performance of 5 students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Overall results indicated the behavioral interventions at some level were comparable to previously prescribed dosages of MPH for decreasing disruptive classroom behavior for 4 of 5 participants. However, the "strength" of behavioral intervention necessary to achieve maximum improvements was idiosyncratic. For a fifth participant, results indicated that MPH was not necessary. Results also demonstrated that the combination of the behavioral interventions at some level …

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A Comparative Study Of Communication Intervention For Nonverbal Children With Autism., Kelly C. Higgins Jan 1998

A Comparative Study Of Communication Intervention For Nonverbal Children With Autism., Kelly C. Higgins

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Communication intervention for 3 nonverbal children with autism was compared in an alternating treatment design. Subjects were three males, ages 4--7, 3--6, and 3--5 who met diagnostic criteria for Autism and who were considered to be nonverbal according to developmental history, parent/teacher report and behavioral observation. Alternating treatment conditions included the established treatment format that each subject was receiving in his school setting (Treatment A) and a developmentally-integrated format of intervention structured to facilitate integrated cognitive, social and communicative development (Treatment B). Each intervention was characterized according to profiles of Traditional-Behavioral or Semantic Pragmatic-Developmental intervention formats. Characteristics of adult interaction …

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Reasonable Employment Accommodations For Persons With Disabilities: A Policy-Capturing Approach., Heather A. Honig Jan 1998

Reasonable Employment Accommodations For Persons With Disabilities: A Policy-Capturing Approach., Heather A. Honig

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities who need them in order to work (EEOC, 1992). The ADA defines reasonable accommodation ambiguously. The current study used a policy capturing approach to examine the effects of characteristics of the person with a disability (i.e., type of disability, previous performance level, employment status), characteristics of the accommodation (i.e., cost, type of accommodation), and characteristics of the observer (i.e., occupational status, disability status, gender) on judgments of reasonable accommodation. Students and employed persons (n = 107) completed the …

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Influence Of Diet And Genetic Strain On Desirable Flavors In Farm-Raised Catfish., Carol Ann Kelly Jan 1998

Influence Of Diet And Genetic Strain On Desirable Flavors In Farm-Raised Catfish., Carol Ann Kelly

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This farm-raised catfish quality study measured desirable flavor attributes, Chickeny, Nutty, Fat Complex, Corn, Sweet, with the objective to determine effects of feed ingredients, time-on-diet and genetic strain. Overall flavor impact differences were tested by triangle tests. The diets were Casein-base reference feed by itself or partially substituted with: 10% catfish meal, 10% meat and bone meal, 10% rice bran, or 3% menhaden oil and commercial feed formulation. Fish were grown indoors to minimize environmental flavors for 70, 160, 210 and 318 days. The genetic strains evaluated were channel, albino channel, blue, hybrid channel x blue, and black bullhead catfish. …

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Evangelical Communication: Reference Group Membership Influence On Message Interpretation And Public Opinion., Mary Diane Hollems Jan 1998

Evangelical Communication: Reference Group Membership Influence On Message Interpretation And Public Opinion., Mary Diane Hollems

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present dissertation was to examine the influence of reference group membership on message interpretation and whether one's interpretation then influences one's agreement with the message source and subsequent willingness to speak with the message source about the topic. In particular, this study looked at conservative Christian reference group membership and message interpretations about the topic of abortion. The independent variables of level of Christian fundamentalism, involvement in a Christian reference group, and socio-political conservatism were averaged to create a conservative fundamentalist composite score which was then used to split the sample at the median. Findings indicated …

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Analog Functional Assessment In General Education Settings., James Alfred Levelle Jan 1998

Analog Functional Assessment In General Education Settings., James Alfred Levelle

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Persistent disruptive behaviors in school classrooms often result in referrals for behavior intervention services. Although research has supported several intervention strategies, limited research has focused on linking assessment to the selection of specific strategies. Experimental analysis procedures for assessing the function of behavior have been successful in the selection of specific strategies with developmentally disabled students and in special education environments. However, research in general education settings has been sparse. In this study, an analog functional assessment approach utilizing experimental analysis procedures was conducted to assess the function of off-task behaviors in regular education settings. Conditions were established in each …

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Redefining Babes, Booze And Brawls: Men Against Violence. Towards A New Masculinity., Luoluo Hong Jan 1998

Redefining Babes, Booze And Brawls: Men Against Violence. Towards A New Masculinity., Luoluo Hong

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Despite evidence that 90% of violent crimes are committed by men, higher education professionals and researchers still understand relatively little about the process by which mate students acquire the attitudes, knowledge, values and skills which serve as deterrents to perpetrating violence against women and against other men. Men Against Violence is a peer advocacy organization at a large, public Research I institution in the South which focuses on the special and unique responsibility men have to end violence. Through participation in a wide array of service learning, community action and leadership opportunities, MAV members challenge cultural norms which link masculinity …

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Autobiographical Memory In Mild And Moderate Dementia Of The Alzheimer's Type., Judith Parks Levy Jan 1998

Autobiographical Memory In Mild And Moderate Dementia Of The Alzheimer's Type., Judith Parks Levy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease that particularly affects memory with difficulties starting insidiously and gradually progressing. Anterograde amnesia for semantic and episodic types of declarative knowledge becomes the most prominent and disproportionately impaired cognitive symptom. By the middle stages of the disease, this memory loss progresses to severe impairment. The neuropathology of early AD involves the hippocampal complex, which is involved in new learning and storage of recent experiences. As the disease progresses, it involves neocortical areas, which are involved in the storage of more remote memories. Participants, including minimal stage AD, mild stage AD, moderate stage AD, …

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Autobiography From St. Augustine To David Antin: Examining The Construction Of The Self As Mutually Reflective Of Cultural Developments In Science And Technology, Art, And Literary Theory., Jessica Lynn Faust Jan 1998

Autobiography From St. Augustine To David Antin: Examining The Construction Of The Self As Mutually Reflective Of Cultural Developments In Science And Technology, Art, And Literary Theory., Jessica Lynn Faust

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this study, I look at the mutually reflective changes in society and autobiography in works definitive for their various periods: Augustine's The Confessions from antiquity; Rousseau's The Confessions from the eighteenth century; the autobiographical writings of Gertrude Stein, from the modernist period; and, most importantly here, the focus on the development of David Antin's work as representative of both postmodernism and current culture. Specifically, I consider the construction of the self in respect to art, literary theory, memory research, and science and technology. During the second half of the twentieth century, computers have permeated almost every facet of society. …

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The Effects Of Autocorrelation In The Estimation Of Process Capability Indices., Lawrence Lee Magee Jan 1998

The Effects Of Autocorrelation In The Estimation Of Process Capability Indices., Lawrence Lee Magee

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current popularity of the process capability index, a measure of a supplier's ability to meet the product specifications demanded by a customer, has become a matter of some controversy. While admitting the validity of much existing criticism, this research demonstrates that sample estimation of the triple index (Cpl, Cp, Cpu), a variant of the widely used index pair (Cp, Cpk), is equivalent to estimation of the natural parameters (mu, sigma) whenever the measured process characteristic X has an unconditional (marginal) normal probability density function. This includes processes which obey the strictly stationary, normal ARMA( p, q) model. By this …

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Factors Determining University Enrollment Status: The Case Of High School Students Recruited To Attend Louisiana State University College Of Agriculture., Fredrick Muyia Nafukho Jan 1998

Factors Determining University Enrollment Status: The Case Of High School Students Recruited To Attend Louisiana State University College Of Agriculture., Fredrick Muyia Nafukho

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a model existed that significantly increased the researcher's ability to accurately explain whether or not a recruited student in the College of Agriculture at LSU will enroll based upon the current recruitment strategies. The target population for this study consisted of 1,130 prospective freshmen recruited to attend the College of Agriculture in the fall 1997. A comparison of students who resided on the College of Agriculture's 1997 prospective freshmen data base, with the university undergraduate data base gave an accessible population of 226 students. The actual sample size was determined using …

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Comparison Of Intervention Strategies Based On Experimental Analysis, Descriptive Analysis, And Reinforcer Assessment In Addressing Off-Task Classroom Behaviors., Lynn Habyan Lafleur Jan 1998

Comparison Of Intervention Strategies Based On Experimental Analysis, Descriptive Analysis, And Reinforcer Assessment In Addressing Off-Task Classroom Behaviors., Lynn Habyan Lafleur

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Independent descriptive and experimental analyses as well as preferences assessments, were conducted. Descriptive analyses were conducted to identify baseline levels of off-task behavior, and to systematically describe the co-variation between off-task behaviors and peer attention, teacher attention, and the instructional task. Data on off-task behavior were analyzed by computing conditional probabilities associated with maintaining stimuli (e.g., peer attention). Intervention development was based on a simple contingency reversal. Experimental analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which off-task behavior was related to task difficulty or to consequences (i.e., peer attention) that were systematically programmed by the experimenter. Hypotheses and intervention …

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Investigation Of Two Treatment Approaches For Improving College Students' Comprehension Of Science Text., Nancy L. Martino Jan 1998

Investigation Of Two Treatment Approaches For Improving College Students' Comprehension Of Science Text., Nancy L. Martino

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Many college freshmen are unable to read expository material at a level of proficiency necessary for understanding and integrating information from their textbooks. Providing intervention that addresses these deficits and results in rapid improvements is critical if these students are going to pass their current courses and remain in college. This study examined whether an instructional approach termed Communicative Reading Strategies (CRS) would result in improvement in the ability to comprehend expository text. CRS uses interactive strategies that teach students to comprehend a text as it is read. The CRS approach was compared to a skills approach that addressed similar …

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Questions About Behavioral Function (Qabf): A Behavioral Checklist For Functional Assessment Of Aberrant Behavior., Theodosia Renata Paclawskyj Jan 1998

Questions About Behavioral Function (Qabf): A Behavioral Checklist For Functional Assessment Of Aberrant Behavior., Theodosia Renata Paclawskyj

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Functional assessment is a tool in behavior therapy used to identify the functional relationships between a behavior of interest and the individual's environment. A functional assessment identifies variables that both occasion and maintain a particular behavior. Traditional functional assessment methodologies have relied on experimental techniques in which analog sessions are designed to mimic situations in the individual's environment. However, these techniques are time-consuming, require extensive training, and rely on the availability of numerous resources in the individual's setting. Development of a brief functional assessment checklist would circumvent these difficulties and make a significant contribution to applied behavioral psychology. The proposed …

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Assessing The Reuse Potential Of Objects., Maria Lorna Reyes Jan 1998

Assessing The Reuse Potential Of Objects., Maria Lorna Reyes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this research, we investigate whether reusable classes can be characterized by object-oriented (OO) software metrics. Three class-level reuse measures for the OO paradigm are defined: inheritance-based reuse, inter-application reuse by extension, and inter-application reuse as a server. Using data from a software company, we collected metrics on Smalltalk classes. Among the 20 metrics collected are cyclomatic complexity, Lorenz complexity, lines of code, class coupling, reuse ratio, specialization ratio and number of direct subclasses. We used stepwise regression to derive prediction models incorporating the 20 metrics as the independent variables and the reuse measures, applied separately, as the dependent variable. …

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Effects Of Anesthesia And Potential Antispastic Agents In An Experimental Model Of Spasticity., Heather Colleen Mosser Jan 1998

Effects Of Anesthesia And Potential Antispastic Agents In An Experimental Model Of Spasticity., Heather Colleen Mosser

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Spasticity is a common motor disorder in spinal cord injured-patients. Therapeutic agents used to treat the motor abnormalities exist but are often unsatisfactory. Tests of potential pharmacotherapies are routinely conducted in anesthetized intact or acutely spinal animals, conditions which do not accurately simulate the human situation. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, validate and use the chronic spinal rat as a model of spasticity that closely approximates the human spastic syndrome to evaluate antispastic agents. The main goals of this research project were to: (1) demonstrate the development of spasticity in the chronic spinal rat; (2) determine effects …

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A Descriptive Assessment Model For Writing Programs: A Plan For Louisiana College., Linda Pettus Peevy Jan 1998

A Descriptive Assessment Model For Writing Programs: A Plan For Louisiana College., Linda Pettus Peevy

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Aware of the proliferation of discussion, activity, and even legislation regarding assessment of educational programs; informed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) regarding institutional effectiveness; and realizing that assessment efforts are a valid means of revealing programmatic strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, of suggesting where change is needed, the Louisiana College English faculty began in 1991 to study how best to assess the effectiveness of its core requirement in English, a three-semester writing program. The project that forms the basis for this dissertation had its inception in that endeavor. This descriptive study, designed to assess the effects …

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Rhetoric And Social Struggle: In Search Of The Topoi Of Violence., Edward Christopher Reilly Jan 1998

Rhetoric And Social Struggle: In Search Of The Topoi Of Violence., Edward Christopher Reilly

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The rhetorical study of violence tends to examine violence within larger generic boundaries such as social movements studies or war rhetoric. In order to work toward a generalizable rhetorical theory of violence and discourse, this study examines texts which justify violence across generic boundaries. Accordingly, four case studies individually examine texts which justify political violence. This study compares and contrasts the rhetorical strategies of George Bush, the Unabomber, Earth First! and Abbie Hoffman. This study concludes that there are no universal strategies among the four case studies in the justification of violence. However, there appears to be a continuum of …

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Facilitating Knowledge Integration And Flexibility: The Effects Of Reflection And Exposure To Alternative Models., Lewis Garnet Roussel Jr Jan 1998

Facilitating Knowledge Integration And Flexibility: The Effects Of Reflection And Exposure To Alternative Models., Lewis Garnet Roussel Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Three experiments investigated the effect of various kinds of reflection (within-task and post-task reflection) on learning a process control task. Also, two ways of providing learners with alternative ideas about task behavior, exposure to other's ideas and providing hints for task solution, were examined. The task involved a simulated "sugar production factory" in which the learners sought to control sugar production by manipulating workforce size. It was predicted that combining within-task reflection with exposure to alternative task ideas would lead to superior task performance through integration of experiential and reflective knowledge. Contrary to the prediction, within-task reflection consistently interfered with …

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Biology And Ecology Of The Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Sibling Species Complex In Louisiana., Cynthia Roxanne Rutledge Jan 1998

Biology And Ecology Of The Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Sibling Species Complex In Louisiana., Cynthia Roxanne Rutledge

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A polymerase chain reaction method for identifying individuals in the Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say sibling species complex was validated for wild mosquitoes from Louisiana and Mississippi. This method distinguished An. quadrimaculatus species A, B, C, and D by detecting species-specific differences in the 2nd internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA and was 100% specific and 95% sensitive. A polymerase chain reaction assay that detects differences in the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA was tested for its usefulness in identifying all immature stages of two representatives in the An. quadrimaculatus sibling species complex. The technique was successful in amplifying DNA …

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The Effects Of An Enriched Environment On The Stereotypic Movement Of Individuals With Profound Mental Retardation., Brandi Braud Smiroldo Jan 1998

The Effects Of An Enriched Environment On The Stereotypic Movement Of Individuals With Profound Mental Retardation., Brandi Braud Smiroldo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present study was an attempt to investigate the effects of a specific type of enriched environment on the stereotypic movements of individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. A multisensory room which contained visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation was used. Effects of brief exposure to the multisensory room was compared to effects of exposure to a placebo probe involving attention and access to tangibles and to no treatment controls. Comparisons were made during a 10-minute post-test session immediately following. No significant differences between groups on rate of stereotypic movements at post-test was noted, anecdotal information and review of raw …

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Components That Should Be Included In An Ethics Enhancement Program For State Legislatures., Kenneth Ward Jan 1998

Components That Should Be Included In An Ethics Enhancement Program For State Legislatures., Kenneth Ward

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to identify the components and sub-components that should be included in an ethics enhancement program for a state legislature, as perceived by a national panel of experts in the areas of legislative ethics. A Delphi panel comprised of state legislators and state ethics officers was established and comprised of persons representing each of the four regions of the United States. In Round One of the study, the panel identified 12 primary components and 124 related sub-components for an ethics enhancement program in a state legislature. Each of the suggested items were unique and nearly …

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The Effect Of Participation In The Occupational Safety And Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs On Injury/Illness Rates., Linda Diane Weems Jan 1998

The Effect Of Participation In The Occupational Safety And Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs On Injury/Illness Rates., Linda Diane Weems

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect participation in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) has on injury/illness rates (IIR). Data was obtained from OSHA's Office of Cooperative Programs for the companies participating in the VPP for the years 1983 through 1997. This data was summarized and analyzed to satisfy this study's objectives. Objective 1 was to describe and compare the companies participating in OSHA's VPP and their IIR with the average IIR reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the industries for each year of the program's existence from …

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Educational Technology And State Reform: Examining The First-Year Impact Of Louisiana's State Technology Policy On Public School Districts., Jeffrey Paul Gagne Jan 1998

Educational Technology And State Reform: Examining The First-Year Impact Of Louisiana's State Technology Policy On Public School Districts., Jeffrey Paul Gagne

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

During the 1990's educational technology became a major educational policy issue for every state (White, 1997; Education Commission of the States, 1997; National Council of State Legislators, 1996; Trotter, 1997). By early 1998, all 50 states had state-level technology plans in various stages of implementation, and state funding for educational technologies was rapidly increasing across the country (Trotter, 1997). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of recently enacted Louisiana state-level technology reforms on public school district technology efforts between the 1996--97 and 1997--98 school years. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data, creating …

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Applications Of Band Ratioing At Fort Irwin, California., Alexander Wright Taylor Jan 1998

Applications Of Band Ratioing At Fort Irwin, California., Alexander Wright Taylor

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation describes the results of two projects that demonstrate the power of band ratioing of remote sensing data. The first method, Band Ratio Differencing (BRD), challenges the more traditional techniques for detecting environmental disturbance of the surface in and terrains. These traditional techniques are inadequate because they cannot identify the nature of the change (physical, chemical, biological) or the processes (natural, anthropogenic) involved in causing the change. In contrast, BRD of Landsat TM data has the advantage of providing information about changes in the composition of alluvial surfaces. These compositional changes, when combined with empirical field data provides insight …

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