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Toward A Global Microscopic Theory For Nuclear Structure: Mean Field Plus Random Phase Approximation Vs. Shell Model, Ionel Stetcu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Our understanding of nuclear structure is built upon mean-field theories such as Hartree-Fock and time-dependent Hartree-Fock. The small-amplitude limit of the latter is the random phase approximation (RPA), which is widely used to model giant resonances in nuclei. Despite this popularity, RPA has been mostly validated against toy models; tests against complex models are scarce in the literature. We perform a thorough test of the RPA against full 0hw shell model (SM) calculations, including in our investigation binding energies, scalar ground-state observables, for which we develop a new method, and transition strengths. We allow deformed Hartree-Fock solutions and compare results …

Civil Society And Democratization In Asia: Prospects And Challenges In The New Millennium, Emma E. Porio

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

This paper examines the conceptual foundations of civil society and its role in shaping socio-political life in the past decade as well as their prospects and challenges for the next millennium. It argues that civil society is a key mediating force in changing the state- society dynamics, which in turn, is also being reconfigured by the globalization of social life and the rise of identity and resource claims from various groups. Furthermore, state- civil society engagements have been influenced by communication technologies, facilitating the efficient movement of information, capital, and human resources across groups and national boundaries. Finally, the growth …

Storying The Body : Women's Narratives Through The Lens Of Breast Cancer, Janet A. Griffin

Theses : Honours

What can women's narratives contribute to our understanding of breast cancer and to feminist theories of the body? This thesis explores the meanings women construct to make sense of embodied experiences of breast cancer, and the profound experience of breast loss. Rich contextual data was elicited from in depth, guided conversations with five premenopausal women who have undergone mastectomy. Adopting feminist methodology, biographic-narrative was used to place the body at the heart of inquiry. This thesis explores the personal and theoretical meanings of mastectomy, embedded in the larger story of how these five women experience their breasts, throughout their lives. …

Phonological And Syntactic Processing, And The Role Of Working Memory In Reading Comprehension Among High School Students, John V. Holsgrove

Theses : Honours

The performance of 60 year8 students was examined on tasks measuring phonological processing, syntactic processing, and reading comprehension. The students were also administered several measures of working memory relating to the phonological loop and the central executive. A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that phonological processing and syntactic processing were both predictors of reading comprehension, and that the presence or absence of the latter distinguished good and poor comprehenders respectively. The phonological loop was found to play a small but significant role in the processes involved in reading comprehension, but not the central executive. Gender differences suggested that boys …

The Effects Of Sleep On The Acquisition Of Skill, Peter G. Croy

Theses : Honours

The current research was designed to evaluate the effect of sleep on memory for the declarative and procedural knowledge components of a cognitive skill. In a training phase, 17 participants in a no-sleep control group practised 120 repetitions of a simple algebra equation at Sam and 22 participants in a sleep group practised the task at 8pm. Novel task inputs were introduced withh1 the same task structure in a transfer phase conducted 12 hours after training for each group. Overnight sleep conferred a 29% performance deficit on the transfer tusk compared to no-sleep controls. The results support the hypothesis that …

Identifying Complex Issues Surrounding The Construction Of Indigeneity In Film And Documentary, Debbie Carmody

Theses : Honours

Indigenous identity can only be located within . a framework of historical dislocation from where white notions of assimilation are shattered. Therefore Indigeneity can only be defined in relation to the black experience within colonialism's hegemonic structures. I will argue this by looking at constructions of Indigenous Australians in the feature film Radiance (1998) directed by Rachel Perkins, and the documentary Sissy (2000) directed by Debbie Carmody (previously known as Debbie Gittins), which was made as part of this thesis. This raises questions: What is the black experience and the process of black survival within colonialism's hegemonic structures? How does …

Determinants Of Internet Banking Adoption In Thailand, Bussakorn Jaruwachirathanakul

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Increasingly competition in the financial services sector is forcing service providers to develop and utilise alternative delivery channels (Daniel, 1999). Within the sector, banking has always been a highly service intensive activity that relies heavily on technology to acquire, process, and deliver services and information to consumers (Tan & Teo, 2000). The emergence of the Internet has provided a way for banks to improve the efficiency of their service delivery and to gain a competitive advantage by reducing the number of brick-and-mortar branches. The study investigated the adoption of lnternet banking services in Thailand and is based on the premise …

A Q-Methodology Evaluation Of Visions Of Sustainable Development, Graham C. Marshall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The concept of the “triple bottom line” has recently become central to sustainable development (SD) and it emerged to be internationally regarded as integrating economic, environmental and social considerations into planning for the future. While numerous authors have contended that successful delivery of SD required a consensus and shared vision about implementation, objectives, and outcomes, others have argued that the lack of consensus about SD is not necessarily problematical. Whether or not a consensus is required for the successful deployment of SD is debatable, but that pluralities of views about SD exist is now widely acknowledged. Involved In the contestation …

The Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence? : The Self-Report Of Physical Abuse In Childhood Among Violent And Non-Violent Offenders, John Dockerill

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined the parental disciplinary history of male offenders to explore the relationship between report of childhood physical abuse and subsequent violent offending, based on the concept of intergenerational transmission of violence. The study also examined the relationship between reports of childhood physical abuse and juvenile delinquency together with an examination of the links between physical abuse and anger. Finally, this study explored the relationship between witnessing aggression to other family members and the motivation for subsequent violent offending (hostile motivated versus instrumentally motivated). Social learning theory provided the theoretical basis for this research. The underlying premise is that …

Developing A Catalogue Of Errors And Evaluating Its Impact On Software Development, Indrit Troshani

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The development of quality software is of paramount importance, yet this has been and continues to be an elusive goal for software engineers. Delivered software often fails due to errors that are injected during its development. Correcting these errors early in the development or preventing them altogether can, therefore, be considered as one way to improve software quality. In this thesis, the development of a Catalogue of Errors is described. Field studies with senior software engineering students are used to confirm that developers using the Catalogue of Errors commit fewer errors in their development artifacts. The impact of the Catalogue …

The Service Delivery Process : An Examination Of How Consumers Evaluate Technology-Assisted Service Encounters In The Retail Banking Industry, Catherine W. Munene

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined consumers' perceptions post-adoption of technology and how these perceptions affect their levels of dis/satisfaction and their continued use of technology·assisted service encounters. To this end, this study investigated the criteria that consumers in Western Australia's retail banking industry are likely to use when evaluating banking transactions involving EFTPOS, ATM, telephone, and Online banking modes. II examined whether these criteria changed with the mode of electronic banking in use and whether the significance of the criteria changed with

consumers' demographic characteristics. In addition, this study explored whether consumers who use these modes of electronic banking experience the paradoxes …

Geostatistical Optimisation Of Sampling And Estimation In A Nickel Laterite Deposit, Mark P. Murphy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Nickel and cobalt are key additives to metal alloys in modem industry. The largest worldwide nickel-cobalt resources occur in nickel laterite deposits that have formed during the chemical weathering of ultramafic rocks at the Earth's surface. At the Murrin Murrin mine in Western Australia, the nickel laterite deposits occur as laterally extensive, undulating blankets of mineralisation with strong vertical anisotropy, near normal nickel distributions, and positively skewed cobalt distributions. The mineral resources in nickel laterite deposits in Murrin Murrin are usually estimated from drilling and sampling on relatively wide-spaced drill patterns that are supported by local clusters of close-spaced sampling. …

Development, Implementation And Evaluation Of An Interactive Multimedia Instructional Model : A Teaching And Learning Programming Approach, Kacha Chansilp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sought to explore the outcomes from the use of a dynamic interactive visualisation tool among novice programmers in an introductory computer programming course. The proposed model, Dynamic Interactive Visualisation Tool in Teaching C (DIVTIC), was designed to use multimedia and visual imagery to provide learners with a step-by-step representation of program execution in the C language as a means of enhancing their understanding of programming structures and concepts. DIVTIC was designed to support constructivist learning principles and combined collaborative and visualisation learning strategies with use of the Internet and the World Wide Web to support the learning of …

Pulling Down Their Breaches : An Analysis Of Centrelink Breach And Appeal Numbers From 1996 To 2001 Using A Case Study Of A Single Centrelink Office, Lyndal Sleep

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is about current Centrelink breach and appeal figures. It is also about the current conservative neo-liberalising climate of Australian social policy reforms, with which they are inextricably connected. It shows that while Centrelink breach numbers have increased more than three fold since 1996, formal appeals against Centrelink decisions have not increased similarly. This thesis asks: what might this mean? It answers this question through a single case study of a Centrelink office. Data was collected using individual focused interviews, documents collected from the site, and direct observation (including a map of the office drawn by the researcher). Various …

Fall Risk Assessment : A Prospective Investigation Of Nurses' Clinical Judgement And Risk Assessment Tools In Predicting Patient Falls In An Acute Care Setting, Helen Myers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Falls are a significant problem in acute care, hospital settings, and can have serious consequences, especially for older patients. Fall prevention has therefore been recognised as an important area for research and intervention. In order to target interventions and use resources effectively, a major strategy of many fall prevention programmes has been the development and/or use of risk assessment tools to identify patients who are at high risk of falling. Although many tools have been developed, few have been rigorously tested, and there is currently no evidence to support the clinical utility of fall risk assessment tools. There is a …

Systematic Theology I, Steelman Library, Paul N. Van Der Laan Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Implementing A Plan For Prekindergarten Teachers To Use Developmentally Appropriate Practices Consistently In The Classroom, Luisa P. Martin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to establish a method to increase the transfer of learning from on-site training to the classroom in order to increase the use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). The major goal was to have teachers consistently use DAP in the classroom, which would lead to establishing higher quality services to children at the writer’s work site.

The writer developed strategies to work with two prekindergarten teachers and one assistant teacher. On-site training, classroom observations, a system of daily communication, and a revised school budget were strategies used to address the problem. Monthly meetings were used to …

Improving High School Students’ Daily Class Period Attendance, Marvin E. Gantt

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to examine a cooperative system to resolve the class-cutting problem of 9th–grade students in an urban high school. The process included teachers, parents, and students. All attendance records at this school were handwritten and manually generated on forms. The process was slow, immediate feedback was difficult, and the system was cumbersome to manage. Teachers did not have a remedy for the situation, parents displayed indifference, and students denied their perpetration.

Separate surveys were developed and administered to teachers, parents, and students before and after the intervention to determine their various viewpoints on school attendance and …

Closing The Achievement Gap One School At A Time: Reading Achievement And Hispanic Children, Nereida Inocencia Santa-Cruz

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Research indicates that the importance of learning to read is critical. An inability to read stands as an enormous barrier to one’s potential knowledge and social participation. Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability Act (1999, F.S.) also known as Florida’s High-Quality Education System rates schools in terms of performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Reading is the focal point of this accountability system. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), 29 elementary schools have been designated grade category F since the inception of the Florida’s High-Quality Education System. James H. Bright Elementary School was one of the originally …

The Effect Of Three Variables On The Academic Performance Of Elementary Students, Teresa F. Mccorry

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The major purpose of this study was to determine the extent that 3 variables influence the student achievement of 3rd-grade students in this elementary school setting. More specifically, the researcher was concerned with the extent to which the independent and combined effects of the variables parental involvement, attendance, and reduced class size had on the academic performance of 3rd-grade students on the reading and mathematics section of the Ohio Off-Year Proficiency Test (Ohio Department of Education, 1997).

The design that was most conducive for this applied research is a descriptive design. An experimental design was not feasible because control groups …

School Resource Officers: Effective Or Ineffective In Reducing Discipline Referrals And Increasing School Safety?, Cornelius B. Leach

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program for reducing the number of discipline referrals for fighting, threats, and possession or use of weapons. The total school population was involved in this intervention program. All middle schools in the school district had 2 School Resource Officers (SRO) on campus to produce a safer school environment. The problem with the discipline referrals was documented through the archival data of discipline referrals from the 2000-2001 school year.

An analysis of probable cause data gathered indicated that low or moderate supervision, lack of parental involvement, and lack of knowledge about writing discipline referrals were factors leading …

Is Enrollment In Algebra An Effective Strategy For Helping African American Students Pass The Mathematics Section Of The California High School Exit Exam?, Deborah Bradshaw

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Beginning with the class of 2004, all students in the state of California must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate from high school with a diploma. This study sought to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between the mean score of 10th-grade African American students who took an algebra class prior to taking the CAHSEE and the mean score of a matched group of their peers who did not take algebra prior to taking the exam.

Results provided by the California Department of Education showed that at both the state and district level, passing the …

Improving Behavior And Academic Achievement For Students At Sandersville Elementary School, Fate R. Simmons

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve discipline and academic achievement at Sandersville Elementary School. This school, located in the Washington County School System, serves students in Grades 3-5. An analysis of data collected in the 2001-2002 school year revealed that 53% of the teachers were dissatisfied with student discipline, and 55% were dissatisfied with the academic climate at Sandersville Elementary School.

Planned solution strategies included a 2-part discipline and academic achievement improvement program. The program focused on helping teachers to understand and address the needs of Early Intervention Program students. The program included in-service training for teachers on specific …

Development Of A Portfolio Process For Beginning Early Childhood Education Student Teachers With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Kelly O. Lake

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Early Childhood Education Department at Santa Barbara City College has the mission of offering coursework and applied student teaching opportunities to those interested in working with young children, birth through age eight. Based on current teacher training practices and an administrative direction, the Early Childhood Education Department has made the decision to implement a portfolio process. However, there is no existing model on campus or any expertise in the Early Childhood Education Department. As a result, the Early Childhood Education Department is faced with a problem.

Research questions focused on identifying the appropriate standards and type of portfolio as …

Improving Science Education For Middle-School Students By Integrating Mathematics Into The Scientific Method Process, Robert L. Wells

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve student success in science by integrating mathematics into the scientific method process. Students were routinely asked to perform experiments that required mathematical computations in measurement, numeration, geometry, and statistics; however, they were largely unable to perform these calculations because of their inability to apply mathematical concepts outside the mathematics classroom. The mathematics curriculum did not afford the student the opportunity to apply mathematics to real-life situations, nor did the science curriculum consistently apply mathematics to experiments.

The writer developed a series of science experiments that incorporated these four mathematical concepts into earth science …

An Evaluation Of The Failure Free Reading Program Used With Learning-Disabled Students, Shelia M. Martin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study examined the effect of using Failure Free Reading (Lockavitch, 1995) as a supplemental intervention reading program with fourth- and fifth-grade LD students at Howard Elementary School. The reading achievement and reading perceptions of 16 LD students were studied. An overview of the assessments for determining the perceptions and achievement of the students is discussed. Although an analysis of the data indicated some gain in pre- and posttests scores on the Standardized Test of Assessment of Reading (STAR) for some of the students, positive perceptions of reading were noted by all of the LD students in the study.

Implications …

Improving Homework Completion Of Grade 6-8 Students Through Responsibility And Time Management Skills, Lisa A. Turissini

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the homework completion rate of Grade 6-8 students through the teaching of responsibility and time management skills. Students’ lack of preparedness in the classroom was concerning to parents and staff. An analysis of the problem evidence indicated that there was a lack of organizational skills by the middle school students.

The writer developed a course in time management and organization skills to assist the students with balancing their school and out-of-school activities, keeping track of long and short term assignments and tests as well as daily homework requirements. Other interventions to assist with …

Development, Implementation And Evaluation Of A Minority Recruitment Plan For Faculty, Administrators And Staff At Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Annie C. Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop a minority recruitment plan for use by NWTC. The minority recruitment plan was created to increase the number of minority candidate applicants and eventually, new hires to the campus.

The project primarily utilized the development methodology to address the research questions. Eight procedures were employed including: review of the literature; collection of data from 15 colleges regarding their plans to diversify their workforce and review their plans as to how they relate to NWTC; selection of formative and summative committee to assist in the review of the minority recruitment plan; implementation and evaluation …

Development Of A Retention Plan To Monitor African American Student Withdrawals At A Public School For The Performing Arts, Cody L. Clark

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to establish a retention plan useful for retaining African American students in an arts magnet school. The implementation phase of this report is referred to as Project REACH (Representing Ethnic Artists for Cross-Cultural Harmony). It features a core arts learning style, including volunteer mentorship teams, a modified version of a career-day fair, and academic tutorials monitored by the arts faculty. The emphasis was on the reciprocal responsibilities of both the African American students and the arts faculty and staff. The ability of the arts magnet school to both attract African American students and provide a …

Development Of A Fee-Based Service Delivery Model For The Department Of Career Services At The University Of Connecticut, Cynthia F. Jones

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation project provided a partial solution to the problem of reduced state government budget support for the Department of Career Services at the University of Connecticut. A reduction in fiscal resources will hinder the operation of the Department of Career Services at the University of Connecticut and prevent the department from providing adequate career development services to help students reach career goals. The creation of a model for fee-based service delivery to users, using a development methodology, was the product of this project.

The research questions addressed and answered in this project explored following issues related to developing …