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A Case Study Of A Child Presenting Academic And On Task Difficulties, Eric Stephen Weichers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current study examines a 4th grade, African-American male referred for special education eligibility evaluation. Specific academic difficulties cited on the referred included reading, writing, spelling, and math. A behavioral concern included the student's off task behavior and how it might contribute to his academic difficulties. A special education evaluation was conducted that included the procedures of reviewing the student's records, interviewing those of consequence to the evaluation, classroom observations of the student's behavior, and testing of skills. The testing procedures included nationally normed standardized tests, curriculum based assessment, permanent product review, informal reading inventory scores, and an intelligence test. …

Evaluation Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Transgenic Field Corn For Management Of Louisiana Corn Pests, Boris A. Castro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Efficacy of Bt corn hybrids expressing an insecticidal delta-endotoxin through different transformation events was evaluated in Louisiana. Efficacy levels were determined for southwestern corn borer (SWCB), Diatraea grandiosella Dyar; sugarcane borer (SCB), Diatraea saccharalis (F.); corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie); and fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Insect (neonates and third instars) susceptibility was evaluated on Bt and non-Bt corn plants (V6 and R1 stages) in field plots and plant tissue in laboratory studies. Bt corn hybrids with MON810 and CBH351 transformation events sustained significantly (P < 0.05) less injury caused by SWCB, SCB, and FAW during infestations at mid-whorl stage. SWCB, SCB, and CEW infestations during silking stage were significantly reduced in Bt hybrids with the MON810 event. However, CEW infestations …

Scientific And Management Perspectives In Wetland Groundwater Hydrology, Lorna Veronica Inniss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wetland groundwater hydrology was investigated at different spatial scales to assess the usefulness of the information to coastal managers. Specific objectives were to: (1) review studies related to coastal groundwater discharge, evaluating techniques and identifying controls; (2) understand regional trends in groundwater flow along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts; (3) evaluate the applicability of naturally occurring radioisotopes as indicators of groundwater in a shallow deltaic system; and (4) evaluate groundwater-surface water exchange within Barataria Basin, Louisiana. Results of the review confirmed discharge estimates vary over several orders of magnitude, due to differences in precipitation and tidal prisms. In addition, …

A Game Theoretic Analysis Of U.S. Rice Exports Under Alternative Japanese And South Korean Policy Scenarios, Dae-Seob Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As a result of the Uruguay Round (UR), the impact on the international rice market is profound. In addition, another round of the WTO trade negotiations has started and the impacts of potential policy changes on rice trade are unknown. The major U.S. benefit of the UR has been the access to the Japanese market. However, the U.S. share of this import market has been unstable and the share of Korean rice market is zero percent. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the potential implication of U.S. rice exports to Japan and Korea. The Japanese and Korean rice economies as …

The Relationship Between Author And Audience: Case Study Of A Young-Adult Author And A Student Audience, Keitha Ilene Phares

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

How does author relate to audience? This overarching question guided a case study focused on author Rick Norman and his novel Fielder’s Choice. Specific questions were (1) What was, and is, this author’s conception of his audience for the book? (2) How do members of the audience—specifically five high school students—respond to the novel? (3) How do the audience’s responses relate to the author’s stated intentions? Data came from the following sources: interviews with the author, the student readers, and the editor of the book; students’ written responses to the book and the author’s written reactions to those responses; an …

An Analysis Of The Plays Of Margaret Macnamara, Patricia Ellen Lufkin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents Margaret Macnamara’s career as a playwright and dramaturg while exploring the cultural and political context of her works. It explores the influences of the Fabian Society on Macnamara’s work and places her among such leading independent theatre artists as George Bernard Shaw, Harley Granville Barker, and Nugent Monck. The political context of her work is examined as her play, Mrs. Hodges (1920 is compared with Shaw’s Widowers’ Houses and the theatrical context of her work is established as productions of The Gates of the Morning (1908) and Our Little Fancies (1911) are analyzed. Her plays are grouped …

Sorority Rituals : Rites Of Passage And Their Impact On Contemporary Sorority Women, Mari Ann Callais

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Very little research has been conducted to assess the effects of sorority membership on undergraduate sorority women. While there have been numerous studies conducted concerning fraternity men, there has been limited research concerning sorority women only and no studies that explore the effects of ritual on the sorority experience. Does ritual have an impact on the values and behavior of contemporary sorority women? Addressing this question requires an in-depth understanding of the role of the sorority experience and examination of the experience to determine if it provides to its membership what it is intended to provide. Based on research conducted …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Contingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Difficulty And Noncontingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Preference, Ernest Whitmarsh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This investigation examined instructional strategies derived from the Premack principle and task interspersal strategies for four students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. In both studies, baseline consisted of massed instruction of thirty trials. During study one, students were given contingent access to preferred easy tasks for correct responding in one condition. In the second condition, students were given contingent access to preferred difficult tasks for correct responding. During study two, students were given noncontingent access to preferred easy tasks for correct responding in one condition. In the second condition, students were given noncontingent access to nonpreferred easy tasks for …

Aspects Of The Behavioral Ecology, Life History, Genetics, And Morophology Of The Hawaiian Kuhliid Fishes, Lori Keene Benson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Flagtails, members of the Genus Kuhlia, are Indo-Pacific fishes found in marine and freshwater habitats. Known locally as āholehole, they are important food fishes in the Hawaiian Islands and were often used by Hawaiians in traditional ceremonies. Local fishermen have noted the presence of two morphotypes in Hawai'i, although at the beginning of this study only one species, Kuhlia sandvicensis, was identified in the scientific literature. For this dissertation research, morphological and DNA studies of the two morphotypes determined that two species of the genus Kuhlia do exist in Hawai'i. Subsequently, Randall and Randall (2001) published a revision of this …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Macroeconomic Effects Of Government Purchases, Eric Horent

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the implications of different methods of identifying exogenous shocks to defense purchases for estimating the macroeconomic effects of shocks to government purchases. Four identification schemes are examined: the narrative approach of Ramey and Shapiro (1997), a more comprehensive narrative approach that tries to isolate exogenous reductions in defense purchases as well as exogenous increases in defense purchases, the Choleski decomposition, and long-run restrictions. The effects of alternative methods of identifying policy shocks are examined within two common VAR systems estimated over specific sample periods. The benchmark model includes four lagged values of defense purchases, real GDP, the …

Prevention Of Eating Disorders In Athletes: An Intervention For Coaches, Brooke L. Whisenhunt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has found that athletes, particularly those involved in "aesthetically-oriented" sports, are at increased risk for engaging in unhealthy weight reduction practices and developing clinical eating disorders. Prevention studies of eating disorders have had some success, but there are very few published studies that address prevention in athletes. This study was designed as an eating disorders prevention program that targeted coaches as change agents. Cheerleading coaches at national or regional conferences attended an intervention workshop or a control workshop. Coaches who attended the intervention workshop received information regarding nutrition, eating disorders, and ways to manage athletes with eating disorders. They …

Body And Soul: Food, The Female (In) Corporeal, And The Narrative Effects Of Mind/Body Duality, Andrea Adolph

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study combines philosophical, historical, and cultural modes of inquiry in order to explore what has occurred when selected authors have attempted to "write the body." Augmented by archival and primary cultural research, the dissertation is grounded in the experiential, "everyday" qualities of women's lives. Samples of women's cultural materials such as beauty, cookery, and household management texts, and popular women's magazines serve as informative backdrops for an investigation of middle- and working-class British and Anglo-Irish women's culture during the twentieth century. This study investigates some of the ways in which women have thought about food in relation to more …

Radiation Resistance Testing Of Mosfet And Cmos As A Means Of Risk Management, Akira Tokuhiro, Massimo F. Bertino

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Whether for military, research (space, accelerator physics) and/or civilian use, risk avoidance against radiation-induced damage is not possible with COTS parts. Thus the sensible approach is risk management. We recommend a sensible risk management approach as follows: 1) know the radiation environment of the intended application to the extent possible; 2) know the effects of ionizing radiation on the component(s) of interest; 3) know the requirements of the application; 4) identify the candidate or chosen components; 5) test the components; 6) design-in safety factor margins to the extent possible.

Development Of A Strategic Plan Based On The Evaluation Of Relevant Quality Measures For Joliet Junior College, Mary Lou D'Allegro

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The strategic planning process at Joliet Junior College had been dormant since 2000. The problem, therefore, was that no strategic planning was being conducted that adhered to the institution's accreditation mandates or addressed stakeholder expectations. The purpose of this dissertation was threefold. First, a systematic methodology to develop key performance indicators by soliciting the input of various stakeholder groups was generated. Second, an inventory of those key measures was developed via the input of a formative committee and validation by a summative committee. A pilot study was then conducted to further corroborate lucidity of those quality measures. The final inventory …

Evaluation Of Adventure-Based Training Programs For Adult Learners, Jean Mee

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The nature of the problem was a lack of data supporting the validity of the adventure education movement; it was not known whether various adventure-based programs and experiences are teaching what they claim to be teaching. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness of adventure-based training programs for adult learners. The study addressed several research questions. First, "Are existing adventure-based training programs utilizing adult learning principles?" Second, "Are existing adventure-based training programs 3 for adult learners effective in meeting the learning needs of program participants?" Third, "What are the goals of adventure-based training programs, and are those …

Evaluation Of U.S. Army Recruiters’ Satisfaction With Basic Recruiter Training And Their Challenges Encountering Today’S Youth Market, Richard E. Talley Colonel

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Despite the U.S. Army's recent success in recruiting, recruiters have difficulties in communicating with and attracting today's youth to Army service. Army officials reiterate that complacency about recent recruiting figures is misguided, and that, without the Army consistently meeting recruitment quotas, national security could be unduly threatened. The purposes of this study were to evaluate Army recruiters' satisfaction with their basic training course and its application to performance standards, to evaluate challenges recruiters face in attracting today's youth by development and administration of a survey instrument, and to report recommendations for improving the training course and remedying recruiters' difficulties in …

The Matson And Mayville (M&M) Seizure Scale: An Assessment Of Psychological And Environmental Variables Contributing To Seizure Activity In Persons With Mental Retardation, Erik Andrew Mayville

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Seizure activity can be debilitating across a number of physical, social, occupational, and personal domains. Given the deficits in all of these areas frequently present in persons with mental retardation, the control and elimination of seizures is a primary goal for individuals with both mental retardation and epilepsy. Antiepileptic medication can reduce seizure activity. However, this intervention often carries with it a range of untoward side effects that may adversely affect clients over what is typically a long-term treatment regimen. Over the last 20 years, literature has emerged emphasizing the importance of environmental variables in the initiation and maintenance of …

Explicit Multiplicative Relations Between Gauss Sums, Brian J. Murray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

H.Hasse conjectured that all multiplicative relations between Gauss sums essentially follow from the Davenport-Hasse product formula and the norm relation for Gauss sums. While this is known to be false, very few counterexamples, now known as sign ambiguities, have been given. Here, we provide an explicit product formula giving an infinite class of new sign ambiguities and resolve the ambiguous sign in terms of the order of the ideal class of quadratic primes.

A Model For Evaluation Of Selected Compositions For Unaccompanied Solo Trumpet According To Criteria Of Serious Artistic Merit, Michael Craig Bellinger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document presents a pilot study for evaluating the serious artistic merit of unaccompanied solo trumpet literature. The model for use in the study was derived from the efforts of two wind band literature researchers, Acton E. Ostling, Jr. and Jay W. Gilbert. Ostling wrote his dissertation in 1978 and Gilbert replicated and updated the research in 1993. The primary element of the Ostling and Gilbert studies was a carefully defined collection of ten criteria used to evaluate the quality of each work. A 5-point Likert scale was the unit of measurement. The outcome of this adaptation was a rank …

Doing Homework: Negotiations Of The Domestic In Twentieth-Century Novels Of Teaching, Margaret M. Watson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I analyze seven twentieth-century novels of teaching in order to investigate how notions of “home” and “school” are constructed, connected, and perpetuated in popular teaching narratives. Images of teachers in much of this century’s fiction often rest on views of the school as home that are derived from stereotypes of gender, race, and nationality—stereotypes that can be both inaccurate and repressive. For this reason, I examine these texts in light of how they negotiate school space with domestic space (“domestic” both as personal or familial, and as public or national). I contend that many of these narratives …

Pathogenic Mechanisms Of Photobacterium Damselae Subspecies Piscicida In Hybrid Striped Bass, Ahmad A. Elkamel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Photobacterium damselae subspecies piscicida, previously known as Pasteurella piscicida, is an important pathogen of hybrid striped bass and many fish species cultured in brackish water in the United States, Japan, Europe, and the Mediterranean. The purpose of this study is to investigate virulence mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of this organism. The ability of P. damselae to survive/replicate within hybrid striped bass macrophages was evaluated with an in vitro killing assay. Results indicated that the numbers of bacteria recovered from macrophages at 3, 6, 12, and 18 hours of incubation increased significantly over time. In contrast, the numbers of …

The Relationship Between Perceived Leader Behavior And Alcohol Consumption Among University Students Who Are Members Of Social Fraternities, Joe Randy Gurie

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected personal and institutional demographic characteristics on the alcohol consumption of students enrolled in a research extensive university in the southern portion of the United States who were members of a social fraternity. The two main goals of this study were: 1) to determine if a relationship existed between the level of alcohol consumption and the perceptions of the effectiveness of the current organizational leadership among students who were members of social fraternities at a research extensive university in the southern portion of the United States and 2) …

Timber, Trade, And Transformation: A Historical Geography Of Mahogany In Honduras, Craig Stephen Revels

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Combining archival and field investigation, this study reconstructs the historical geography of mahogany in Honduras. Focusing on the north coast, its temporal focus stretches from the mid-eighteenth century through the last years of the nineteenth century. This incorporates the earliest stages of the commercial mahogany trade in Honduras, its decline and subsequent rebirth, its boom period in the mid-1800s, and its eventual decline. The initial chapters of the study address cultural aspects of the mahogany trade. The mahogany extraction process is examined in detail to provide a foundation for discussion of the expansion and development of the trade itself. With …

A Comparison Of Louisiana Secondary Career And Technical Teachers And Academic Teachers On Learning Type And Perception Of School Climate, Tracy Andries Beard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Louisiana public secondary school teachers' primary learning type and teaching area; and the influence of learning type and teaching area on the teacher's perception of school climate. A total of 293 Louisiana public secondary school teachers participated in the study. An instrument with three parts was used to collect data for this study: demographics, Learning Type Measure and Organizational Health Inventory. Over two-thirds of the respondents were female. Mean age was 43 years and mean teaching experience was 16.41 years. Over three-fourths of respondents were white while over 50% …

Dynamic Econometric Modeling Of The U.S. Wheat Grain Market, Carlos Walter Robledo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Structural-time series models have not gained much ground in commodity market modeling despite the overwhelming popularity of time series approaches in forecasting and dynamic analyses. This dissertation contributes by applying developments in seasonal cointegration and structural-time series analysis (e.g., Zellner and Palm (1974); Hsiao (1997); Lee (1992); Franses and Kunst (1999); Ghysels and Osborn, 2001) to the study of agricultural commodity markets. The focus is on three research themes. The first theme investigates the role of cointegration and seasonal cointegration for market data, an issue considered timely because most applications assume deterministic seasonal components. The second issue breaks new ground …

The Influence Of The Use Of Recommended Management Practices On Milk Production In Southeast Louisiana, Ronald David Bardwell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dairy industry in Southeast Louisiana is one of the largest agricultural industries, with a gross farm value of over 74 million dollars. Much of the economy of Southeast Louisiana parishes depends on the dairy industry. Therefore, improvements in production efficiency and/or effectiveness would have an enormous impact on the parish economy. This study identifies the use of recommended practices by dairy producers, thus allowing educational programs to be focused on specific areas of greatest need. The purpose of the study was to describe the management practices of Southeast Louisiana dairy producers and to determine if a relationship existed between …

An Analysis Of Student Collaboration And Task Completion Through Project Based Learning In A Web-Supported Undergraduate Course, William Randall Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decade calls for reform in higher education have emphasized that education should become less instructor centered with students taking a more active role in their learning. Moreover, there is increasing pressure on university professors to implement student centered teaching strategies that negate time and place restrictions of the classroom by integrating technologies that support the active engagement of students through Internet based applications. The goal of this study was to gain insights into the interactions that occur in online communications in a project-based learning activity. Twenty-one undergraduate students participated in the study while completing a component of …

Development Of An Adjunct Handbook For The Graduate Teacher Education Program At Nova Southeastern University, Sandrine Lavallee

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) regularly hires new adjuncts. The problem was that new and returning adjuncts complained that they did not understand various procedures. The purpose of this study was to develop an adjunct handbook for new and returning GTEP adjuncts.

The development methodology was utilized for this study. The research questions were {a) what is the appropriate and valid content for a GTEP adjunct handbook that will inform new and returning adjuncts about procedures and processes? (b) What is the appropriate and valid content for a GTEP adjunct handbook • that will assist employees? (c) What the …

The Effect Of An Internship On Undergraduate Perceptions Of Career Related Skills And Interests At The University Of Connecticut, Cynthia F. Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Career Resource Assistants (CRA's) deliver several of the comprehensive career services provided for students at the University of Connecticut through their participation in a structured internship program at Career Services. The literature in the field of career development shows that students usually gain crystallization of career interests and skills through participation in an experiential learning experience such as an internship.

The purpose of this practicum project was to determine whether the internship experience for CRA' s at Career Services provides the benefits traditionally associated with internship experiences for students. The research questions for the study were: "Will there be a …

Development Of An Online Medical/Surgical Course For Selected Students At Aurora University, Vi Wilkes

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that several students in the baccalaureate nursing program at Aurora University (AU) experienced problems fitting required courses into their schedules. These students requested an alternative to class attendance in the course, Nursing Care of Person with Acute Health Problems (NUR 380). The purpose of this practicum was to develop an online version of NUR 380 for selected students enrolled in the nursing program at AU. Two research questions for this study were (a) what is the best design for the online course? And (b) can this method of delivery be partially integrated into the traditional classroom?

.Six …