Digital Commons Network^™

Isleno Decima Singers Of Louisiana: An Interpretation Of Performance And Event, Danielle Elise Sears

LSU Master's Theses

This study is a metaperformance autoethnography of the Isleno decima singers of Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The performance and event of the decima are explored using research techniques including the performance of ethnography. First a basis is provided for the study by presenting a brief historical overview of the Spanish influence in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The work of Richard Bauman in Verbal Art as Performance is included in order to key the decima as a performance event. Second, the script, “A Tribute to Storytellers: Isleno Decima Singers of Louisiana,” performed at Louisiana State University in The HopKins Black Box …

The Bauhaus (Per)Forms, Lisa Flanagan

LSU Master's Theses

This study uses the methods and discourses of creative/performative writing and formal aesthetics to evoke the visual aesthetic principles exercised and developed by the Bauhaus and its Stage Workshop. It explores the creative connections between visual and written forms that can affect meaning through primary, universal expression and comprehension. First, a graph links creative/performative writing and avant-garde theater concepts with related Bauhaus performance documents. This initial graph contains the key forms of visual and written expression used in the remaining sections. These further areas of inquiry include, an evocative rendering of the multiple and partial histories that include the Bauhaus, …

Picnicking At Houston's Waterwall: The Public Construction Of Corporate Space, Trushna Parekh

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis demonstrates how private, corporate space at the Williams Tower Park in Houston’s Galleria area, (originally conceived as an office park that was closed to the public) has becomes a public place of leisure through its use. Ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the Williams Tower Park provides evidence contrary to what some scholars have heralded as the "end of public space," characterized by placeless and homogenized spaces. Instead, the corporate landscape of Houston is being culturally constructed through its unintended use by dog owners, fly fishers, wedding and quinceañera photographers, couples and families. The analysis begins with Martin Heidegger’s notion …

Effect Of Tip Geometry On Blade Tip Flow And Heat Transfer, David Michael Kontrovitz

LSU Master's Theses

In an attempt to increase thrust to weight ratio and efficiency of modern gas turbines, engine designers are always interested in increasing turbine operating temperatures. The benefits are attributed to the fact that higher temperature gases yield a higher energy potential. However, the detrimental effects on the components along the hot gas path can offset the benefits of increasing the operating temperature. The High Pressure Turbine (HPT) first stage blade is one component that is extremely vulnerable to the hot gas. The present study explores the effects of gap height and tip geometry on heat transfer distribution. This investigation differs …

Tribological Behavior Of Nanostructured Nickel, Dean Joseph Guidry

LSU Master's Theses

The present study reports the effects of electroplating parameters on the microstructure, and thus the mechanical and tribological properties, of nanostructured nickel. Electroplating was conducted in a Watt's type bath with a pH of 3.0 carried out using direct current in galvanostatic mode at current densities of 30 mA/cm² and 15 mA/cm² in electroplating bath temperatures of 30°C and 50°C. Grain size and distributions were determined from TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) micrographs. Tribological tests were carried out on a pin-on-disc type tribometer. The same tests were conducted on Ni-200 for the purpose of …

Effects Of Repeat Sampling In The U.S. Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey, Jesse G. Oetgen

LSU Master's Theses

Age ratio estimates obtained annually by the Cooperative Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey (PCS) serve as important estimates of annual waterfowl recruitment. To determine if age and sex ratios are biased due to repeat sampling of hunters across years, I examined PCS data collected from 1991-2000. Mean seasonal harvest increased with number of consecutive years hunters responded to the PCS. Proportions of juveniles in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) harvest and harvest of all species combined decreased with increasing seasonal harvest level. Proportions of males in the harvest increased with increasing harvest level. Proportions of juveniles in the harvest of hunters responding …

Patterns Of Female Nest Attendance In Northern Pintails And Mallards, Andrea Kim Hoover

LSU Master's Theses

I examined the accuracy of using data collected by temperature sensing dummy eggs (hollow and switch) to determine female nest attendance in waterfowl. I monitored 3 northern pintails (Anas acuta) and 6 mallards (A. platyrhynchos) using closed circuit video recording. Differences in the time spent on the nest for an 8-hour recording period between dummy eggs and camera were similar between type (hollow and switch eggs, P = 0.93), species (P = 0.07), and date (P = 0.42). My results show that temperature data from hollow and switch eggs are an effective and accurate method to monitor female nest attendance …

Collecting Raindrops: Investigating Multiplicity In The Work Of Paul Arthur Dufour, Kristin M. Krolak

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is an investigation into the artwork of Paul Arthur Dufour. He has continuously redefined his identity through the form of his art, and his life. The work is passionate, powerful, complex and always of the moment. It is helpful to capture specific moments as opposed to developing a theory about brushstrokes or color or thematic focus because Dufour has worked in just about every imaginable media, color and genre. The possibilities for interpretation of his life’s work are thus limitless. After interviewing Paul Dufour and poring over countless drawings, paintings and other works, I have determined that to …

A State-Of-The-Practice Review Of Hurricane Evacuation Plans And Policies, Elba Alicia Urbina

LSU Master's Theses

The events of recent hurricane seasons have made evacuation one of the leading emergency management issues. In 1998 and 1999, Hurricanes Georges and Floyd precipitated the two largest evacuations in U.S. history and perhaps, its two largest traffic jams. In response to the problems experienced during these events, many State Department’s of Transportation (DOT) have begun to take a more active role in the planning, management, and operation of hurricane evacuations. Since the involvement of transportation professionals in the evacuation field has been a fairly recent development; many of the newest practices and policies have only been used once, if …

The Use Of Preexisting Clothing In Current High Fashion(2000-2002), Gillian David Sims

LSU Master's Theses

The fashion system has historically looked to art for inspiration. For the greater part of history, this inspiration has been purely visual. However, with the advent of Modern Art, the formal qualities of art are often merely visual representations of some underlying theoretical position. As the fashion system seeks inspiration from this new art, an examination of what aspects, if any, of these underlying theoretical positions are carried into fashion becomes necessary. To not do so, is to forego a complete reading of the fashion objects being currently produced. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of …

The Effects Of Internet Guided Practice With Aural Modeling On The Sight-Singing Accuracy Of Elementary Education Majors, Jessica L. Hall

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of aural modeling in guided practice through the Internet on the sight-singing improvement of elementary education majors. Students enrolled in a music methods course for elementary education majors (N=37) used software delivered via the Internet to practice sight-singing. The experimental web page included visual examples of sight-singing exercises as well as aural modeling of each of the exercises. The control web page included only visual examples. A t test for independent samples indicated no significant difference in the posttest scores of the two groups in rhythm (p > .05), pitch on …

Net.Sense, John Mikucki

Theses

Net.sense will server as a proof-of-concept of a new type of network management system, using biological models and statistical principles to address scalability, predictability, and reliability issues associated with managing the highly complex computer systems that we as a society have come to depend on.

Analysis Of Accident Cost And Comparison With Available Research, Michael Osterhaudt

Theses

This project is designed to determine the cost of occupational injury in one case study and to relate it to the cost of occupational injury in the available literature. The main reason for this project is the general lack of knowledge that companies have regarding the actual cost of occupational injuries. Information was gathered for this project through personal interviews with the case study individual, telephone calls to various agencies and hospitals regarding the scenario presented in the case study and compilation of the costs and hours spent with respect to this case study. Through the case study this project …

The Collaborative Learning Handbook: A Best Practices Guide, Sameer Malhotra

Theses

Not provided.

The Practice Of Precedent: Anastasoff, Noncitation Rules, And The Meaning Of Precedent In An Interpretive Community, Lauren K. Robel

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Missiles Of Terror: Hitler's And Hussein's Use Of Ballistic Missiles, Edward Scott Martin

LSU Master's Theses

Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein were the only national leaders ever to use large-scale missile launches against American forces and their wartime allies. In both cases, the missiles were too few in number and lacked the accuracy and warhead size to be militarily effective. Use of the V-2 and SCUD missiles showed that conventionally armed ballistic missiles have minimal tactical military value and are more suitable as terrorist weapons. Indeed, the goal of those two meglomaniacal dictators was to terrorize enemy civilians and achieve a political settlement of a hopeless military situation. Each leader hoped to split the Allied coalitions …

Directing The Threepenny Opera, Alexander G. Harrington

LSU Master's Theses

This production thesis on directing Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera is divided into two sections. The first section consists of four research/critical chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the director’s understanding of the theories of Bertolt Brecht. Chapter two discusses potential differences between the director’s aesthetic point of view and Brecht’s theories. Chapters 3 and 4 lay out the findings and opinions based on those findings of research into two issues that influenced production decisions: Chapter 3 focuses on Brecht’s relationship with totalitarian communism and Chapter 4 looks into questions raised about the authorship of The Threepenny Opera. Section …

Full, Leanne Rose Mcclurg

LSU Master's Theses

As an artist I want to make my human experience sharable. I am interested in the connection between the act of consumption, the desire that leads to that act and the repercussions of fulfilling that desire on the body both social and intimate.I have chosen the hand made pot to express my thoughts of filling the vessel. It is in the arena of eating that I begin to understand larger philosophical issues about sentience. Using dishes I made, I have chosen to illustrate the experience of consumption by leaving remnants of a dinner on display during gallery hours. How much …

Corporate America And Web Access For The Blind: Are Public Relations Practioners Communicating With The Blind Public?, Jenice Daigle

LSU Master's Theses

Advances in technology have given the blind public a new voice in corporate America. Today, blind individuals are able to utilize the Internet independently using screen access software. However, like ramps for wheelchairs in physical spaces, Web site accommodations are needed in cyberspace for successful use. A review of the current literature indicates trends in public relations are shifting toward a corporate ethic of social responsibility, but on-line concerns for the disabled are not clearly demonstrated among the leading corporations in the United States. The purpose of this research is to determine if blind consumers are being accommodated on corporate …

The Dynamic Judicial Opinion, William D. Popkin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Eskridge's article on Dynamic Statutory Interpretation advances an aggressively pragmatic theory of interpretation but has had more influence among academics than judges because of a failure to attend to the problems of writing a candid, pragmatic and dynamic judicial opinion. This article argues that, although not free from doubt, a candid judicial opinion is preferable, and discusses how to write such an opinion - suggesting that judges rely on the "intent of the statute," not legislative intent; and adopt a personal/exploratory style in presenting their views.

Identifying And Building On Strengths Of Children With Serious Emotional Disturbances, Michael Orval Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

The aim of this study is to explore strengths assessments and the participation of parents in assessment of strengths and functioning of their children challenged by serious emotional disorders. The children in this study have a high level of exposure to mental illness, domestic violence and substance abuse in their biological families. These children are living with family members or foster families in the community, with the majority at continuing risk of placement outside of their homes and communities due to serious emotional and behavioral problems.

The research questions investigated are the concordance of families and professionals in assessment of …

Aphrati And Kato Syme: Pottery, Continuity, And Cult In Late Archaic And Classical Crete, Brice L. Erickson

Dartmouth Scholarship

The analysis of ceramics from Aphrati sheds valuable new light on the history of this Cretan settlement and on its relationship with a nearby rural sanctuary at Kato Syme in the Late Archaic and Classical periods. It has long been held that Aphrati was deserted from ca. 600 to 400 B.C. A pottery deposit from the domestic quarter, however, now supports occupation of the city during this period. A ceramic classification system is presented and the morphological development and absolute chronology of several key shapes at Aphrati and Kato Syme are plotted. Historical implications of the ceramic evidence are also …

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Professor Gary Perlstein has become a national media resource on terrorism; faculty to use new electron microscope to see the unseeable; record heard count prompts the urge to discover the typical PSU student; facial expressions become languages unto themselves that often defy translation; a PSU professor examines the Japanese monarchy just as the country greets a new princess; and more.

Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Service-Learning, Kim Flottemesch, Tuula Heide, Melvin Pedras

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The study explored preservice teachers' experiences and perceptions of implementation of service-learning into the teacher preparation progrcun and its use as a teaching methodology in their own teaching. Through quantitative data generated from a survey instrument, the concept of a service-learning as a viable teaching method was well received. After an initial introduction to the concept of service-learning methhodology, a moderate percentage of preservice teachers stated they would likely use it in their own teaching. Data suggests no systematic relationship between certainty of teaching as a career choice and perceptions of service-learning. However, the data does suggest significant differences in …

Oh, What A Tangled Web-Site We Weave When First We Practice, Elizabeth Reynolds, James Reynolds

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Current emphases on computer technology have prompted a naive desire to use whatever is new regardless of its appropriateness to educational outcomes. Use of College level Web-based instruction has unearthed a variety of problems: misapplication of software, misplaced attempts to adapt traditional instruction to the Web, lack of teacher support, access and time difficulties, financial barriers, spatial/gender differences, and counterproductive approaches to learning that are unsystematic and independent versus organized, social, and cultural. The present study examined technological barriers to college student's achievement as well as student preferences regarding an optional Web-based ancillary designed to promote student achievement in an …

Classroom Practices For Literacy Development Of English Language Learners, Teresa J. Kennedy

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The article discusses the need to adjust teaching practices to meet the needs of linguistically diverse students.

Developing Linguistic Literacy: Perspectives From Corpus Linguistics And Multi-Dimensional Analysis, Douglas Biber, Randi Reppen, Susan M. Conrad

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In their conceptual framework for linguistic literacy development, Ravid & Tolchinsky synthesize research studies from several perspectives. One of these is corpus-based research, which has been used for several large-scale research studies of spoken and written registers over the past 20 years. In this approach, a large, principled collection of natural texts (a 'corpus') is analysed using computational and interactive techniques, to identify the salient linguistic characteristics of each register or text variety. Three characteristics of corpus-based analysis are particularly important (see Biber, Conrad & Reppen 1998):(1) a special concern for the representativeness of the text sample being analysed, and …

Testimony, Landscape And The West: A Conversation With Stephen Trimble, David Thomas Sumner

Faculty Publications

This interview with Stephen Trimble is part of a series of conversations with contemporary western writers about the ethical and cultural implications of nature writing.

Querying Geographically Dispersed, Heterogeneous Data Stores: The Pperfxchange Approach, Matthew Edward Colgrove

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis details PPerfXchange’s approach for querying geographically dispersed heterogeneous data stores. While elements of PPerfXchange’s method have been implemented for other application areas, PPerfXchange shows how these elements can be applied to parallel performance analysis. The accomplishments of this thesis are:

• The design of an architecture for PPerfXchange, giving a uniform method to query heterogeneous data stores;
• A proof of concept prototype implementation of PPerfXchange including a partial implementation of an XQuery processor and a relational database virtual XML document; and
• Evaluation of PPerfXchange using example parallel performance analysis data.

Watershed Solutions: Collaborative Problem Solving For States And Communities, National Policy Consensus Center

National Policy Consensus Center Publications

In July 2002, the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC) hosted a colloquium for people involved in watershed collaborations, academics, and other experts from government and non-profit organizations. Its aim was to identify lessons learned from successful watershed initiatives, and to develop recommendations for governors and other state officials on ways to enhance the use and effectiveness of watershed partnerships. This report is an outgrowth of that conference.

Studies on watershed collaborations are beginning to identify what makes them successful and what some of the barriers are to greater success. For example, contrary to the fears of some observers, successful collaborations …