Digital Commons Network^™

Essays On The Bayesian Inequality Restricted Estimation, Asli K. Ogunc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bayesian estimation has gained ground after Markov Chain Monte Carlo process made it possible to sample from exact posterior distributions. This research aims at contributing to the ongoing debate about the relative virtues of the Frequentist and Bayesian theories by concentrating on the qualitative dependent variable models. Two Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods have been used throughout this dissertation to facilitate Bayesian estimation, namely Gibbs (1984) sampling and the Metropolis (1953, 1970) Algorithm. In this research, several Monte Carlo experiments have been carried out to better understand the finite sample properties of Bayesian estimator and its relative performance 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 …

Emotional Competence, Multicultural Lawyering And Race, Marjorie A. Silver

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

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.

Taking Contracts Private: The Quiet Revolution In Contract Law, Charles L. Knapp

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving In The Context Of Oregon's Educational Reform, Nicole R. Rigelman

Dissertations and Theses

Implementation of Oregon’s Educational Reform Act (HB 3565 and HB 2991) provides the context for this inquiry as its emphasis on problem solving has impacted mathematics teaching and learning throughout the state. Even though all Oregon teachers are responding to the same policy, their goals in teaching problem solving vary. These goals and these practices are influenced by the way teachers view the role of problem solving in the curriculum. Further, their practice is influenced by their knowledge and beliefs about mathematics content, teaching, learning, and the reform policy. The questions addressed in this study are: (1) What do exemplary …

Critical Performative Pedagogy : Augusto Boal's Theatre Of The Oppressed In The English As A Second Language Classroom, Ross Mckeehen Louis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Performative pedagogy combines performance methods and theory with critical pedagogy in an effort to carry out the dual project of social critique and transformation. Performance offers an efficacious means of completing this project by privileging students’ historicized bodies, by implementing contingent classroom dialogue, and by exposing students to the value embedded in performance risk. In this study, I apply performative pedagogy to an English as a Second Language (ESL) context in response to its problematic pedagogical history. In particular, I argue that Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed practice should be adapted as a method for doing performative ESL pedagogy. …

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.

Patterns Of Nucleotide Substitution Within And Among Mitochondrial Gene Regions In Sea Star (Leptasterias Spp), Adam Wayne Hrincevich

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, 23 molecular lineages within the species-rich sea star genus Leptasterias subgenus Hexasterias section Camtschatica and an outgroup Leptasterias polaris were examined for patterns of mtDNA nucleotide sequence variation and evolution. Two separate regions of the mitochondrial genome were sequenced. The first region (549-bp) spanned the partial 3' ends of the 12s rRNA and 16s rRNA genes, complete tRNAs for glutamic acid and threonine, and complete putative control region. The second region (1644-bp) spanned approximately 85% of the 3' end of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, complete tRNA for arginine and approximately 85% of the 5' end …

It Came From Outer Space: The Virus, Cultural Anxiety, And Speculative Fiction, Anne-Marie Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study seeks to explore and interrogate the “viral reality” of the 1990s, in which the virus, heavily indebted to representations of AIDS for its metaphorical power, emerged as a prominent agent in science and popular culture. What becomes apparent in both fictional and non-fictional texts of this era, however, is that the designation of “virus” transcends specific and material viral phenomena, making the virus itself a touchstone for modern preoccupations with self and other. As constituted by the human body’s interaction with pathogenic agents, the binary of self and other may be deconstructed by an interrogation of the virus …

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 …

Feminist Legal Writing, Kathryn M. Stanchi

Scholarly Works

To lay the groundwork for the exploration of feminist legal writing, this Article first summarizes the traditions and conventions of persuasion and persuasive writing-how they are characterized in law and how they are taught in law school. It then summarizes a type of language in linguistic theory called "antilanguage," which is language created by groups in society that are outcasts or otherwise excluded from the dominant social class to rebel against the dominant class. Analyzing several pieces of feminist legal scholarship that use unconventional writing techniques, this Article identifies a type of feminist legal antilanguage. This feminist legal antilanguage uses …

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.

Urban Librarianship: Libraries, Cities And Beyond, Beth Posner

Publications and Research

As urbanization and urban issues become increasingly universal, the study of urban libraries will become increasingly relevant to all librarians, all library patrons, and all citizens of the world. In light of this, this essay examines how the past development, present issues and future possibilities of cities, urban areas, and urban libraries relate to each other and to the study of urban librarianship.

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 …

Models Of Inclusion: Standing At The Cross Roads. Building Inclusive Child Care Through Child Care Development Funds, Eileen M. Brennan, Shane Ama, Elizabeth Haran Caplan, Olivia Warfield, Sherry Archer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 has produced a growing recognition that children with disabilities have the same rights as other children to participate in community-based child care settings (Whitney, Grozinsky, & Poppe, 1999). But even a legal mandate is not sufficient to guarantee access to realistic and suitable child care options for every family, particularly those having children with emotional or behavioral disorders (National Child Care Information Center [NCCIC], 1997). The presentation addressed governmental policy and planning efforts to include children with emotional or behavioral challenges in settings with typically developing children. Particularly, presenters …

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.