Digital Commons Network^™

You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: How Computer Games Are Consuming Modern Culture, Douglas Alexander

Theses

Computer games represent an area of untapped, unappreciated potential in the human-computer relationship. Having long been considered "low culture" and unworthy of scholarly attention, the focus on games is intensifying as the field of ludology emerges. The first game was created forty years ago, and since then games have branched out from their traditionally young male user base and gained popularity with both adults and females. Violence in and addiction to games remain controversial topics, but the threat posed by games fades a bit in comparison to the fascinating insights they give us into literature, art, and cinema. Their cultural …

Aligning Special Education Individualized Education Plans With District Curriculum And Learning Results, Martha G. Corkery

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Instructional practice at Bonny Eagle Middle School in Buxton, Maine, did not fully integrate IEP goals with curriculum and Maine Learning Results developed by the Maine Department of Education in 1997. Students with disabilities were prohibited from optimal learning experiences. In this study, the relationship between a sample group of students, language arts individual education plan goals, and curricular standards were attempted to be strengthened through enhanced instructional methodologies and assessments. The intended results of this study were to impact these students' levels of classroom involvement in addition to building collaboration among special and regular education teachers. Teachers' philosophies about …

The "Minor" Author And The Major Editor: A Case Study In Determining The Canon, Christopher Andrew Healy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationship between a literary work and its printed edition in the production of reputation--the editor as gatekeeper of the reputation of a “minor” poet. That relationship is demonstrated through a case study on the effects of the nineteenth-century edition of the works of the fifteenth-century poet Thomas Hoccleve and an analysis of the lingering effects of the Foucauldian “editor-function.” The number of surviving manuscripts indicates that Hoccleve’s work was well-regarded during the early fifteenth century, but his reputation fell with that of other non-Chaucerian medieval poets as later critics lost linguistic familiarity with Middle English. The …

Self-Disclosure (Book Chapter), Clara E. Hill, Sarah Knox

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Aspects Of Cognition In Human Mate Selection, Michael J. Stasio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Evolutionary perspectives on human mating have provided testable hypotheses regarding what qualities people desire in their mates and why they want them. One study was conducted to replicate previous findings in mate preference using a more sophisticated paired comparison methodology to develop scales. Paired comparison scaling generally replicated gender differences in mate preferences consistent with evolutionary predictions. Further, decision-making reaction time (ms) suggested the presence of an underlying psychological continuum of selection criteria. A series of studies were then conducted applying the information processing approach (IPA) to investigate attention and knowledge organization in mate preference. The dot-probe paradigm was used …

A Study Of The Effect Of Multisensory Writing Instruction On The Written Expression Of The Dyslexic Elementary Child, Carolyn Williams Gore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dyslexic students struggle to read and write at a level commensurate with their intellectual ability. This study examines the impact of remedial instruction on reading and writing progress of six fourth grade students chosen from three different schools within one school district. These six students, all males, had been previously identified as having characteristics of dyslexia as defined by the protocol in their school district. The remedial instruction for these students was provided in a pullout setting by one itinerant teacher. The instruction was administered in two forty-minute sessions over a period of thirteen weeks. Project Read Written Expression was …

Delayed Phytotoxicity Syndrome In Louisiana Rice Caused By The Use Of Thiobencarb Herbicide, Chiliang Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Thiobencarb (TB), widely used for the control of broadleaf weeds, grasses, and sedges in rice fields, is considered safe for rice plants when used at recommended rates. TB's reductive dechlorination product, dechlorinated thiobencarb (DTB), is highly toxic to rice. TB is naturally transformed into DTB in field soils in certain areas in Japan and the United States. The resultant syndrome is called delayed phytotoxicity syndrome (DPS). This research was conducted to characterize DPS in Louisiana, to compare the toxicity of TB and DTB to rice, to determine uptake and retention rates of TB and DTB by rice, to confirm that …

Genetic Variation For Fusarium Head Blight Resistance In Soft Red Winter Wheat, Marla Dale Hall

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Fusarium graminearum, the causative agent of Fusarium head blight, is an economically important pathogen of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Breeding Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistant wheat requires knowledge of the underlying genetic control of FHB resistance.

Two nine-parent diallel analyses were completed in greenhouse and field environments. Combining abilities, variance component ratios, and narrow sense heritabilities for FHB resistance and deoxynivalenol levels were calculated. Significant general and specific combining ability effects were observed. Resistance to FHB seems to be mostly controlled by additive genetic effects with some dominance noted in the field. Resistance noted in the greenhouse environment …

Modeling Polarimetric Imaging Using Dirsig, Jason Meyers

Theses

The remote sensing community is beginning to recognize the potential benefit of exploiting polarimetric signatures. The ability to accurately model polarimetric phenomenology in a remote sensing system will assist efforts in system design, algorithm development, phenomenology studies, and analyst training. This dissertation lays the ground work for enhancing the current Digital Imaging and Remote Sens ing Laboratory's Synthetic Image Generation (DIRSIG) model to include polarimetric phenomenology. The current modeling capabilities are discussed along with the theoretical background required to expand upon the current state of the art. Methods for modeling and estimating polarimetric signatures and phenomenology from start to end …

Application Of A Synalysis Packaging Design Method In Pc Magniviewer Package Redesign, Jun Cao

Theses

This study addresses the over-packaging phenomena in packaging design perspectives and, through the review of architectural design methods and packaging design principles, sets up a SyNalysis packaging design method with the packaging design process. Furthermore, an example of a PC magnifier redesigning is demonstrated in the thesis, step by step. The SyNalysis method contains scientific analytical methods and the designer's creative, synthetic methods. Its embodiment is presented in three processes: analysis, design and evaluation of the processes. The SyNalysis packaging design method serves as a guide to help packaging designers, and especially new and inexperienced designers pursue a more logical …

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.

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

Theses

Not provided.

Photometric Stability And Subpixel Sensitivity Of A Back-Illuminated Ccd, Albert Piterman

Theses

Characterization of scientific-grade CCDs is extremely important if one hopes to attain very precise quantitative results. A number of characterization methods exist that yield accurate and fast properties in order to make simple measurements. As CCDs are pushed to the their operating limit, other, esoteric tests are required. In this situation, such tests become the determining factors for usability of CCDs. The research presented in this dissertation describes two such tests. This work first examines the ultimate signal-to-noise achievable with a back-illuminated CCD. The focus of this research is on the ability of the tested sensor to reach and continuously …

Band Selection And Algorithm Development For Remote Sensing Of Wildfires, Andrew Fordham

Theses

The environmental damage and global change caused by wildfires are fast becoming issues of local, regional and global concern. Remote sensing techniques are an ideal tool to use for monitoring these threats. Unfortunately, most existing satellites were built for other purposes and are less than ideal for the problems associated with detecting, assessing and monitoring fires. This thesis examines the phenomenology of fires and rank orders several non-traditional detection strategies that have the promise of being more cost effective and less susceptible to false alarms than existing satellite systems and algorithms. The possibility of detecting fires with multi-band "color" measurements …

Elastic Ladar Modeling For Synthetic Imaging Applications, Robin Burton

Theses

The Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model was developed to create synthetic images of remotely sensed scenes (Schott et al. 1999). It is a quantitative model based on first principles that calculates the radiance reaching the sensor from the visible region of the spectrum through to the long-wave. DIRSIG generates a very accurate representation of what a sensor would see by modeling all processes involved in the imaging chain. Currently, DIRSIG only models light from passive sources such as the sun, blackbody radiation due to the temperature of an object, and local incoherent illuminants. Active systems allow …

Single-Particle Model For A Granular Ratchet, Albert J. Bae, Welles Antonio Martinez Morgado, J. J. P. Veerman, Giovani L. Vasconcelos

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A simple model for a granular ratchet corresponding to a single grain bouncing off a vertically vibrating sawtooth-shaped base is studied. Depending on the model parameters, horizontal transport is observed in both the preferred and unfavoured directions. A phase diagram is presented indicating the regions in parameter space where the different regimes (no current, normal current, and current reversal) occur.

Semicontinuity Of Dimension And Measure For Locally Scaling Fractals, L. B. Jonker, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The basic question of this paper is: If you consider two iterated function systems close to one another in an appropriate topology, are the dimensions of their respective invariant sets close to one another? It is well-known that the Hausdorff dimension (and Lebesgue measure) of the invariant set do not depend continuously on the iterated function system. Our main result is that (with a restriction on the ‘non-conformality’ of the transformations) the Hausdorff dimension is a lower semi-continuous function in the C¹- topology of the transformations of the iterated function system. The same question is raised of the …

On A Conjecture Of Furstenberg, Grzegorz Świçatek, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Hausdorff dimension of the set of numbers which can be written using digits 0, 1,t in base 3 is estimated. For everyt irrational a lower bound 0.767 … is found.

A Follow-Up Study Of Old Dominion University Bachelors Of Science Graduates Of The Technology Program 1997-2001, Pei-Wen Lo

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Through this follow-up study, data were collected toward fulfilling the following objectives: 1. To determine whether graduates of Old Dominion University's Technology Education undergraduate program were adequately prepared to assume teaching positions; 2. To determine what improvements can be made to the undergraduate curriculum at ODU based upon graduate's feedback; 3. To determine whether the goals established in the college's conceptual framework were being attained.

Feasibility Study Of A Permanently Implanted Prosthetic Hand, Matt Williams

Theses

The feasibility of a permanently implanted prosthetic hand was evaluated from both an internal biocompatibility and exterior mechanics point of view. A literature review of the issues involved in permanent implantation of a percutanious device was performed in the areas of bone interaction and fixation and neural interface control. A theoretical implant was designed for a 90th percentile male, using an HA-G-Ti composite material to provide a permanent base to which the hand could attach. Using a radial implant length of 1.87 inches and an ulna implant length of 1.32 inches, the simulated implant could withstand a push out force …

A Demonstration In Communication And Task Completion Between Two Autonomous Robots, Adam Renzi

Theses

The world of robotics is rapidly changing. No more are the days of robotics classes being taught that focus merely on highly industrial, automation robots. Today's robotics is focusing more and more on microcontrollers and their implementation into everyday life. Miniature robotics and how it is implemented to make common tasks easier is becoming the focus of many robotics classes across the world. Microcontrollers allow users to control several inputs and outputs to complete somewhat difficult tasks. In today's society, one might find a microcontroller in anything from a computer to the average household toaster. As time has passed, microcontrollers …

Experimental Evaluation Of Impulse Turbine Designs For Chain Testing Systems, Aaron Donlon

Theses

There are several ways to test automotive timing chains for wear in a laboratory environment. One novel method proposed by Borg-Warner Morse TEC uses fluid jets striking an impeller blade. The momentum of the oil striking and deflected by the impeller blade is used to produce a torque. This torque is transmitted to the system through the timing chain. A previous theoretical design study (conducted elsewhere) evaluated some of the design factors as they related to machine performance and ultimately to the torque loads applied to the chain. From this theoretical study came the design for two novel bucket and …

Tissue Classification Through Analysis Of Gene Expression Data Using A New Family Of Art Architectures, Rui Xu, Georgios C. Anagnostopoulos, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Correct classification is crucial to cancer diagnosis and treatment. We demonstrate that a new family of neural network architectures-Ellipsoid ART and ARTMAP (EA/EAM)-can cluster and classify tissues successfully through analysis of gene expression data generated by DNA microarray experiments

Notations For Subsequent Histories In Civil Cases, James Hambleton

Faculty Scholarship

Subsequent histories have been apart of Texas case citation since the turn of the century. For most of that time, the information for subsequent histories was gleaned from paper sources, including the Texas Subsequent History Tables and Texas Shepard's Citations. The subsequent history information available to practitioners from these sources was limited by the controlled set of notations used by legal publishers. With the advent of electronic sources, this set of notations has become inadequate. This article traces the history of civil case notations for subsequent history, explains why this system is no longer adequate, and proposes a revised system …

Introduction: The Virtues And Vices Of Skeptical Environmentalism, Jonathan H. Adler, Andrew P. Morriss

Faculty Scholarship

Introduction Extract:

The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World by Bjorn Lomborg' is the most talked about environmental book in recent memory. Lomborg's central thesis is relatively straightforward: "Our doomsday conceptions of the environment are not correct." To the contrary, in recent decades humanity's lot has "improved in terms of practically every measurable indicator." Lomborg is not the first author to make this argument,4 but his book is the first to spark such a maelstrom of public attention. Its publication ignited controversy and debate on both sides of the Atlantic. Lomborg himself, an associate professor of statistics …

Property Rights, Pesticides, & (And) Public Health: Explaining The Paradox Of Modern Pesticide Policy, Andrew P. Morriss, Roger E. Meiners

Faculty Scholarship

The lesson of DDT's rise and fall is that property rights play a critical role in checking public policy abuses. Respect for property rights requires public actors to obtain property owners' consent before they take actions (e.g. pesticide spraying) that affect the property owners. When property rights are respected, spillover impacts are minimized. Public policies imposed without consent, even if done with good intentions, may produce bad effects. Those effects may result in the policy being rightly abandoned, but may also spur other policies that produce more bad effects. Only by consistent respect for property rights, by both governments and …

Trinitarian Pneumatology In The New Testament?: Towards An Explanation Of The Worship Of Jesus, Max Turner

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Mlp And Rbf Neural Networks Using Deviation Signals For On-Line Identification Of A Synchronous Generator, Jung-Wook Park, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper compares the performances of a multilayer perceptron network (MLPN) and a radial basis function network (RBFN) for the online identification of the nonlinear dynamics of a synchronous generator. Deviations of signals from their steady state values are used. The computational complexity required to process the data for online training, generalization and online global minimum testing are investigated by time-domain simulations. The simulation results show that, compared to the MLPN, the RBFN is simpler to implement, needs less computational memory, converges faster and global minimum convergence is achieved even when operating conditions change.

The Effectiveness Of Mainstreaming Special Needs Students With Regular Students In A High School Classroom Setting, Michael A. Maciejewski

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The goals of this study were to answer the following questions: 1. Are special needs students as successful in a regular classroom setting as other students are? 2. Do special needs students work and learn as well as other students in a regular classroom setting? 3. Do special needs students respond to the various teaching methods as well as other students? 4. Do special needs students respond to media and training aids as well as other students? 5. Is mainstreaming special needs students in a regular classroom setting successful overall or should other improvements be made?

The Effectiveness Of Boxwood Treatment Program On Offender's Supervised In The District 39 Probation And Parole Office To Determine If The Method Of Referral Effected The Relapse Rate, Deborah Papotnik

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following hypothesis will guide this research project; 1. Offenders are just as likely to relapse when court ordered to complete Boxwood Treatment Program as when they are sanctioned to complete the program by their probation officer.